Dr Joanne Williams
@jowilliams.bsky.social
Sea-level and tidal scientist. Liverpool, UK.
Opinions own!
Opinions own!
Pinned
![[Single frame, with Megan and Cueball standing at a coastline with grass, with water and waves visible. They are looking at the ocean and are standing together.]
Cueball: Hey, where's that big island we were looking at this morning?
Megan: Oh, it's underwater. The ocean's depth here goes up and down by like ten feet every day.
Cueball: What?
Megan: It's because the planet has a big moon orbiting near the surface. It causes weird gravity effects.
Cueball: What???
[Caption below the frame:]
People here are used to them, but tides are one of the weirdest and most sci-fi elements of life on Earth.
Transcript thanks to explainxkcd](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:d67aicqw6nicsf7cjauvzuo3/bafkreibnctesneis67q7qz6tgdszao5vn2zzjlqzdblcy4h6vygipyclni@jpeg)
Hooray, an @xkcd.com about tides! Although only little ones, round here we can get a tidal range of 10 *metres* .
xkcd.com/3135/
xkcd.com/3135/
I thought time healed a bit. But reading that ~23000 lives could have been saved if the lockdown decision had been one week earlier is a punch in the chest.
I'll never be sure if that could have included the friend who died before another week passed.
#covid
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
I'll never be sure if that could have included the friend who died before another week passed.
#covid
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Covid inquiry: Lockdown could have been avoided and other key findings
The long-awaited report is published into how well or badly the government handled the Covid pandemic.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 6:40 PM
I thought time healed a bit. But reading that ~23000 lives could have been saved if the lockdown decision had been one week earlier is a punch in the chest.
I'll never be sure if that could have included the friend who died before another week passed.
#covid
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
I'll never be sure if that could have included the friend who died before another week passed.
#covid
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Imagine if the world cup were the turning point for the US making forecast maps in the international standard temperature units 😜
As it pertains to weather preference, Are you boots or bikini type?
November 20, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Imagine if the world cup were the turning point for the US making forecast maps in the international standard temperature units 😜
Read this as the wolf-like people are trying to sneak cable jumpers onto your trunk, and honestly it still works.
Whereas the top wolves are basically just acting like parents and making sure everybody’s got food and letting the cubs crawl all over them.
Honestly, the most wolf-like people around are mom friends and the dads who check your oil and sneak jumper cables into your trunk.
Honestly, the most wolf-like people around are mom friends and the dads who check your oil and sneak jumper cables into your trunk.
November 19, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Read this as the wolf-like people are trying to sneak cable jumpers onto your trunk, and honestly it still works.
@bas.ac.uk flying the flag the right way up for a UK audience (give or take a few degrees) 🙃
Don't know who's responsible for this but it seems like a case of #youhadonejob
November 19, 2025 at 11:22 AM
@bas.ac.uk flying the flag the right way up for a UK audience (give or take a few degrees) 🙃
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
I didn't truly understand this until I had to help an octogenarian friend who'd been unable to access her email and thus half her friendships for six months, simply because the interface had changed and she was trying to find her way round it using a screen magnifier on an eight-year-old laptop.
I am going to be banging this drum forever, but holy shit moving menus is evil from an accessibility standpoint. It sucks for those of us who can see and aren’t in any stage of senility, but if you can’t see it’s the fucking worst.
November 19, 2025 at 9:08 AM
I didn't truly understand this until I had to help an octogenarian friend who'd been unable to access her email and thus half her friendships for six months, simply because the interface had changed and she was trying to find her way round it using a screen magnifier on an eight-year-old laptop.
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
Happy Polar Pride Day! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Today is a special day in the international polar science and operations community when we celebrate the contributions of our LGBTQ+ colleagues.
Polar science is the ultimate teamwork environment - and making sure everyone feels included and welcome is crucial.
Today is a special day in the international polar science and operations community when we celebrate the contributions of our LGBTQ+ colleagues.
Polar science is the ultimate teamwork environment - and making sure everyone feels included and welcome is crucial.
November 18, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Happy Polar Pride Day! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Today is a special day in the international polar science and operations community when we celebrate the contributions of our LGBTQ+ colleagues.
Polar science is the ultimate teamwork environment - and making sure everyone feels included and welcome is crucial.
Today is a special day in the international polar science and operations community when we celebrate the contributions of our LGBTQ+ colleagues.
Polar science is the ultimate teamwork environment - and making sure everyone feels included and welcome is crucial.
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
Cloudflare outage destroys all human communication except Bluesky, this is the weirdest sci-fi scenario I’ve ever seen
November 18, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Cloudflare outage destroys all human communication except Bluesky, this is the weirdest sci-fi scenario I’ve ever seen
Awww
Do you rely on others for support?
From the new Private Eye, out now.
From the new Private Eye, out now.
November 18, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Awww
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
We should stop the boats because it's dangerous, and we should stop the scapegoating of immigrants because it's wrong and cruel.
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
November 17, 2025 at 11:03 AM
We should stop the boats because it's dangerous, and we should stop the scapegoating of immigrants because it's wrong and cruel.
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
Nice use of a triangle plot #datavis
This is interesting — a recent study of mode share (the % share of transportation trips by car, transit, walking, biking etc) relative to city size and income levels in almost 800 cities in 61 countries. Interesting results. HT @davidzipper.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 17, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Nice use of a triangle plot #datavis
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
🔊 We have contact! Communication has been established with Copernicus Sentinel-6B. 👋
The satellite launched successfully at 06:21 CET, and is ready to continue the world’s most accurate sea-level record - a crucial tool for understanding our changing planet: bit.ly/43rJxvg
📸 SpaceX / NASA
The satellite launched successfully at 06:21 CET, and is ready to continue the world’s most accurate sea-level record - a crucial tool for understanding our changing planet: bit.ly/43rJxvg
📸 SpaceX / NASA
November 17, 2025 at 7:17 AM
🔊 We have contact! Communication has been established with Copernicus Sentinel-6B. 👋
The satellite launched successfully at 06:21 CET, and is ready to continue the world’s most accurate sea-level record - a crucial tool for understanding our changing planet: bit.ly/43rJxvg
📸 SpaceX / NASA
The satellite launched successfully at 06:21 CET, and is ready to continue the world’s most accurate sea-level record - a crucial tool for understanding our changing planet: bit.ly/43rJxvg
📸 SpaceX / NASA
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
There were 92,400 Lego cutlasses inside the shipping container that fell off the Tokio Express back in 1997. This one was found in August by Laura Dale on a beach near Newquay some 28 years after it plummeted into the ocean.
Photo: Laura Dale
Photo: Laura Dale
November 16, 2025 at 8:17 PM
There were 92,400 Lego cutlasses inside the shipping container that fell off the Tokio Express back in 1997. This one was found in August by Laura Dale on a beach near Newquay some 28 years after it plummeted into the ocean.
Photo: Laura Dale
Photo: Laura Dale
Spent too long confused that the check for long term flood risk .gov.uk site had no risk for Monmouth town before realising it's the Welsh side of the border and EA remit is only England. Any plans for NRW to get data up?
In the early hours of this morning, following 119.6mm of rainfall in 12hrs, the River Monnow burst its banks and flooded Monmouth. The usual river level is just under 2m, this morning it was 6.63m- even higher than the record-breaking level during the floods in 2020 (6.57m). Absolutely devastating.
November 16, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Spent too long confused that the check for long term flood risk .gov.uk site had no risk for Monmouth town before realising it's the Welsh side of the border and EA remit is only England. Any plans for NRW to get data up?
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
In the early hours of this morning, following 119.6mm of rainfall in 12hrs, the River Monnow burst its banks and flooded Monmouth. The usual river level is just under 2m, this morning it was 6.63m- even higher than the record-breaking level during the floods in 2020 (6.57m). Absolutely devastating.
November 15, 2025 at 11:05 PM
In the early hours of this morning, following 119.6mm of rainfall in 12hrs, the River Monnow burst its banks and flooded Monmouth. The usual river level is just under 2m, this morning it was 6.63m- even higher than the record-breaking level during the floods in 2020 (6.57m). Absolutely devastating.
Reminded of this old post by a bot liking it, anyway now there's more than 5 people on bsky you can see it again. What kids did for entertainment in the 1950s
An old man I know says when he was a kid they trained jackdaws as pets. Jackdaws are bright and sociable and quite tame, and less hazardous than ravens, being smaller.The lads would do something to their tongues (probably cruel, don't, obvs) and then they could talk convincingly.
November 15, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reminded of this old post by a bot liking it, anyway now there's more than 5 people on bsky you can see it again. What kids did for entertainment in the 1950s
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
You could literally do a horror anthology based on the different ways this can go wrong.
AI dead mom escapes into your TV, and your digital fridge, and your pacemaker.
AI dead mom escapes into your TV, and your digital fridge, and your pacemaker.
What if AI dead mom ends up neglected just like one of those digital picture frames. Sold at a digital goodwill for $2.50.
November 15, 2025 at 7:27 AM
You could literally do a horror anthology based on the different ways this can go wrong.
AI dead mom escapes into your TV, and your digital fridge, and your pacemaker.
AI dead mom escapes into your TV, and your digital fridge, and your pacemaker.
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
Please God can we go back to the days of Budget purdah. Two months of quiet from Treasury ministers, spads, and officials whilst they put the budget together might help to wind down this incessant speculation.
The United Kingdom really does have an unnecessarily complex tax system and adding c£20bn of fun little revenue raisers will not help. Today's newsletter:
Budget U-turn hammers UK competitiveness
Risky to raise revenue via tweaks and novel taxes, especially through rushed changes
www.ft.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Please God can we go back to the days of Budget purdah. Two months of quiet from Treasury ministers, spads, and officials whilst they put the budget together might help to wind down this incessant speculation.
Good point. And a reminder that Bluesky has an option of timed mute words, if you want to mute otherwise common words for a few days but not necessarily permanently.
(Like to stop Traitors Spoilers, my one-day mute words included "alan" and "cat"!)
(Like to stop Traitors Spoilers, my one-day mute words included "alan" and "cat"!)
Rough day to be any sort of survivor of sexual violence. Solidarity to all of you, please be kind to yourselves
November 13, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Good point. And a reminder that Bluesky has an option of timed mute words, if you want to mute otherwise common words for a few days but not necessarily permanently.
(Like to stop Traitors Spoilers, my one-day mute words included "alan" and "cat"!)
(Like to stop Traitors Spoilers, my one-day mute words included "alan" and "cat"!)
Very pleased to see @eleanorfrajka.bsky.social will be giving a Keynote Plenary at AGU #osm26 in Glasgow. 🌊
www.agu.org/ocean-scienc...
www.agu.org/ocean-scienc...
Schedule | Ocean Sciences Meeting 2026
The #OSM26 schedule at a glance, available session formats, keynote and plenary speakers, special events, and more will be highlighted here. Please check back regularly for more details and updates.
https://www.agu.org/ocean-sciences-meeting/schedule#plenaries#Frajka-Williams
November 13, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Very pleased to see @eleanorfrajka.bsky.social will be giving a Keynote Plenary at AGU #osm26 in Glasgow. 🌊
www.agu.org/ocean-scienc...
www.agu.org/ocean-scienc...
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
Refinding joy in exploring streamflow data 😍 just looking at the stories gages tell about rivers.
Here’s the Allagash River (ME), 1980–2020. Each line: a year of daily flow (Jan–Dec). Colors show each day compared to normal: green ≈ normal, blue = high, red = low. 🌊💧
#Hydrology #DataViz #sciArt
Here’s the Allagash River (ME), 1980–2020. Each line: a year of daily flow (Jan–Dec). Colors show each day compared to normal: green ≈ normal, blue = high, red = low. 🌊💧
#Hydrology #DataViz #sciArt
November 12, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Refinding joy in exploring streamflow data 😍 just looking at the stories gages tell about rivers.
Here’s the Allagash River (ME), 1980–2020. Each line: a year of daily flow (Jan–Dec). Colors show each day compared to normal: green ≈ normal, blue = high, red = low. 🌊💧
#Hydrology #DataViz #sciArt
Here’s the Allagash River (ME), 1980–2020. Each line: a year of daily flow (Jan–Dec). Colors show each day compared to normal: green ≈ normal, blue = high, red = low. 🌊💧
#Hydrology #DataViz #sciArt
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
I am hiring 4 postdoctoral researchers for up to 4 years each. Topics include ice sheet reconstruction, GIA, spatial stats, and satellite geodesy. Based in Tasmania.
All details are here: careers.utas.edu.au/en/listing/ with titles below
I am also recruiting multiple PhD students (see below)
1/n
All details are here: careers.utas.edu.au/en/listing/ with titles below
I am also recruiting multiple PhD students (see below)
1/n
Current Vacancies
careers.utas.edu.au
November 13, 2025 at 3:04 AM
I am hiring 4 postdoctoral researchers for up to 4 years each. Topics include ice sheet reconstruction, GIA, spatial stats, and satellite geodesy. Based in Tasmania.
All details are here: careers.utas.edu.au/en/listing/ with titles below
I am also recruiting multiple PhD students (see below)
1/n
All details are here: careers.utas.edu.au/en/listing/ with titles below
I am also recruiting multiple PhD students (see below)
1/n
A thread about cathedrals built on swamps*.
If you want a system to work for 100+ years, it's probably not efficient to build it on a system you'll have to upgrade every 2.
*I thought I was confusing Salisbury and Winchester as The Swamp Cathedral. Haha no it's both.
If you want a system to work for 100+ years, it's probably not efficient to build it on a system you'll have to upgrade every 2.
*I thought I was confusing Salisbury and Winchester as The Swamp Cathedral. Haha no it's both.
the thing about tech like this is that it fails. a lot. power cuts occasionally, wifi signal is bad, a sheep chews a cable, a software update blows the system. so much of what we do in longterm building conservation is low-tech because it works and is reliable.
bsky.app/profile/worl...
bsky.app/profile/worl...
Surely in 2025 the Holy Dipstick could be a 24-7 sensor that directly links to a computer that operates the sluice gate control?
Or is this a TRADITION situation
Or is this a TRADITION situation
November 12, 2025 at 4:11 PM
A thread about cathedrals built on swamps*.
If you want a system to work for 100+ years, it's probably not efficient to build it on a system you'll have to upgrade every 2.
*I thought I was confusing Salisbury and Winchester as The Swamp Cathedral. Haha no it's both.
If you want a system to work for 100+ years, it's probably not efficient to build it on a system you'll have to upgrade every 2.
*I thought I was confusing Salisbury and Winchester as The Swamp Cathedral. Haha no it's both.
Reposted by Dr Joanne Williams
Athelstan Spilhaus, a geophysicist, oceanographer, and inventor at WHOI, spent his life redefining boundaries on maps, technological possibilities, and how people imagined the future.
Learn more about this ocean pioneer: go.whoi.edu/spilhaus
Learn more about this ocean pioneer: go.whoi.edu/spilhaus
November 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Athelstan Spilhaus, a geophysicist, oceanographer, and inventor at WHOI, spent his life redefining boundaries on maps, technological possibilities, and how people imagined the future.
Learn more about this ocean pioneer: go.whoi.edu/spilhaus
Learn more about this ocean pioneer: go.whoi.edu/spilhaus
The headline: "Northern Lights set to dazzle UK once again tonight"
The forecast: 🌧️🌧️😭
The forecast: 🌧️🌧️😭
November 12, 2025 at 10:50 AM
The headline: "Northern Lights set to dazzle UK once again tonight"
The forecast: 🌧️🌧️😭
The forecast: 🌧️🌧️😭
Another example of "hey, we could use the noise in GPS to measure..." This time it's the ionospheric delay being used to observe tsunami propagation in near real time (10s of minutes). @sdpwilliams.bsky.social @funwithgps.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
'It sounded kind of crazy': How ripples in the high atmosphere warned scientists of a tsunami in real time
Tsunamis are notoriously difficult to spot on the open ocean as they race towards shore. But in the summer of 2025, scientists watched one unfold as it happened.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 12, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Another example of "hey, we could use the noise in GPS to measure..." This time it's the ionospheric delay being used to observe tsunami propagation in near real time (10s of minutes). @sdpwilliams.bsky.social @funwithgps.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...