John J. Cullen's Avatar

John J. Cullen

@johncullenocean.bsky.social

Professor Emeritus in Oceanography, Dalhousie University. πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦πŸ§ͺ🌊 I've spent a long time trying to understand and explain how the ocean works.

4,042 Followers  |  48 Following  |  20 Posts  |  Joined: 17.10.2023  |  2.3018

Latest posts by johncullenocean.bsky.social on Bluesky


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AGU Denounces Trump Administration’s Repeal of the EPA Endangerment Finding In 1856, American scientist Eunice Foote made history by publishing the first academic paper demonstrating that carbon dioxide traps heat from the Sun, a discovery that laid the foundation for climate...

Read @agu.org's denunciation of the news here:

fromtheprow.agu.org/agu-denounce...

12.02.2026 19:30 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 18    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2

As James says, this isn't even about climate.

It's about all the tools, platforms, models, datasets we use to study and forecast weather and understand how it impacts people, too.

17.12.2025 03:31 β€” πŸ‘ 271    πŸ” 61    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2

Dismantling NCAR @ncar-ucar.bsky.social is a bad decision for many reasons. NSF’s investment in NCAR scientists, technical staff, facilities and research products supports and catalyzes atmosphere, ocean, and Earth system science across the nation and world with a substantial ROI.

17.12.2025 12:39 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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🌊 Last night, Hervé Claustre was awarded the Prince Albert I Medal for his scientific contributions to the @bgc-argo.bsky.social programme. Congratulations to him on this well-deserved honour, and a wonderful recognition for #Argo too.

@imev-mer.fr @cnrs.fr @oceanomonaco.bsky.social #OneArgo

09.12.2025 15:29 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
Infographic with AI slop published in Nature Scientific Reports

Infographic with AI slop published in Nature Scientific Reports

"Runctitiononal features"? "Medical fymblal"? "1 Tol Line storee"? This gets worse the longer you look at it. But it's got to be good, because it was published in Nature Scientific Reports last week: www.nature.com/articles/s41... h/t @asa.tsbalans.se

27.11.2025 09:30 β€” πŸ‘ 2307    πŸ” 745    πŸ’¬ 207    πŸ“Œ 474
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Remembering my sister Rosalind Franklin Rosalind Franklin died of ovarian cancer in 1958 aged 37 years. Sympathy and feminism have combined to give us her familiar image as a downtrodden woman scientist, brilliant but neglected, a heroine t...

Her sister wrote my favorite essay about her. She points out that RF would have been famous even if she'd never looked at DNA

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

07.11.2025 23:20 β€” πŸ‘ 289    πŸ” 111    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 12

The question about additionality stands, but more importantly, what about the foundational assumptions: 1) All of the carbon in oyster biomass is sequestered from the atmosphere for decades (false - it is respired), and 2) All of the sedimented organic carbon is permanently buried (evidence?).

21.09.2025 14:08 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

🌊 Post from Jay Cullen took me to the PNAS article on oyster farming as mCDR. Seems that farmed oyster biomass is counted as sequestered carbon for climate change mitigation. No mention of what happens to oyster carbon after we eat it. Maybe I read it wrong.

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

17.09.2025 16:52 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

If due-diligence of mCDR investors included solid engagement with expert ocean scientists like Hurd and others – who have years of experience and publish peer-reviewed research – the cycle of hype and waste might be replaced with a better path to solutions.

🌊
www.canarymedia.com/articles/car...

30.05.2025 17:34 β€” πŸ‘ 27    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

The arguments about uncertain global effects and limited efficacy have been supported by others for years.

One more thing: if harmful blooms or hypoxic fish kills happen anywhere that is influenced by OIF, legal fingers will point, deservedly or not.

Who will underwrite liability insurance?
🌊

30.05.2025 17:00 β€” πŸ‘ 28    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

The US does not stand for freedom and democracy any more, but is sliding fast into tyranny. Harvard is punished for standing up to this.
If you’re in the US and not doing something now, soon you will be unable to do anything.
We know this from experience here in Germany.

23.05.2025 04:59 β€” πŸ‘ 1285    πŸ” 414    πŸ’¬ 32    πŸ“Œ 14
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Carbon, climate, and a Royal honour: Professor Boyd recognised for ocean science leadership

Congratulations to Philip Boyd FRS!

FYI, he is a leading expert on marine CDR. His publications have revealed what we know, what we don’t, and what we must learn and do before proceeding with ocean manipulations.

Essential science that can cut through hype.

🌊πŸ§ͺ

www.utas.edu.au/about/news-a...

22.05.2025 16:50 β€” πŸ‘ 19    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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FDA Announces Completion of First AI-Assisted Scientific Review Pilot and Aggressive Agency-Wide AI Rollout Timeline FDA announced an aggressive timeline to scale AI across all centers by June 30.

Does this scare you like it scares me? www.fda.gov/news-events/...

09.05.2025 01:24 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ‘Ώ NSF in Turmoil: Radical Reorganization, Removal of Directors, Forced Layoffs
πŸ§ͺ
Follows take over by DOGE
#SaveNSF
science.org

09.05.2025 02:29 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with β€˜agency priorities’.

πŸ””BREAKINGπŸ””

The NSF has frozen all research grant awardsβ€”cutting off life-saving science midstream and demanding ideological screenings for future funding.

This is censorship disguised as oversight.

Here’s how you can help us spread the word ➑️🧡(1/3):
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

02.05.2025 01:31 β€” πŸ‘ 595    πŸ” 432    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 28

I was in the process of hiring a postdoc, so this severely affects her career because now she has to look for something else. It also means I can't pay my existing people, can't buy supplies for the lab, and can't travel. Every NSF-funded researcher will be in the same boat soon.

02.05.2025 08:29 β€” πŸ‘ 137    πŸ” 30    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 1

Delighted to see that Scott Doney has been honored with election to the NAS. His research represents truly interdisciplinary oceanography at its best, he has been a standout in public service, and (dare we say this about scientists?) he is a model of generosity and kindness.

Congrats, Scott! 🌊πŸ§ͺ

30.04.2025 13:30 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081

25.04.2025 15:32 β€” πŸ‘ 60166    πŸ” 20593    πŸ’¬ 593    πŸ“Œ 831
Notice of Changes Notices of changes are formal public announcements of planned services changes to applications and other products.

Many data sets held by NOAA are being "retired" in may, including datasets relevant to ocean sciences and climate. If you have need for these data, or are an archivist, it would be good to download this now. PLEASE SHARE WIDELY. www.nesdis.noaa.gov/about/docume...

18.04.2025 20:25 β€” πŸ‘ 125    πŸ” 117    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 3

The Act prohibits actions that β€œharass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect” endangered species. Right now, β€œharm” includes damage to a species’ habitatβ€”but the Trump administration is attempting to strip habitat destruction from that definition.

18.04.2025 13:26 β€” πŸ‘ 953    πŸ” 144    πŸ’¬ 29    πŸ“Œ 5
Notice of Changes Notices of changes are formal public announcements of planned services changes to applications and other products.

NOAA just announced a long list of datasets that are going awayπŸ§ͺβš’οΈπŸŒŠ: www.nesdis.noaa.gov/about/docume...
Download what you need asap and send comments to: ncei.info@noaa.gov

17.04.2025 00:44 β€” πŸ‘ 1033    πŸ” 954    πŸ’¬ 42    πŸ“Œ 118
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Ending Cooperative Agreements’ Funding to Princeton University On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick announced that nearly $4 million in funding is ending to Princeton University after a detailed, careful, and thorough review of the...

This administration continues to outdo itself by doing really really dumb things. Princeton has one of the best climate modeling groups in the world, and this administration just cut their funding justified with some anti-science bs.

09.04.2025 00:55 β€” πŸ‘ 293    πŸ” 104    πŸ’¬ 12    πŸ“Œ 15
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Last minute US intervention at IMO threatens to derail climate negotiations The US has dropped a diplomatic bombshell on the pivotal international talks due to agree shipping’s decarbonisation regulatory measures. The threat of action against member states agreeing to a deal has the potential to derail talks

Those critical International Maritime Organisation discussions on a pathway to greener shipping just had a major bombshell dropped on them:

www.lloydslist.com/LL1153123/La...

This is a rare opportunity to make real progress. They don’t need unanimous agreement, but the threats could change minds.

09.04.2025 10:34 β€” πŸ‘ 55    πŸ” 18    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 2
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Canada election live: Canadian PM Mark Carney calls snap election Carney has asked the governor general to dissolve Parliament, launching an election campaign amid a trade war with the US.

The election has just been called for April 28.

If you are a Canadian living outside the country, get your mail-in ballot here ASAP:

travel.gc.ca/travelling/l...

23.03.2025 16:54 β€” πŸ‘ 7086    πŸ” 2560    πŸ’¬ 188    πŸ“Œ 120

As we watch Trump's attack on universities, remember that Poilievre promises to appoint a "Free Speech Guardian" for universities.
A university could lose its federal funding if this politically appointed "guardian" recommends it.

22.03.2025 14:45 β€” πŸ‘ 212    πŸ” 146    πŸ’¬ 15    πŸ“Œ 13

Thanks for the heads-up, Clark. A keen student could learn a lot by modelling the interactions between ambient irradiance spectra and LDR sensor spectral response in different water types through the open ocean. Could be a good publication!

aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

22.03.2025 14:25 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Trump administration threatening Canadian researchers OTTAWA, Ontario, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is warning that the Trump administration is...

This is bananas.

'Canadian researchers are asked to confirm that their research:

- does not include a climate or β€œenvironmental justice” component

- does not contain diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) elements

- does not ascribe to β€œgender ideology'

πŸ§ͺ 🌎

www.globenewswire.com/news-release...

18.03.2025 20:43 β€” πŸ‘ 83    πŸ” 64    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 9

Got potash? πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦

08.03.2025 12:42 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

If this looks old it's because it's been up there a while.

07.03.2025 21:45 β€” πŸ‘ 259    πŸ” 92    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 4

This is fascinating. Give it a read!

06.03.2025 04:45 β€” πŸ‘ 304    πŸ” 95    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 3

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