Jeremy Bassis
@bassisjeremy.bsky.social
University of Michigan Glaciologist interested in climate change, ice sheets, sea level rise and equitable adaptation and mitigation | he/him/his |
Taps sign. Again.
Alright, whatever your view about the research, geo-engineering will never be a meaningful climate solutions because the only plausible case for geo-engineering is if we rapidly decrease our carbon emissions which we are not currently doing.
The risks of geoengineering have been pretty constant, as I felt deeply when I reported this last year. How to restate them again in a novel way for the gazillionth time? Moral hazard, rising geopolitical tensions, doesn't address ocean acid., termination shock!
thebulletin.org/2024/06/the-...
thebulletin.org/2024/06/the-...
November 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Taps sign. Again.
*Ok, technically it was a Michigan Regional Emmy. Tragically, no red carpet or fancy reception.
November 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM
*Ok, technically it was a Michigan Regional Emmy. Tragically, no red carpet or fancy reception.
The industrial midwest has its own violent history as well. In 1971 the principal of Willow Run, a school just outside of Ann Arbor Michigan, was tarred and feathered. Why? He proposed that the school honor Martin Luther King. This isn't that long ago folks.
November 16, 2025 at 11:05 PM
The industrial midwest has its own violent history as well. In 1971 the principal of Willow Run, a school just outside of Ann Arbor Michigan, was tarred and feathered. Why? He proposed that the school honor Martin Luther King. This isn't that long ago folks.
Now all of this followed from an invigorating trip down multiple rabbit hole trying to follow up an a reference and that is the kind of context that AI assisted literature reviews will never give you.
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Now all of this followed from an invigorating trip down multiple rabbit hole trying to follow up an a reference and that is the kind of context that AI assisted literature reviews will never give you.
It isn’t flow or fracture. It is more a question of when (not if) fracture control the dynamics. Recent studies are increasingly pointing out that glacier ice can retreat rapidly when it breaks and that ice flows much faster when it is broken. 22/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
It isn’t flow or fracture. It is more a question of when (not if) fracture control the dynamics. Recent studies are increasingly pointing out that glacier ice can retreat rapidly when it breaks and that ice flows much faster when it is broken. 22/
Brittle failure is an important means that facilitates glacier motion in high stress regions. The most rapid changes we have ever observed, like the collapse of the Larsen B, Thwaites floating tongue and Hektoria glacier have been in regions that changed rapidly hrough fracture formation. 21/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Brittle failure is an important means that facilitates glacier motion in high stress regions. The most rapid changes we have ever observed, like the collapse of the Larsen B, Thwaites floating tongue and Hektoria glacier have been in regions that changed rapidly hrough fracture formation. 21/
With the exception of his stubborn refusal to accept sliding, Forbes would appear to be vindicated. A narrative formed that quantitative physics overpowered qualitative geology. But that isn’t really true. 20/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
With the exception of his stubborn refusal to accept sliding, Forbes would appear to be vindicated. A narrative formed that quantitative physics overpowered qualitative geology. But that isn’t really true. 20/
It wasn’t until the 1950s that interest in metals showed that metals that appeared solid could slowly “creep” at high temperatures. Experimental results quickly showed that ice behaved similarly to metals. 19/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
It wasn’t until the 1950s that interest in metals showed that metals that appeared solid could slowly “creep” at high temperatures. Experimental results quickly showed that ice behaved similarly to metals. 19/
As the field of glaciology entered the 1920s the debate between viscous deformation and sliding still dominated the discussion. Chamberlin imaged that glaciers were like giant mountains of ice with motion is caused by brittle failure on shear faults. 18/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
As the field of glaciology entered the 1920s the debate between viscous deformation and sliding still dominated the discussion. Chamberlin imaged that glaciers were like giant mountains of ice with motion is caused by brittle failure on shear faults. 18/
If Kelvin had paid attention to the geologists instead of dismissing their qualitative lines of evidence, plate tectonics and mantle convection might have been discovered much earlier. But that is a different story. 17/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
If Kelvin had paid attention to the geologists instead of dismissing their qualitative lines of evidence, plate tectonics and mantle convection might have been discovered much earlier. But that is a different story. 17/
Lord Kelvin had estimated the age of the Earth based on conductive cooling to be 10s-100s of millions of years old and managed to piss off creationists and geologists. (Geologists had solid evidence that the Earth was much older. Creationists thought the Earth much younger.) 16/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Lord Kelvin had estimated the age of the Earth based on conductive cooling to be 10s-100s of millions of years old and managed to piss off creationists and geologists. (Geologists had solid evidence that the Earth was much older. Creationists thought the Earth much younger.) 16/
This ill defined debate about whether a material could be a solid AND flow continued into the 19th century. In fact this exact same question was a crucial scientific sticking point in another heated debated of the time: how old is the Earth? 15/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
This ill defined debate about whether a material could be a solid AND flow continued into the 19th century. In fact this exact same question was a crucial scientific sticking point in another heated debated of the time: how old is the Earth? 15/
This is the era of “I have a comment that is really a hostile question” as rivals ignored or skillfully misrepresented all evidence contrary to their preferred theory. Best of times, worst of time and all of that. 14/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
This is the era of “I have a comment that is really a hostile question” as rivals ignored or skillfully misrepresented all evidence contrary to their preferred theory. Best of times, worst of time and all of that. 14/
You can practically hear his growing exasperation with Agassiz and others going on about fractures and fissures. I have no way of knowing this, but I assume Forbes did a lot of eye rolling. 13/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
You can practically hear his growing exasperation with Agassiz and others going on about fractures and fissures. I have no way of knowing this, but I assume Forbes did a lot of eye rolling. 13/
Now Forbes, champion of the viscous theory, absolutely despised the sliding theory seeing no need to invoke glacier sliding to explain anything. But Forbes was a letter writer and, although usually polite, he spilled the tea and dished on his (many) adversaries. 12/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Now Forbes, champion of the viscous theory, absolutely despised the sliding theory seeing no need to invoke glacier sliding to explain anything. But Forbes was a letter writer and, although usually polite, he spilled the tea and dished on his (many) adversaries. 12/
The prose used to be more colorful and less restrained, terminology different. But regelation, water lubrication and the basic contours of the question “what controls glacier sliding” hasn’t changed that much in modern times. 11/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
The prose used to be more colorful and less restrained, terminology different. But regelation, water lubrication and the basic contours of the question “what controls glacier sliding” hasn’t changed that much in modern times. 11/
But by the mid-1800s an alternative theory emerged that held that glaciers are quasi-rigid and slide downhill. Based on Faradays experiments, regelation was one theory invoked to explain sliding. Others thought that sliding was only possible when meltwater lubricated the bed. 10/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
But by the mid-1800s an alternative theory emerged that held that glaciers are quasi-rigid and slide downhill. Based on Faradays experiments, regelation was one theory invoked to explain sliding. Others thought that sliding was only possible when meltwater lubricated the bed. 10/
Forbes succeeded in measuring glacier speeds using a theodolite and was able to show that glaciers flowed faster in the middle than the sides. Forbes, someone that does not appear prone to self doubt, was now convinced that his theory of viscous motion was correct. 9/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Forbes succeeded in measuring glacier speeds using a theodolite and was able to show that glaciers flowed faster in the middle than the sides. Forbes, someone that does not appear prone to self doubt, was now convinced that his theory of viscous motion was correct. 9/
(Fun fact: my first foray into glaciology sought to determine if giant cracks in ice shelves propagate quasi-continuously or in big jumps.)
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
(Fun fact: my first foray into glaciology sought to determine if giant cracks in ice shelves propagate quasi-continuously or in big jumps.)
And by this point scholars had become interested in measuring glacier motion. Observations could answer questions like do glaciers flow faster in the middle than the sides and do they flow continuously or in sudden jerky motion. 8/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
And by this point scholars had become interested in measuring glacier motion. Observations could answer questions like do glaciers flow faster in the middle than the sides and do they flow continuously or in sudden jerky motion. 8/
Now Agassiz was also a huge racist asshole whose racist ideas were so extreme that even his fellow racists who, presumably, had a lot of tolerance for racism were like, what the fuck dude. 7/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Now Agassiz was also a huge racist asshole whose racist ideas were so extreme that even his fellow racists who, presumably, had a lot of tolerance for racism were like, what the fuck dude. 7/
At the same time Louis Agassiz, a rival of Forbes had become one of the most prominent champions of the dilatation theory and was vigorously opposed to the viscous flow theory. 6/
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
At the same time Louis Agassiz, a rival of Forbes had become one of the most prominent champions of the dilatation theory and was vigorously opposed to the viscous flow theory. 6/