Wim Thiery

4-year fully funded PhD position in 'Climate-related health impacts on children' @hydr-vub.bsky.social. Apply now:

jobs.vub.be/job/Elsene-P...

Klimaatverandering ging laatste 10 jaar sneller dan ooit tevoren | VRT NWS Nieuws De klimaatverandering gaat steeds sneller. De voorbije 10 jaar warmde ons klimaat op met 0,35 graden Celsius, terwijl dat voordien nog 0,2 graden per decennium was. Dat ontdekten onderzoekers die de k...

Klimaatverandering ging laatste 10 jaar sneller dan ooit tevoren. nieuwsartikel over de recente studie van G. Foster en @rahmstorf.bsky.social vrtnws.be/p.3B6vymp4e

Page 2 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: constructive suggestions regarding how the already remarkable institutional efficiency and societal impact of NCAR could be further enhanced through increased (not decreased) federal support in the years to come. Please note: To ensure the highest level of technical rigor, this response focuses exclusively on the core atmospheric and natural hazard science topics within the author’s primary domain of expertise; for this reason, I have omitted a response to Topic 4 (Space Weather)." NCAR weather modeling and atmospheric observing capabilities a) Management and operations of weather-related observational platforms, modeling and science as a stand-alone activity. The proposed management of weather-related research as a stand-alone activity is a scientifically regressive path that ignores the fundamental physical reality of the Earth system. Modern atmospheric science has demonstrated (largely, it is worth noting, due to groundbreaking researc

Page 3 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: b) Management and operations of weather-related observational platforms, modeling and science as combined with other NSF investments/facilities. The highly specialized nature of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) infrastructure represents an extraordinary value proposition that cannot be replicated by combining it with more generalized NSF programs. The NWSC is not a generic high-performance computing (HPC) facility; it is a laboratory uniquely optimized for atmospheric science workflows, with a hardware and storage architecture specifically designed to handle the massive, high-bandwidth data demands of Earth system modeling. Furthermore, its model of providing an excellent, free-at-point-of-use technical support team ensures that the focus remains on the science rather than the overhead of systems administration. This centralized expertise allows individual researchers, smaller labs, and even entire universities—who would otherwi

Page 4 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: NCAR Mesa Lab (located in Boulder, Colorado) a/b) Ownership of the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab building for public and private use. Far more than just an office building, NSF NCAR Mesa Lab is an iconic and purpose-built facility designed specifically for the study of atmospheric science. Its position at the physical interface of the Rocky Mountain foothills and the Great Plains is a deliberate reflection of its mission, serving as a visible symbol—in an iconically American setting—of the federal government's enduring commitment to science in service of society. For many in the field, including myself, the Mesa Lab holds singular importance as a focal gathering point for the global atmospheric science community. My own early career exposure to weather and Earth system modeling, in fact, occurred within these walls, and I have long felt that the facility’s architecture and location inspire a necessary sense of awe regarding the atmosphere’s complexity a

Page 1 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: Dear Acting Director Stone and the NSF NCAR restructuring team: I am writing to provide a formal response to the Request for Information (RFI) regarding the proposed restructuring of the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and its critical weather science infrastructure contained within the January 23, 2026 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) entitled “NSF Intent to Restructure Critical Weather Infrastructure.” I submit these comments in my professional capacity as an atmospheric research scientist within the University of California, where my research focuses on the physics and dynamics of atmospheric processes related to extreme weather events and their role in shifting natural hazard and disaster risk. My perspective is informed by a public-sector career dedicated to bridging the gap between fundamental atmospheric research and real-world application in an academic context, with a particular focus on understanding and mitigating

I just submitted my letter to NSF responding to its proposal to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). I argue that doing so would be an astonishing and avoidable misstep, and that federal support for the institution should in fact be *increased.* [1/4]

You will have access to unique training opportunities, will complete international secondments and will contribute to the development of a vibrant network of senior and emerging scientists

The positions will be available across 10 different universities and research centres in Europe. You can find the full list of vacancies on the EURAXESS portal and here: www.climes.se/climesdn/

In total, we are now recruiting 14 Ph. D. candidates within the CLIMES project (Understanding and Predicting Impacts of Climate Extremes under Global Change), a new Doctoral Network funded by the European Commission and led by Gabriele Messori

This PhD position will be hosted at the Department of Water and Climate (@hydr-vub.bsky.social) @vubrussel.bsky.social with me as promotor and will be conducted in close collaboration with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health @isglobal.org (Dr. @joanballester.bsky.social)

hydr.vub.be

The project will fuse epidemiological analyses with advanced Earth system modelling.

👥 The PhD will be part the CLIMES project (www.climes.se/climesdn/), a network of doctoral students throughout Europe studying the impacts of climate extremes

🌍 The bclimate group is hiring! We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate in climate science to improve the attribution and projection of climate-related child health risks in Africa.

🗓️ Check out the vacancy & apply by March 22nd, more info on our website:
hydr.vub.be/media/attach...

Hitteactieplannen redden duizenden levens in Europa Groot internationaal onderzoek toont de cruciale rol van wetenschappelijk onderbouwd klimaatbeleid

Hitteactieplannen redden duizenden levens in Europa.
press.vub.ac.be/hitteactiepl...

Maps of the rainfall associated with two of the nine storms hitting the Mediterranean in January and February 2026.

The Mediterranean is a hotspot of climate change, not only due to more heat, droughts and wildfires, but increasingly severe rainstorms led to catastrophic flooding this winter, highlighting again the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. www.worldweatherattribution.org/increasingly...

Here's alt text for this image: **Alt text:** A two-panel comparison graphic. The top panel is titled "Tobacco companies trying to mislead the public" and shows a scanned excerpt from an internal tobacco industry document stating "Doubt is our product since it is the best means of competing with the 'body of fact' that exists in the mind of the general public" — a strategy of manufacturing public controversy despite internal acknowledgment that cigarettes are harmful. The bottom panel is titled "Climate Working Group emails" and shows a text excerpt stating "About all I can hope is that what we write will provide sufficient 'reasonable scientific doubt' regarding the science claims in the 2009 TSD, based upon almost 2 decades of new science, to call into question the original reasoning for the EPA Administrator's decision that CO2 presents a threat to human health and welfare." The juxtaposition draws a parallel between tobacco industry disinformation tactics and the climate denial strategy reflected in the DOE Climate Working Group communications.

spot the difference

I have devoted much of my weather & climate career to engaging with journalists--including 200-300 news media interviews per year, many of which involve recurring conversations to facilitate timely & contextually accurate coverage. This recent collapse has been stunning and deeply disconcerting.

What the National Center for Atmospheric Research means to the atmospheric sciences Born out of a time of great need for the federal government, NCAR plays a role with few analogues.

Great piece out today in Physics Today on historical origins, contemporary relevance, & fundamental irreplaceability of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which remains at imminent risk of dismantling for partisan political reasons.

Trump admin is pulling supercomputers out of key weather research center | CNN A leading American research lab is slated to lose its critical supercomputing facility, according to a letter released Thursday by the National Science Foundation.

New: Trump admin moves to pull supercomputing center out of top weather and climate research center (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo. Part of its effort to "break up" the lab. www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/w...

new study led by @landervt.bsky.social @hydr-vub.bsky.social in @agu.org Water Resources Research

Tien Shan glaciers are projected to lose around one-third of their 2020 ice mass before 2040, and 69-93% by 2100, depending on the climate scenario. By the late 21stC, the probability of unmet water demand in summer will increase substantially agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Graph showing: China domestic sales of heavy trucks (Source: https://robbieandrew.github.io/china/)

Electrostate China.

Fact check: Climate change is not making extreme cold more common Sometimes it just gets cold

Is climate change responsible for increasingly frequent or severe cold events?

The evidence suggests it is not.

Instead, the impact of climate change is warmer winters and less severe cold events.

@hausfath.bsky.social has a great post on The Climate Brink talking about this.

In our new paper in GMD @egu.eu by @seppelampe.bsky.social, we present BuRNN v1.0: an open-access, data-driven fire model. BuRNN largely outperforms current-generation process-based fire model across a range of metrics

model: github.com/VUB-HYDR/BuRNN
paper: gmd.copernicus.org/articles/19/...

NEW | India is forging a different #energytransition path to China 🇮🇳⚡

Where China built first on coal and gas, India is taking a shortcut — using cheap solar to meet rising demand, relying far less on fossil fuels, and electrifying transport earlier.

https://loom.ly/UFDLamw

NEW | 2025 was another RECORD-breaking year for the EU’s electricity transition, as wind and solar overtook fossil fuel generation for the first time.

Here’s what happened in the 🇪🇺 power sector last year, all in one thread 👇

🧵 1/9

A map of southeastern Australia showing the temperature anomalies during the heatwave.

While Australian heatwaves were some of the very first extreme events attributed to climate change, people still underestimate how much worse they got - killing more people than all other natural hazards combined. New @wwattribution.bsky.social study. www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-chan...

NEW | Wind and solar generated more power than fossil fuels in the EU for the FIRST time ever.

🌪️ and ☀️ made up a RECORD 30% of 🇪🇺 electricity, up from 20% just five years ago.

https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/european-electricity-review-2026/

Last week, @carbonbrief.org listed the top climate papers that were the most featured in the media. Proud to have our paper in #8!
The paper here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Graph showing: Danish new passenger car sales by type: Monthly (Source: https://robbieandrew.github.io/carsales/)

Denmark's December car sales data just released. Battery-electrics reached an incredible 81% in December to make up 68% for the year.

2025 global climate highlights are out:
🌡️ 2025 was 3rd warmest year on record, 1.47ºC above the preindustrial level
📈 2023-2025 is the first three year period above 1.5ºC (according to ERA5)
🌍 The last 11 years have been the warmest 11 years on record

See: climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...

⚒️🧪🌊

Graph showing: Chinese new passenger car sales by type: Monthly (Source: https://robbieandrew.github.io/carsales/)

China's December numbers are in, and battery-electric cars made up 35% in December and 33% for the year. Plug-in hybrids made up another 21% for the year for a total "new-energy" share of 54% in 2025.
robbieandrew.github.io/carsales/

The US Academic Alliance for the IPCC (USAA-IPCC) was formed in March 2025 in part to prepare for this possibility and to ensure that US scientists remain able to engage in IPCC work regardless of the status and role of the US government. With the support of the USAA-IPCC, more than 70 US citizens and US-based experts who are currently serving the IPCC as coordinating lead authors, lead authors, review editors and committee members will continue to play these roles. “US climate scientists have made incredible contributions to understanding our planet’s life support systems and the impacts and risks of climate change. Their role as key players in IPCC reports have helped the US maintain our preeminent position in science and technology, and this global scientific cooperation will continue despite this unfortunate decision,” said Dr. Pamela McElwee, Professor of Human Ecology at Rutgers University, who serves as chair of the steering committee of the Alliance. “There is a reason we call our community the global scientific enterprise. We cannot grow, innovate, or advance unless we are linked together sharing, analyzing, and deliberating on vital climate data through critical international organizations like the IPCC. In the wake of this devastating move, AGU pledges to do all it can to bridge global partnership, research, and dialogue,” said Dr. Brandon Jones, President of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), which hosts the Alliance. The Trump Administration began disengaging from IPCC prior to yesterday’s formal announcement. Since February of 2025, the US State Department has not nominated experts for involvement in IPCC work, nor supported travel to IPCC meetings for selected authors, a role they have played in all prior administrations. The US government also did not participate in either of the IPCC business sessions in 2025, the first time the US has not been in attendance since the IPCC’s founding in 1988.

As a result, the USAA-IPCC has assumed a key leadership role in nominating US scientists for consideration as authors for IPCC reports, including for the Seventh Assessment Report (nominating 282 authors in April 2025) and the Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (nominating 33 authors in December 2025), as well as for roles on the IPCC Task Group on Data Support and for participation in several expert workshops. AGU and the USAA-IPCC have also raised funds to support travel for US scientists and technical experts selected by IPCC to attend author meetings and workshops. Since the founding of the IPCC over four decades ago, US scientists and other experts have made critical contributions, leading formal processes as Working Group co-chairs as well as filling vitally important author and reviewer roles. IPCC findings have shaped science-based policy at all levels—from global climate agreements to local resilience plans—and strengthen the ability of policy communities to make informed decisions. Ensuring US scientists remain fully engaged in the IPCC and the global climate science community will lead to important new research opportunities and international collaborations that benefit the US in substantial ways. The USAA-IPCC looks forward to continuing our support of US climate experts, climate science research, and the IPCC. —-- The USAA-IPCC (https://www.usaa-ipcc.org/) is composed of all the US academic institutions that have observer status with the IPCC – Colby College, College of the Atlantic, Dickinson College, Emory University, Indiana University, Princeton University, Rutgers University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of California San Diego, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Yale University – together with the American Geophysical Union (AGU), which hosts the Alliance.

The Trump Administration's announced withdraw from the IPCC is disappointing, but not surprising. US scientists will continue to play key roles in the @ipcc.bsky.social. A statement from the US Academic Alliance for the IPCC:

Outrage as Trump withdraws from key UN climate treaty along with dozens of international organisations Experts decry move to leave UNFCCC as ‘embarrassing’ as president orders withdrawal from 66 international groups

The USA has pulled out of the UNFCCC. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...