Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

World Meteorological Organization @wmo-global.bsky.social · 18h

Five facts about the WMO’s 2024 State of Global Water Resources Report:

This is the #StateOfWater.

Read the full report 🔗 https://bit.ly/469OBWU

5 10

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 18h

Cuts to US federal budgets having real world consequences for weather forecasting ?

Data from weather balloons is typically used to improve forecasts. Reducing the number of balloon launches, or not having them, means some changes atmosphere are not seen.

@indyfromspace.bsky.social @zacklabe.com

Alan Gerard @wxmanms1.bsky.social · 1d

Disastrous storm surge struck western AK Sunday. All 6 NWS upper air sites in the area have chronic issues (see alt-text). In addition to no releases from 2 sites, 2 sites are releasing only 1x per day instead of 2x. 2 have intermittent issues, 1 of these (Nome) had no releases 10/9 or 10/10 (1/2)

Map of National Weather Service upper air sites in Alaska. Red circles indicate sites not currently releasing balloons, orange circles sites on releasing routinely once per day instead of twice, and purple sites with intermittent issues with releases.

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

Fabrice Ardhuin @fabriceardhuin.bsky.social · 18h

The visualization tool for wave heights is just in time for my classes on waves starting in November!
odl.bzh/CACKkfxO. thanks to @oceandatalab.bsky.social

fingers of higer waves are caused by refraction of swell over currents.The first time we saw this kind of feature was on Envisat ASAR.

7-day composite of wave heights from Scotland to France (dark red is 8 m) from SWOT KaRIN instrument (22 to 28 August 2025), showing land shadows and effects of currents on wave heights. In particular "fingers" of higher waves are pointing in the wave propagation direction and are caused by a focusing of waves in currents located "upwave" of the measurement.

1 1

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 19h

"a quarter of the typical energy bill in 2024 was profit. That is equivalent to every household paying £416 a year so other people can grow rich."

Excellent piece by Mathew Lawrence of the @Cmmonwealth thinktank

How the government keeps you poorer

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Soaring bills are the gift that keeps on giving for Reform. Shame Labour doesn’t have the guts to do anything about them | Mathew Lawrence

A cost of living crisis is not inevitable if there is the will to stop companies extracting profits from Britain’s essential services, says Mathew Lawrence of the Common Wealth thinktank

www.theguardian.com

3 52 110

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 19h

On required inside walls put up thermal wallpaper, say Wallrock from GoWallpaper, w/ fire retardent liner over the top. The liner can even be painted over. 😉

1

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · 21h

There’s not much to say about the solid wall insulation failures that hasn’t already been said. A diabolical policy failure that wasted money and harmed people.

But one thing I will add is: I think it highlights the need for more state delivery capacity on warm homes, not just regulation
🧵

Almost all external insulation fitted under Tory scheme needs repair or replacing, report finds

Homeowners who took advantage of government programmes left with cladding likely to cause damp

www.theguardian.com

7 37 80

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 19h

Interesting Resolution Foundation event from 2nd Sept

"Hot topics, hard choices: Addressing the policy landscape for 2025-26" www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgLu...

Is there still a fiscal credibility gap after Truss' 2022 mini-budget ?

Yes, there are strategies published, but are they all too timid ?

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

CNES @cnes.fr · 21h

Imaginez les Avengers… mais version spatiale 🛰️
Quand une catastrophe naturelle frappe, une alliance mondiale d’agences spatiales s’active pour aider les secours depuis l’espace.
C’est la Charte “Espace et Catastrophes Majeures” 🌍💥 (ou "Disaster charter" en anglais) cnes.fr/projets/char... #CNES

Charte Internationale « Espace et Catastrophes Majeures » | CNES

La technologie spatiale en support aux catastrophes

cnes.fr

1 6 20

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 1d

This is the inevitable outcome of relentless anti-immigration political rhetoric and a media environment which disproportionately amplifies the voices of racists, giving the indication that they are the "voice of the public" rather than the minority they are.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

‘Frightened to get out of their cars’: Britain’s toxic race debates threaten overseas care workers

Staff are being advised to travel in mixed groups and carry panic alarms as incidents of intimidation spread

www.theguardian.com

5 110 230

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 22h

Brexit is Farage and his fellow Brexiters' shitstorm to own. He/they can't be allowed to just pivot from heckle to heckle and bad idea to worse - while blaming everyone else - without consequences.

So the suggestion that Labour are going to amplify that truth is to be welcomed.

97 500 2.1K

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 21h

Correct link doi.org/10.17613/m0r... ?

Taking "Prodrome" Seriously: A Decade of Rethinking Black Death Narratives in the Age of Evolutionary Genetics

This is the abstract and bibliography of works cited in a talk to be presented on 14 October 2025 at the Colloquium Les Hommes et la peste: 50 ans plus tard, que sait-on? Hommage à Jean-Noël Biraben [...

doi.org

1 2

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

Andy Greenberg @agreenberg.bsky.social · 1d

Researchers pointed a satellite dish at the sky for 3 years and monitored what unencrypted data it picked up. The results were shocking: They obtained thousands of T-Mobile users' phone calls and texts, military and law enforcement secrets, much more: www.wired.com/story/satell... 🧵👇

Satellites Are Leaking the World’s Secrets: Calls, Texts, Military and Corporate Data

With just $800 in basic equipment, researchers found a stunning variety of data—including thousands of T-Mobile users’ calls and texts and even US military communications—sent by satellites unencrypte...

www.wired.com

17 460 880

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 23h

Good.

Though tribal psychology suggests that only those in the ingroup, say Labour supporters, may listen to such messages.

The outgroup, say Reform/Tories, will trust in their own so called experts.

Promises by these experts of cutting waste in Kent Council and elsewhere have come to nothing.

Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 1d

I’m glad we can now talk about Brexit damage, says Wes Streeting

The Prime Minister is gearing up to blame Nigel Farage and Brexit for Britain’s expected downturn in productivity at the November Budget

It’s about time

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

I’m glad we can now talk about Brexit damage, says Wes Streeting

The prime minister is gearing up to blame Nigel Farage and Brexit for Britain’s expected downturn in productivity at the November Budget

www.independent.co.uk

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

Celeste Labedz @celestelabedz.bsky.social · 1d

A lot of comments on Mars rovers or Moon landings, but it's important to remember that the planet NASA studies most is Earth. This is less about cutting flashy things like moonwalks and more about keeping communities in the dark on climate, weather, agriculture, pollution, natural hazards, and more.

Reuters @reuters.com · 1d

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to lay off about 550 workers reut.rs/4302N2L

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to lay off about 550 workers

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said on Monday it will cut nearly 550 jobs as part of a restructuring, not related to the current U.S. government shutdown.

reut.rs

7 410 820

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 1d

All UK political parties have "made a series of spending promises that it cannot afford with the current tax base – particularly around pensions, health, and social care" niesr.ac.uk/blog/some-un...

Trading middle earners for older people leads to bad policy choices in medium/long term.

niesr.ac.uk

2

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 1d

Visualising science: communicating complex research with information graphics at @nature.com

This from Nik Spencer/Jasiek Krzysztofiak for BioVis Meetup Sept 2024.

Maybe researchers/scientists should be taught to think about viz in this way ?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFoa...

@visualisingdata.com

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

Emily Hunt @emily.space · 1d

🔭

Benjamin Pope @benjaminpope.bsky.social · 1d

Thrilled to have two years' of work out, in a pair of papers led by @gradientrider.bsky.social and @maxecharles.bsky.social.

We've built a data-driven calibration of the James Webb Interferometer to near its fundamental limits for high-res imaging - explainer at @aunz.theconversation.com!

How we sharpened the James Webb telescope’s vision from a million kilometres away

The only Australian hardware on board the legendary telescope is starting to fulfil its duties.

theconversation.com

9 26

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 1d

Yet another botched policy from a former Conservative Govt.

The @nao.org.uk has found 'there were "clear failures" in the design of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, which resulted in "poor-quality installations as well as suspected fraud" '

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Thousands of homes with botched eco insulation 'must be fixed'

Insulation programmes costing billions of pounds have led to widespread problems with damp and mould.

www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social · 1d

A massive storm that brought a record storm surge to Alaska was poorly forecast, and “this is one of the clearest possible examples to date where missing upper air soundings due to NWS constraints may have led to a degraded forecast.”

Alan Gerard @wxmanms1.bsky.social · 1d

Sunday a massive storm surge event from the remnants of Typhoon Halong caused catastrophic damage in remote western Alaska. Thanks to @alaskawx.bsky.social for his help with this deep dive, including the forecast challenges in an area dealing with reduced NWS upper air soundings
tinyurl.com/4ycxaez9

Historic coastal flooding strikes western Alaska

Remnants of Typhoon Halong produce hurricane force winds and push massive storm surge inland in Kuskokwim River Delta, destroying and carrying away homes, leaving devastated communities.

tinyurl.com

4 160 270

Reposted by Dominic Manchee

Odysseus Network @odysseusnetwork.bsky.social · 1d

Yesterday marked the launch of the Entry/Exit System (EES)!
To have comprehensive information about how it works, check the official site: travel-europe.europa.eu/ees##
Here is the link to the guidelines published by @fra.europa.eu: fra.europa.eu/en/publicati...

8 7

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 1d

alaskapublic.org/news/public-...

This article also references an @nws.noaa.gov Alaska Region video explaining the details of this event.

Remnants of Typhoon Halong bring widespread damage to Western Alaska

Dozens of residents were rescued after floodwaters in multiple communities swept homes off their foundations.

alaskapublic.org

1

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 1d

Next steps ... Fibre Optic Geodesy ?

youtu.be/cKIW_pTAPRU&...

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 1d

Jiaxuan Li argues that of the displacements and magma intrusions detected by LFDAS would be seen as noise by other approaches, such as #InSAR.

1

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 1d

Fascinating. Using fibre optic cables, Low Frequency Distributed Acoustic Sensing (LFDAS), and inversions to monitor dike intrusions and volcanic eruptions on Iceland.

This from Jiaxuan Li, University of Houston, for Uni Texas UTIG Seminar Series youtu.be/cKIW_pTAPRU?...

@judithgeology.bsky.social

1 3

Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 1d

@davepetley.bsky.social #ICYMI

Permafrost Pathways @permafrostpathways.bsky.social · 1d

alaskapublic.org/news/public-...

Remnants of Typhoon Halong bring widespread damage to Western Alaska

Dozens of residents were rescued after floodwaters in multiple communities swept homes off their foundations.

alaskapublic.org

1