Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dr. Thomas Ronge

@thomasronge.bsky.social

1.4K followers 260 following 460 posts

Marine Geologist and Climate Scientist 🏊 🚴‍♂️ 🏃‍♂️ Scientific Ocean Drilling Staff Scientist at TAMU https://www.thomasronge.eu/

www.thomasronge.eu

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · Apr 29

Hi I’m Thomas, a marine geologist and climate scientist, working as an Expedition Project Manager and Staff Scientist for Scientific Ocean Drilling at @tamu.bsky.social.
I’ll probably post here about climate, geology, the oceans, urbanism, transit, cycling…

2 6 46

Reposted by Dr. Thomas Ronge

Climate Central @climatecentral.org · 19h

As of October 7th, 73% of the U.S. is considered (at least) "abnormally dry."

Climate change doesn't just turn up the heat—it makes the atmosphere greedier, too.

🏜️Let's talk about the link of how we went from a "summer of flooding" to dry, dusty conditions ⤵️

www.youtube.com/shorts/r28rT...

Climate Change's Thirstier Atmosphere Makes Drought Harder to Escape

YouTube video by climatecentral

www.youtube.com

6 13

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 1d

Cool new Exp382 study out in @natcomms.nature.com showing an extreme poleward shift of ACC during the last interglacial.
The coolest thing is that it confirms our 2024 results using fast and non-destructive XRF. 🤩

1) www.nature.com/articles/s41...

2) publications.iodp.org/proceedings/...

A scientific figure showing Site U1537 XRF ln(Zr/Rb) data and XRF-derived current strength. Both datasets show an increase in the current speed of the ACC during the last interglacial.

6 12

Reposted by Dr. Thomas Ronge

Dr. G @drlauraguertin.bsky.social · 1d

Giving a shout-out on @adalovelaceday.bsky.social to the women of scientific ocean drilling. Students/staff/faculty at all career stages have stories about their intro to & involvement with this community. Take a listen at the StoryCorps Archive. 🌊⚒️ #ALD25
archive.storycorps.org/search//?q=&...

Ship on the water with a life ring with a microphone pointed at the bottom of the ocean and the words Tales from the Deep

3 7

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 4d

For me that's one of the most powerful pics of what sea level rise means and should be a warning to us. There are the remains of terrestrial ecosystems on what's now the bottom of the sea. I once got a baby mammoth tooth from a fisherman who pulled it up from the bottom of the N. Sea.
#FossilFriday

1 7

Reposted by Dr. Thomas Ronge

Thomas Bauska @tinyicybubbles.bsky.social · 7d

Updated a classic.

2 19 79

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 7d

🚨New publication🚨
A new Exp398 study led by @abigaillily.bsky.social showed that caldera volcanism is associated with rifting on the South Aegean Volcanic Arc, Santorini and Kos Volcanoes may be coupled by regional lithospheric stresses...
#NSFfunded
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Research vessel JOIDES Resolution off the Greek village of Oia, Santorini.

5 14

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 8d

IODP's last expedition, Exp 405 has been recognized by Guinness World records for drilling from a depth of 6,897.5 meters underwater and bore 980 meters into the seabed, meaning its drilling pipe was 7,906 meters long!
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09...

Japanese deep-sea drilling research recognized by Guinness World Records

The research conducted last year sought to understand the mechanism behind the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 8d

Than you 🙏

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 9d

yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/07/the-...

The science behind Texas’ catastrophic floods » Yale Climate Connections

More than 100 people died in the flash floods. The disaster has the fingerprints of climate change all over it.

yaleclimateconnections.org

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 9d

Back from a 105mi bike race through the TX Hill Country where the July floods caused unspeakable devastation (race fees went to flood relief). It's hard to directly attribute specific rain events to climate change, but we know that storms like these become more likely as CC worsens.
#ShowYourStripes

A road in the Texas Hill Country seen from a cyclist's POV.

A road in the Texas Hill Country and a geological outcrop seen from a cyclist's POV.

2 1 18

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 13d

🚨Job alert🚨
We’re seeking a highly organized & detail-oriented professional to join our team as a SODCO Chem Tech.
Responsibilities include prep lab containers for seagoing expeditions, mobilization/demobilization, sailing to operate instruments at sea...
tamus.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/TAMU_Externa...

2 5

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 13d

🚨Job alert🚨
The Gulf Coast Repository is looking for a tech to operate/maintain lab instrumentation, process samples, train scientists, contribute to the development and improvement of analytical tools, techniques, and software.
This is a sailing position!
tamus.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/TAMU_E...

5 6

Reposted by Dr. Thomas Ronge

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution @whoi.edu · 14d

⛴️ Researchers recently found what they believe to be a massive hidden freshwater reservoir off Cape Cod. The effort builds on work done by #WHOI’s Rob Evans, whose 2015 research mapped contours of the aquifer remotely.

📲 Dive into the research with apnews.com: go.whoi.edu/ap-water

2 8

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 14d

Like two black holes merging.

Jeff Berardelli @weatherprof.bsky.social · 14d

Some rare and remarkable processes are taking place this week, that we are not likely to observe for a long time!
These 2 Atlantic hurricanes are closer than any since at least the 1960s. They are now connected - in each other’s orbit, pivoting. Follow along 1/

Reposted by Dr. Thomas Ronge

Dr. G @drlauraguertin.bsky.social · 14d

Today is #InternationalPodcastDay! Might I recommend diving in and taking a listen to the StoryCorps Archive for #TalesFromTheDeep - a collection of >55 conversations about scientific ocean drilling, beyond the science! 🌊⚒️🎙️
archive.storycorps.org/communities/...

A ship on the ocean with a life ring that has a microphone hanging down

3 7

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 19d

I mean, yeah sure, but even though I followed all the dos and don‘ts, a driver still crashed into and injured me. Would be nice if the article would acknowledge the responsibility of people carelessly moving >2t vehicles more prominent than whatever point 8 is.
bsky.app/profile/thom...

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · Sep 2

What people think I get injured by (sharks), vs. what I really got injured by just a week later (hit by a driver backing out a driveway & running over my bike).
2024 saw 47 unprovoked shark attacks with 4 fatalities worldwide, while 1166 cyclists died in US traffic crashes!
@thewaroncars.bsky.social

An 8.6 ft Mako shark in the Pacific Ocean.

A bicycle destroyed on the ground after being rolled over by a pick-up truck.

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 20d

While the death toll caused directly by these storms is decreasing since the 30s, the excess mortality can have a decades long tail caused by 1) economic disruption, 2) social network changes, 3) a state's budget changes, 4) exposure to harmful substances, and 5) physical & mental stress
2/2

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 20d

“During the period of study [1930 - 2015], we estimate that Tropical Cyclones contributed to more deaths in the continental US (3.6–5.2M) than all motor vehicle accidents (2.0M), infectious diseases (1.9M) or US battle deaths in wars (1.3M).”
1/2
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Mortality caused by tropical cyclones in the United States - Nature

A large-scale evaluation of the long-term effects of tropical cyclones on human mortality in the contiguous United States estimates that the average tropical cyclone results in 7,000–11,000 excess deaths, far exceeding previous estimates.

www.nature.com

1 2 4

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 20d

❌ Biosphere Integrity
❌ Land System Change
❌ Climate Change
❌ Freshwater Change
❌ Biogeochemical Flows
❌ Introduction of Novel Entities
and now also
❌ Ocean Acidification
have been breached, leaving only
✅ Ozone Depletion and
✅ Aerosol Loading
within safe limits.
www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...

Seven of nine planetary boundaries now breached – ocean acidification joins the danger zone

24.09.2025 - A new report from the Planetary Boundaries Science Lab at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) reveals that 7 of the 9 critical Earth system boundaries have now been b...

www.pik-potsdam.de

1 5

Reposted by Dr. Thomas Ronge

Texas Climate Office @climatexas.bsky.social · 20d

“It all just floods and dries up, and it’s really hot. We don’t have sustained recharge occurring.”
What is a groundwater drought and how does the Barton Springs Aquifer recharge? Answer, it's complicated!
thedailytexan.com/2025/09/23/b...

Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District announces groundwater drought for second time in history

The Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District announced a Stage 3 Exceptional Drought on Sept. 12, according to a news release from the district. The groundwater conservation district, whi...

thedailytexan.com

2 2 6

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 21d

🚨New publication
Exp398 data show deposits of volcanic particles have higher seismic velocities than other marine sediments, despite having lower densities. The study can help guide the interpretation of seismic images of seafloor deposits.
#NSFfunded
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Three-dimensional X-ray computed microtomography images of a pumice clast from the Archaeos Tuff eruption.

1 5

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 21d

The leaves are trying to tell us something.

2 5

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 22d

The days are getting shorter and if you're looking for some fall entertainment, my favorite summer reads were:
Airborne - @carlzimmer.com
Into the Planet - @jillheinerth.bsky.social
How the World ran out of Everything - @petersgoodman.bsky.social
City Limits - @megankimble.bsky.social

Reposted by Dr. Thomas Ronge

Jerome Alexander Horne @jahorne.bsky.social · 23d

"Cycling isn’t just good for the planet, your wallet and your fitness. Choosing this form of transportation for your errands instead of driving or taking the train may also help you prevent cognitive decline, a recent study found."

www.cnn.com/2025/09/20/h...

Cycling linked with lower dementia risk, study finds | CNN

Cycling instead of driving has been linked with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, a large study has found.

www.cnn.com

2 13 42

Dr. Thomas Ronge @thomasronge.bsky.social · 23d

„The 160-metre-wide asteroid smashed into the sea causing a 100-metre-high tsunami, say scientists. It was probably a very bad day for any early mammals in the area“

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

The location of the Silverpit crater in the North Sea, showing the extent of the crater rim and the damage zone.