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Colin Seftor

@cseftor

Mostly retired, worked as a NASA contractor during atmospheric research on ozone and aerosols at Goddard Space Flight Center. Still keep my hand in things one day per week.

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Latest posts by Colin Seftor @cseftor

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A cartoon by Paul Noth. See all the cartoons in this week’s issue: newyorkermag.visitlink.me/Uh2urE

23.02.2026 22:00 πŸ‘ 169 πŸ” 52 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 2

Be a hero @nytimes.com, hire the @capitalweather.bsky.social group.

04.02.2026 15:35 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Here's the Aerosol Index from the OMPS sensor onboard NOAA 20.

19.01.2026 19:25 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The worst climate and weather news you’ll see today.

16.01.2026 15:26 πŸ‘ 179 πŸ” 77 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 2

Seeing the "last day at [federal agency]" posts today from amazingly talented people who took the Administration's 2025 buy-out is devastating.

Regardless of what the White House thinks, know that your expertise and your skills are so valuable and desperately needed in this country, my friends.

01.01.2026 17:36 πŸ‘ 65 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Can someone explain to me how tossing books, etc, into the trash is an established method, federal or not, to properly dispose of anything? That is outrageous! (Quote below from the NY Times article.)

31.12.2025 23:55 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Looking back at another extreme year for Canadian #wildfires resulting in 2025 with the 2nd highest annual total estimated emissions, after 2023. Read more in the #CopernicusAtmosphere global fire emissions review atmosphere.copernicus.eu/2025-sees-in... @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social @ecmwf.int

11.12.2025 11:44 πŸ‘ 25 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Gallego to Hegseth: "You will never ever be half the man that Sen. Kelly is. You, sir, are a coward. And the fact that you are following this order from the president shows how big of a coward you are. I can't wait until you are no longer the secretary of defense."

24.11.2025 21:45 πŸ‘ 12520 πŸ” 2890 πŸ’¬ 289 πŸ“Œ 192
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Beautiful day in the Arlington County / DC area for a walk with a few friends (halfway across the Memorial Bridge on a No Kings protest walk; you can see the Lincoln Memorial peeking through the crowd). #NoKings

18.10.2025 18:39 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

And Cassidy's medical license should be taken away for betraying that oath.

23.09.2025 05:49 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Rubio gave up his soul for power (or what he perceived was power) a long time ago, we shouldn't be surprised he's toeing the line here.

17.08.2025 17:54 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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πŸ”΄βš οΈπŸŒ‘οΈHell is ongoing in #Spain where #wildfires are burning many thousands of hectares pushed by dry weather and strong winds. This #Sentinel2 πŸ“Έshows the situation at the border of Galicia and Castilla y LeΓ³n,the most affected regions. with visible pyrocumulonimbus #climateemergency

16.08.2025 22:36 πŸ‘ 50 πŸ” 33 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1

πŸš€ πŸ§ͺ#NASACuts

NASA’s Unsung Workforce: Contractors

Over half of #NASA’s workforce are contractors.

Depending on the center, the proportion ranges from 50% to 70%+. Goddardβ€”the most science-focused of all NASA centersβ€”is at the upper end.

There are two main types of NASA contractors.
1/8

01.08.2025 13:39 πŸ‘ 36 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 2
Starlink satellites orbiting Earth. https://heavens-above.com/StarLink.aspx

Starlink satellites orbiting Earth. https://heavens-above.com/StarLink.aspx

SpaceX is altering atmospheric chemistry. Over 525 Starlinks deorbited in the past few months. A Starlink satellite produces 30 KG of aluminum oxide vapor which erodes the ozone layer. These oxides have increased 8-fold between 2016 and 2022. NOAA predicts this could heat the stratosphere 1.5Β°C

06.08.2025 00:32 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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As NASA's budget shrinks, Europe doubles down on Earth science: 'Climate change is the defining challenge of our generation' If NASA must pull back, Europe is ready to step up β€” and do so with open arms.

As NASA's budget shrinks, Europe doubles down on Earth science

13.07.2025 06:43 πŸ‘ 91 πŸ” 31 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 1
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The area burned in the Canadian 2025 fire season has hit 5 million ha. Third active fire season in a row that combined has burned 7% of the Canadian forest. Currently we have 346 fires out of control (192 monitored out of control (OC) and 154 OC that are being actioned) so expect the number to rise.

11.07.2025 04:09 πŸ‘ 82 πŸ” 49 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 5

I would say shame on them, but shame is such a foreign concept to those currently in power.

04.07.2025 04:20 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Email from Social Security Administration saying "Social Security Applauds Passage of Legislation Providing Historic Tax Relief for Seniors."  As if it were a MAGA campaign mailer.

Email from Social Security Administration saying "Social Security Applauds Passage of Legislation Providing Historic Tax Relief for Seniors." As if it were a MAGA campaign mailer.

More from Social Security making Trump talking points.

More from Social Security making Trump talking points.

An email that appears to have come from the real Social Security administration.

Which until now had been considered a non-partisan federal agency.

Time for another look at 'The Origins of Totalitarianism.'

04.07.2025 03:39 πŸ‘ 529 πŸ” 149 πŸ’¬ 73 πŸ“Œ 17
The Big, Beautiful Bill assigns each American a billionaire who will live the
American dream for you. You can check in on your billionaire at intervals and see how he is using your money. Maybe he's building a 19th pool. Maybe he's buying himself some formerly public land! Maybe he's taking a Supreme Court justice on a dream vacation! Maybe he is reupholstering the Statue of Liberty to hide the poem.

The Big, Beautiful Bill assigns each American a billionaire who will live the American dream for you. You can check in on your billionaire at intervals and see how he is using your money. Maybe he's building a 19th pool. Maybe he's buying himself some formerly public land! Maybe he's taking a Supreme Court justice on a dream vacation! Maybe he is reupholstering the Statue of Liberty to hide the poem.

www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

01.07.2025 11:58 πŸ‘ 5165 πŸ” 1560 πŸ’¬ 51 πŸ“Œ 110
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A series of pyroCb events in Alaska over the last few days have combined with high altitude windws to produce a smoke plume that stretches across Alaska, through western Canada / US, and into California / Nevada. This image shows N20 OMPS AI measurements. The length of the plume is over 4500 km.

24.06.2025 06:59 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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So far the five provinces all have above average estimated emissions to date with Manitoba already setting its highest annual total, and Saskatchewan & Ontario highest total for time of year, in the 23-year dataset #CopernicusAtmosphere dataset

11.06.2025 19:31 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Total estimated emissions from Canadian #wildfires continuing to increase sharply (to 10 June) with many intense fires in BC, AB, SK, MB & ON. #CopernicusAtmosphere GFAS data based on MODISπŸ›°οΈ active fire obs ads.atmosphere.copernicus.eu/datasets/cam... @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social @ecmwf.int

11.06.2025 19:31 πŸ‘ 71 πŸ” 42 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 3

I was expecting this to happen ever since the election; every week or so I'd check to see if it was still up. I'm surprised the site has stayed up this long. What a sad, sorry state this country is being dragged into.

11.06.2025 17:12 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Imagery using the N20 OMPS NM aerosol index shows that the smoke did go over the pole (watch the AI signal inside the circle). It's now in the easternmost part of Russia.

11.06.2025 13:45 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Kennedy Removes All C.D.C. Vaccine Panel Experts

This is on all the Senators who turned a blind eye and voted to confirm. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/09/h...

09.06.2025 21:41 πŸ‘ 27169 πŸ” 9069 πŸ’¬ 1499 πŸ“Œ 739
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There’s an elephant in the room at the Royal Society – and for once, it’s not (just) Elon Musk – Physics World A conference on the future of the UK space sector makes stunningly little mention of how proposed cuts to NASA funding might affect it

On our blog, our online editor @drmlharris.bsky.social writes about the surreal experience of attending a space conference where no-one seems keen to mention the biggest threat to the sector's future: drastic proposed cuts to US science funding, including NASA. πŸ§ͺβš›οΈπŸ”­ physicsworld.com/a/theres-an-...

09.06.2025 14:08 πŸ‘ 22 πŸ” 16 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Canada wildfires smoke turns UK skies orange Smoke from wildfires burning in central Canada was visible in the skies over the UK this weekend.

Canada wildfires smoke turns UK skies orange

#AirPollution knows no borders!

#Health #Environment
www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...

08.06.2025 13:16 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Look close at this recent satellite view and you can see the thin layer of smoke. We've got the current smoke situation, and the latest DC area forecast for mid-to-late week heat, at cwg.live

03.06.2025 18:19 πŸ‘ 54 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 2
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US climate scientists need all the help they can get. Including from foul-mouthed comedians! 🀑😱😱

Watch Emmy Award-Winning David Cross team up with Prof Michael Oppenheimer in the US launch of the hit series "Climate Science Translated".

#climate #arresteddevelopment #climatescience

02.06.2025 11:54 πŸ‘ 1174 πŸ” 647 πŸ’¬ 23 πŸ“Œ 103
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Sun rising Tuesday through smoky #Haze over the Jefferson Memorial in #DC! @capitalweather.bsky.social @ianlivingston.bsky.social

03.06.2025 11:26 πŸ‘ 46 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 2