David N. Thomas
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dnthomas01.bsky.social
David N. Thomas
@dnthomas01.bsky.social

Eclectic Bluesky-Rambler - It's not random...honest/ Marine-Arctic-Antarctic-Climate Biologist/ Slow but enthusiastic cyclist/ Woke academic still aspiring to be a scholar/ 🇬🇧 diaspora in 🇫🇮
Books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B001HOBI0E .. more

Environmental science 45%
Geology 23%
Pinned
Those who patiently tolerate my posts may wonder about my preoccupation with small details in nature/objects/textures Well there is the intrinsic aesthetic & beauty BUT mainly - looking at the small helps me cope with facing the - at times seemingly impossible - big issues

Reposted by David N. Thomas

New publication:
Hundreds of #fungi under the city: Opportunities and challenges of ectomycorrhizal research and application in urban spaces

Link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Hundreds of fungi under the city: Opportunities and challenges of ectomycorrhizal research and application in urban spaces - Ambio
In the expanding urban landscape, a major challenge is to ensure the resilience of plant communities developed in stressful conditions, with limited soil resources and exposed to high disturbance regi...
link.springer.com

Reposted by David N. Thomas

New publication:
Improving biocultural diversity conservation: Integrating the multiple evidence base (MEB) approach and co-design

Link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Improving biocultural diversity conservation: Integrating the multiple evidence base (MEB) approach and co-design - Ambio
The convergent extinction crisis—characterized by the simultaneous loss of biological and cultural diversity—poses a critical threat to the resilience of socio-ecological systems. To address this chal...
link.springer.com

Reposted by David N. Thomas

new publication:
From invasive to opportunity: Indigenous insights in balance, soil health and weed management

Link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
From invasive to opportunity: Indigenous insights in balance, soil health and weed management - Ambio
This paper examines the concept of balance within Indigenous knowledge systems and its role in weed management and ecological restoration. Aboriginal cultural knowledge holders and weed managers view ...
link.springer.com

Reposted by David N. Thomas

I spend between 300 and 350 hours a year perched on a bicycle saddle turning the cranks ……I always thought this was a lot
…..but during this mornings #HelsinkiBikeCommute rambling thoughts i suddenly realised it is less than 4% of the hours available in a year 😱🤣

Each winter I am amazed that these tiny studs are enough keep the #HelsinkiBikeCommute going through winter……well with decent gloves and socks

They do…..but a lot of my commute is on forest and/or cleared (but not salted) paths
The salt is of course harsh on components…..& I guess I have to change those more frequently than had I not winter cycled

never had that problem - just clean and oil weekly (well at least fortnightly 🤣 )
Although the gear mechanisms freezing solid is a problem at temps under -15

Proper winter #HelsinkiBikeCommute this evening

The cycling and weather Gods clearly read my post this morning where I mentioned a lack of snow for the #HelsinkiBikeCommute …..so the way back was complete & had low temps with snow 🤣❄️

Always grateful for unexpected good news ….the publisher has just been in contact to say our introduction to oceanography is being translated into Korean….never had that on the cards 😃

Reposted by Emma F. Vogel

Reposted by David N. Thomas

Academia is plagued by not-fit-for-purpose metrics......finally one that cut through the nonsense 🤣
The j-index: J = W ÷ Y
Where W is the total weight (in km) of all books a scientist has authored, and Y is the number of years since the author earned their doctorate

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Introducing the j-metric: a true measure of what matters in academia
Science has become obsessed with publishing numbers. With this new satirical proposal, have we reached peak metric?
www.nature.com

Recorded -10℃ at parts of my morning #HelsinkiBikeCommute
today.
Felt like the first real #wintercycling of the season (but no snow). & so I thought I would re-share my practical winter cycling temperature scale ⬇️
Now that the 2022-23 #wintercyling season is drawing to a close, here is my deduced practical winter cycling temperature scale:

Wind chill factor:
5 to 0 ℃ = cool
-1 to -5 ℃ = chilly
-6 to -10 ℃ = cold
-11 to -15 ℃ = freezing
-16 ℃ & below = painful

#HelsinkiBikeCommute

This is a shameful action by the #BBC
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
I'm seeing claims that progress was made at #COP30, but it really wasn't. Each passing year with no fossil fuel phaseout comes at great opportunity cost as we further burn through the vanishing carbon budget that remains for averting dangerous warming. See my commentary: michaelmann.net/bad-cop/

There are only around 50 Rice's whales (confined to the Gulf of Mexico) - this new publication describes how difficult it is to raise issues about the conservation and management of one of the rarest species of whale on the planet

Reposted by David N. Thomas

New publication:
Exporting environmental democracy to international forums: Understanding the role of the Aarhus Convention

Open access link:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Exporting environmental democracy to international forums: Understanding the role of the Aarhus Convention - Ambio
This socio-legal paper examines how the duty under Article 3.7. of the Aarhus Convention to promote principles of environmental democracy in international environmental forums is being interpreted and...
link.springer.com

Reposted by David N. Thomas

New Publication:
Discovering the world’s most endangered great whale species did not advance an issue-attention cycle in news media: Implications for Rice’s whale conservation and management

Open access link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Discovering the world’s most endangered great whale species did not advance an issue-attention cycle in news media: Implications for Rice’s whale conservation and management - Ambio
Issue-attention cycles (IACs) follow the predictable rise and fall of media and public attention to topics through five defined stages. Using content analysis and critical discourse analysis, we analy...
link.springer.com

Reposted by David N. Thomas

New publication:
The transformation-mainstreaming conundrum: Making sense of tensions in adaptation practice

open access link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The transformation-mainstreaming conundrum: Making sense of tensions in adaptation practice - Ambio
As the scale of climate change impacts become apparent, organisations globally are seeking to adapt. They face dual imperatives of transformation—going beyond business-as-usual to embrace disruptive c...
link.springer.com

My wife - "is there a reason you only gave me half a cup of tea?"

Me - "I didn't have my glasses on & couldn't see the surface"

#BeyondHope
425.82 parts per million (ppm) CO2 in air 20-Nov-2025
keelingcurve.ucsd.edu
The Keeling Curve
The Keeling Curve is a daily record of global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration maintained by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
keelingcurve.ucsd.edu

It’s 2 oC at 04:16am in Helsinki and I am glued to the screen …..why?
Of course waiting stupidly excited for #Ashes2025 to start
#BBCCricket #BBCTMS

Reposted by David N. Thomas

New Publication:
National biodiversity and ecosystem assessments for conservation impact: Uptake and lessons learnt from the South African experience

Open access link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
National biodiversity and ecosystem assessments for conservation impact: Uptake and lessons learnt from the South African experience - Ambio
To combat global biodiversity decline, countries must identify priority ecosystems and species, often through National Ecosystem or Biodiversity Assessments (NEAs/NBAs). In developing nations, resourc...
link.springer.com
Academia is plagued by not-fit-for-purpose metrics that are then used ranking individuals and institutions
Will we ever move away from these? - there is a lot of talk but not a great deal of action?
The comment ⬇️ is a refreshing look at the problem.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
To reform universities, first tackle global rankings
Universities are in thrall to a rankings system that prioritizes narrow aspects of academic life. Three changes would give institutions the freedom to explore fresh ways of working.
www.nature.com
new publication:
Ecosystem accounting through first nations’ lenses: Integrating the SEEA-EA and Indigenous knowledge systems

open access link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Ecosystem accounting through first nations’ lenses: Integrating the SEEA-EA and Indigenous knowledge systems - Ambio
The UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting-Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) provides a framework for integrating information about the environment and the economy, organising information about e...
link.springer.com

Reposted by David N. Thomas

new publication:
Beyond the finite pool of worry: War experiences and climate change concerns in Ukraine

open access link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Beyond the finite pool of worry: War experiences and climate change concerns in Ukraine - Ambio
This study explores the relationship between self-reported war impacts on personal lives and climate change concerns in Ukraine, challenging the "finite pool of worry" hypothesis. Based on survey data...
link.springer.com