Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
Marine radiochemist- the biological carbon pump, pie and coffee make life good
Kenneth "Ken" Owen Buesseler is an American marine radiochemist. He is a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Source: Wikipedia
Environmental science
41%
Geology
19%
And there is no new science that supports no longer using ALARA - a simple concept used to reduce exposure to radiation. What has changed?
The Trump administration has secretly rewritten nuclear safety rules
The rewrite was done to speed up the construction of a new generation of nuclear reactors. Critics warn it could compromise safety and public trust.
www.npr.org
EXCLSUVIE: The Trump administration has secretly rewritten nuclear safety rules and shared them with the companies they're meant to regulate, without making the new rules publicly available.
We've obtained a copy of the new rules and here's what we found.
www.npr.org/2026/01/28/n...
We've obtained a copy of the new rules and here's what we found.
www.npr.org/2026/01/28/n...
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Nov 12
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Nov 11
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Aug 21
Its not every day you wake up and are asked about #radioactive shrimp!
I guess Marco Werman at #PRX's the World wanted the down low from this #WHOI marine radiochemist. Listen here to the story.
theworld.org/segments/202... 🌊
@theworld.org
I guess Marco Werman at #PRX's the World wanted the down low from this #WHOI marine radiochemist. Listen here to the story.
theworld.org/segments/202... 🌊
@theworld.org
Reposted by Ken O. Buesseler
NSF downsizes summer research program for undergraduates
Many participants are from groups underrepresented in science
www.science.org
Due to the Musk/Trump Administration’s draconian cuts, the National Science Foundation is significantly scaling back its program to provide college students with paid summer research internships. Many of my colleagues attribute their start in science to this program.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Jul 23
Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions
Every year, humans pump about 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The heat from this greenhouse gas is disrupting planetary systems and reshaping life on Earth. The ocean may be abl...
oceaniron.org
Lucky to have found this new talent to help us move forward with the research agenda of ExOIS. More on those plans at oceaniron.org 🌊
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Jun 24
Rather than repeating crazy headlines, everyone should read the paper, which suggests ocean iron fertilization could remove 200 Gt of atmospheric CO2, with only a 3% reduction in ocean oxygen. Let’s not be hasty in deciding which solutions are best until we have more research on all mCDR approaches🌊
If you are in Nice for UNOC3, don't miss this panel next Tuesday afternoon.
Wish I could be there! and hope others in Nice don't miss this great panel.
A Complete List of Everything in the Republican Bill, and How Much It Would Cost or Save (Gift Article)
In hundreds of provisions across taxes, spending and more, the G.O.P. megabill would preserve lower tax rates for most Americans, increase federal debt by nearly $3 trillion and make large cuts to Med...
www.nytimes.com
$1000 per DAY (>$300K/yr)- this is the proposed tax cut for the top 0.1% of earners making more than $5M/yr. Cut the cuts and you can balance the budget AND still pay for medicaid, food programs, climate security, education, scientific and medical advances.
These posts about why ocean iron is so ineffective, ignore nature’s large scale response to changing iron inputs – wildfires in Australia were just one example (Tang et al., 2021, doi.org/10.1038/s415...) which led to 100’s million tons of additional C export 🌊
A great short term opportunity for someone looking to help move forward the mCDR science agenda. Spread the word
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· May 30
Yes, remember the alternative to no mCDR is the climate crisis we are in. With or without good science, some approaches will move forward for the wrong reasons. So we need to be "learning by doing" and studying multiple land and ocean based CDR approaches.🌊
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· May 29
reposting with 🌊 emoji so its picked up by the oceanography postings. Let's see if that works and if it is still linked to the response by @altagliabue.bsky.social I need to learn my Bluesky protocols!
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· May 29
Let's see- 0.5 PgC/yr for iron, if mCDR using Alkalinity, seaweed and electrochemical/DOC methods matched (and there are others), that would be 2 PgC/yr (= 2 GtC/yr) or almost 8 Gt CO2-eq/yr or 20% of annual emissions! I'd say that glass is more than half full. Lets work together to solve this.
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· May 28
Funny, I read Tagliabue et al 2023 which predicted 15.5% biomass loss by 2100 due to climate change and -20.5% with massive OIF. We can't even predict this year's cod catch off Cape Cod to 5% yet during those same years they predict 40 GtC removal (152 Gt CO2). I guess to some that's not enough.
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· May 28
Wish I could have joined you in Liege, but based on this title- ok, who decides and which mCDR approaches and why, are they deemed worth no further consideration? Easier said than done.
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· May 11
FYI it’s my grandma’s pie tin, rolling pin and even the rhubarb plants in the garden that all came from her home and make this so special today
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· May 11
Spring rhubarb is here so time to make the first #pie of the season on Mother’s Day.
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Apr 29
Hundreds more NSF grants terminated after agency director resigns
Sethuraman Panchanathan abruptly leaves helm of US funding agency after Elon Musk’s DOGE arrives.
www.nature.com
Over 1000 grants terminated at NSF. Coming with statements that termination is not subject to appeal, despite an NSF policy and a federal policy that both say otherwise!
The destruction continues… Stand together.🧪🌊
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
The destruction continues… Stand together.🧪🌊
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Apr 26
This type of “data”
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Apr 26
Thanks to those organizing this. It’s by collecting this type of days that we can show how wide and far the damage has already become. Imagine if the 55% cuts come through as well. We all need to stand up for science. 🧪🌊
Reposted by Ken O. Buesseler
David Ho
@davidho.bsky.social
· Apr 26
Airtable | Everyone's app platform
Airtable is a low-code platform for building collaborative apps. Customize your workflow, collaborate, and achieve ambitious outcomes. Get started for free.
airtable.com
Report your NSF grant termination here. 🌊🧪
There is also a link to view a list of grants that have been terminated.
There is also a link to view a list of grants that have been terminated.
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Apr 23
Elon Musk bankrolled a $100M climate contest. Now it's ‘tainted.’
The billionaire funded an XPrize for carbon removal. But he won't be at the ceremony announcing the winner Wednesday.
www.eenews.net
The billionaire class is stepping back from their commitments to fight climate change. Latest $100M XPrize for climate was launched to much fanfare. Now its crickets. “Musk sold himself out, and I think that’s reprehensible,” said Wil Burns
www.eenews.net/articles/elo...
www.eenews.net/articles/elo...
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Apr 21
Sunday thought
The contagion of courage
open.substack.com
Important to remember-
Every person who stands up to the Trump regime’s lawlessness and cruelty summons others to do the same.
Every institutional leader who defies Trump’s orders encourages other institutional leaders to defy similar orders.
more at open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
Every person who stands up to the Trump regime’s lawlessness and cruelty summons others to do the same.
Every institutional leader who defies Trump’s orders encourages other institutional leaders to defy similar orders.
more at open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Apr 17
As Ben Franklin said "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately"
Reposted by Ken O. Buesseler
Abbi Lichtenstein
@abbij1961.bsky.social
· Apr 17
'Don't fight alone': Universities band together to defend against Trump attacks
YouTube video by MSNBC
youtu.be
Universities should have independence from the government and following Harvard’s lead, the Big 10 schools which include MI State, Rutgers, Indiana U, etc agree to form a compact to fight off trumps threats. This is how to stand up and fight to protect our democracy!
#MomSky
#MomSky
Ken Buesseler
@cafethorium.bsky.social
· Apr 15
Harvard’s Decision to Resist Trump Is ‘of Momentous Significance’ (Gift Article)
But a fight with the nation’s oldest, richest and most elite university is a battle that President Trump and his powerful aide, Stephen Miller, want to have.
www.nytimes.com
No government.. should dictate what private universities can teach..admit and hire, which areas of study..they can pursue” Harvard’s president words need to be SHOUTED from the roof tops. Replace “university” with “state" or "city" or "health center” and you get the idea where this is going 🧪🌊
Guest Commentary: We Must Stand Together
Leaders from three, prominent Woods Hole research institutions emphasize the need for unbiased science
bit.ly
This is a strong example of a local response by Woods Hole ocean science institutions to the larger issues disrupting and ending valuable science programs in the US. I know there have been others stepping up to stand for science. Let's make our voices heard bit.ly/3XLnkp2 🌊🧪