Gavin Foster
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thefosterlab.bsky.social
Gavin Foster
@thefosterlab.bsky.social
2.8K followers 810 following 470 posts

Palaeoclimatologist and isotope geochemist at the University of Southampton. Love/hate relationship with mass spectrometers. Researcher of climate science, coral reefs, biomineralisation, laser ablation, isotopes and geology. Views my own .. more

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Environmental science 45%
Geology 24%
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thefosterlab.bsky.social
Gavin Foster @thefosterlab.bsky.social · 14d
Fully funded PhD projects available in my group (Please share with interested parties, details here: www.thefosterlab.org/blog/2025/11...):
PhD Topics - Entry September 2026 — The Foster Lab
This year we are involved in 3 fully funded PhD projects via IGNITE our NERC DLA. The deadline is Thursday Jan 8th 2026 .  1.      Is the world already 1.5 C warmer?...
www.thefosterlab.org

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

theplanetaryguy.bsky.social
Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 15h
This is an incredible image of comet 3I/ATLAS, taken by Satoru Murata ICQ Comet Observations group on 16 November 2025 from western New Mexico.

Structure within the major dust tail from the comet is clearly visible, together with two smaller jets trailing the nucleus and maybe even an anti-tail.
A bright, greeny–white splotch in the centre of the image is the nucleus and coma of comet 3I/ATLAS. To the upper right streams the major dust tail. The background comprises distant stars against a black background, with the NGC 4691 galaxy at upper left.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Alan Lester

adambienkov.bsky.social
Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 18h
Asked again and again whether he ever racially abused his fellow pupils, as 20 people at his old school have now said he did, Nigel Farage will only say that he never did so in a "hurtful way" or "with intent"

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

peterstefanovic.bsky.social
Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 19h
This petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy already has over 26,000 signatures. Let’s get it to 100,000 this week.

Please sign and share 🙏

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Petition: Call a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy
We are concerned about reported efforts from Russia to influence democracy in the US, UK, Europe and elsewhere. We believe we must establish the depth and breadth of possible Russian influence campaig...
petition.parliament.uk

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Tim Bale, Elizabeth Stokoe

profaliceroberts.bsky.social
Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 2d
“Have they given up? Are they just deciding to build up herd immunity by watching us die? The government has given up, hasn’t it? They are throwing us into the slaughterhouse.”
It’s not hindsight - we knew this at the time @drrachelclarke.com writes:
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer
observer.co.uk

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Steve Peers

adambienkov.bsky.social
Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 2d
Boris Johnson didn't apologise to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, even when she told him in person the lasting impact his comments about her had on her detention in Iran, her husband tells the BBC

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

ianhall.bsky.social
Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 2d
COP30 showed who’s really steering climate policy: not the EU, not the US — but a coalition of fossil states on one side and a solar-powered China on the other

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Gavin L. Foster, John McLaren , and 1 more

climatedad.bsky.social
Climate Dad @climatedad.bsky.social · 2d
Two billion kids would REALLY appreciate it if we did more about this than just make a few non-binding promises every year & then instantly forget about them.
#COP30

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Du Toit, Patrick A. Jansen , and 2 more

jamesgdyke.info
James Dyke @jamesgdyke.info · 3d
"Warming is going to exceed 1.5°C. We are heading into “overshoot” within the next few years. The world is going to become more turbulent and more dangerous. So, what comes after failure?" Some thoughts from Johan Rockstrom & me 10 years after Paris Agreement.

theconversation.com/the-world-lo...
The world lost the climate gamble. Now it faces a dangerous new reality
The world bet on collective but voluntary action to keep global warming at a safe level.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips, Gavin L. Foster, David N. Thomas

The Keeling Curve @keelingcurve.bsky.social · 3d
425.82 parts per million (ppm) CO2 in air 20-Nov-2025
keelingcurve.ucsd.edu
The Keeling Curve
The Keeling Curve is a daily record of global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration maintained by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
keelingcurve.ucsd.edu

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

blueicedude.bsky.social
John Andrew Higgins @blueicedude.bsky.social · 4d
⛺️ up! Drill down! Just another day in paradise looking for Earth’s oldest ice.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Du Toit, Tuomas Mattila

glenpeters.bsky.social
Glen Peters @glenpeters.bsky.social · 4d
Where are global CO2 emissions heading?

Middle-of-the-road? But just because we have followed the SSP2-45, SSP4-60 path for 10 years, does not mean we follow it for the next 70 years.

Policy & technology have pushed the world away from the high-end, but 2.7C in 2100 & rising is not a good outcome!

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Andrew Scott

mrjamesob.bsky.social
James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 4d
It's always the ones you most expect...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Cryptocurrency backed by Farage donor is used for Russian war effort, investigators say
Tether tokens found to facilitate scheme that enables sanctions evasion and launders money for the Kremlin
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Gavin L. Foster

electionmaps.uk
Election Maps UK @electionmaps.uk · 4d
Macclesfield Central (Cheshire East) Council By-Election Result:

🌍 GRN: 41.8% (+19.7)
🌹 LAB: 28.6% (-25.7)
➡️ RFM: 15.8% (New)
🌳 CON: 9.1% (-4.5)
⚖️ EQU: 2.5% (New)
🔶 LDM: 2.2% (-7.7)

Green GAIN from Labour.
Changes w/ 2023.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

mikegalsworthy.bsky.social
Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 4d
"Yorkshire Water was privatised in 1989 under the Water Act, launched debt-free and promoted as the start of a new, efficient era.

Today, the company carries almost £7bn in debt...."
Yorkshire Water: it’s time to end the rip-off
Handing the company back to local people would return both control and value to those who need it most
yorkshirebylines.co.uk

thefosterlab.bsky.social
Gavin Foster @thefosterlab.bsky.social · 4d
Tragic news. That’s Fools Gold on repeat in my house for the evening then. Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist Mani dies at 63 www.bbc.com/news/article...
Gary 'Mani' Mounfield: Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist dies aged 63
Gary Mounfield's playing was an integral part of the Stone Roses' sound, and he was in Primal Scream for 15 years.
www.bbc.com

Reposted by Friederike Otto, Peter Thorne, Gavin L. Foster , and 1 more

davidho.bsky.social
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 4d
I might have failed at my assignment from @fisherdanar.bsky.social to say what makes me hopeful about climate, but I think @frediotto.bsky.social and her team's work that would enable us to hold polluters responsible should be a source of hope.

Tune in to Episode 4 of the #COPOut Podcast tomorrow!

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

michaelemann.bsky.social
Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 5d
thanks so much Gavin!

Reposted by Michael E. Mann

thefosterlab.bsky.social
Gavin Foster @thefosterlab.bsky.social · 5d
Thoughtful piece by @michaelemann.bsky.social in Nature today: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Bill Gates’s climate comments are a dangerous distraction
People do not have to dismiss or exaggerate the climate threat to justify concerted action.
www.nature.com

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Pieter Vantieghem

davidho.bsky.social
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 5d
Instead of banning the use of the name “veggie burger”, the world would be a better place if meat burgers were banned. 🙃
Ban on veggie ‘burgers’: plant-based products may lose meaty names in UK under EU law
Exclusive: Trade agreement means UK is subject to some food labelling rules, with vote on vegetarian food terms this week
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

obialik.bsky.social
Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 5d
We often discuss the threat of ocean acidification (and climate change) on shallow #reefs, but it does not spare deep reefs. As the ocean acidifies, the aragonite saturation horizon shallows, and with it the zone many reefs can inhabit. 🧪🌊

Link: agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
Depth profiles for Koko Seamount of (a) aragonite saturation state (Ωar); (b) ratio of dissolved inorganic carbon to total alkalinity (DIC:TA); (c) density (ρ); (d) temperature (T); and (e) dissolved oxygen (DO). Individual years are noted by shape and color: teal circles—2015, green triangles—2017, and black stars—2019. The “on” and “off” labels indicate relative location to the seamount, where “on” refers to samples with bottom water depth ≤1,500 m and “off” ≥2,500 m. Dashed line in panel (a) shows Ω = 1 and (e) shows limit of hypoxic conditions (i.e., DO = 62.5 μmol L−1).

Reposted by Rebecca Williams

thefosterlab.bsky.social
Gavin Foster @thefosterlab.bsky.social · 6d
I signed - can you? c.org/RWrgZxFVLQ
Sign the Petition
Save Geology at the University of Leicester
c.org

Reposted by John R. Hutchinson, Jussi T. Eronen

thefosterlab.bsky.social
Gavin Foster @thefosterlab.bsky.social · 6d
My alma mater, Leicester University, is dissolving its Geology Department leading to the loss of 14 staff. Palaeo is being completely axed, despite Leicester's long and storied history in this area (and its current strengths). Please sign this petition!!: www.change.org/p/save-geolo...
Sign the Petition
Save Geology at the University of Leicester
www.change.org

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Sheila R. Foster

ianhall.bsky.social
Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 6d
If a 2003-style heatwave hit Europe today, at ~1.5°C warming, it could cause ~18k deaths in a week, rising to ~32k at 3°C.

Even with current adaptation, extreme-heat mass-mortality events remain plausible.

Every 0.1°C of warming matters....

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Increasing risk of mass human heat mortality if historical weather patterns recur - Nature Climate Change
The authors couple calculations of historical heatwave intensity at present and future global temperatures with exposure–response functions to quantify mortality from extreme heat events in Europe. Th...
www.nature.com

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

geosociety.bsky.social
The Geological Society of America (GSA) @geosociety.bsky.social · 7d
How did methane cycling respond to extreme warming ~56 Ma?

A new #Geology study finds salinity in a Paleocene–Eocene lake limited methane production, potentially buffering greenhouse gas feedbacks. Important insight as inland waters worldwide become more saline.

Read more: geosociety.co/4o2qMWx

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, James M. Bullock

peterstefanovic.bsky.social
Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 7d
‘GDP reduced by 8%’ – Nine-year study reveals how Brexit decimated UK economy

www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/bre...
'GDP reduced by 8%' - Nine-year study reveals how Brexit decimated UK economy
Can't help but feel those responsible for Brexit should not, for example, be riding high in the polls with a new party...
www.thelondoneconomic.com

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott , and 4 more

zackpolanski.bsky.social
Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 9d
The Labour Government reeling off the same far-right talking points on immigration. And look who is celebrating. The far-right.

There is a political alternative that won’t ever scapegoat those fleeing war, persecution and torture

join.greenparty.org.uk
Mahmood furious over asylum seeker taxi bills. Overton window has been obliterated

Reposted by Stephan Lewandowsky, Gavin L. Foster, Mary Margaret McCabe

carolinelucas.bsky.social
Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 9d
Labour’s latest attack on asylum seekers is cruel & counterproductive. How does it help community cohesion to hold threat of deportation over vulnerable people? We don’t need an arms race with the hard right over asylum, we need safe routes & European cooperation #bbclaurak

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Marcus Grant

michaelemann.bsky.social
Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 9d
I couldn't agree more w/ my colleague Johan Rockström here:
amp.theguardian.com/environment/...
We have a responsibility to call out those who use “net” or “magic bullet” technological fixes such as carbon capture and storage and geoengineering to push emission reductions into the future. This has plagued discussion for too long. There has to be more independent and institutionalised ways of scrutinising this and holding commitments to account. We can’t allow nationally determined contributions at Cop26 to permit delayed phase outs with this net trick to slow emission reductions paths.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, David Johnson, Marcus Grant

climateofgavin.bsky.social
Gavin Schmidt @climateofgavin.bsky.social · 9d
Now that the Sept and Oct data are (belatedly) in, it looks like 2025 will be the second warmest year in the record (~80% probability). The last three years are in a class of their own.
Time series of annual GISTEMP data from 1880 onwards with an estimate for 2025 based on Jan-Oct data showing that it will be cooler than 2024, but probably a little warmer than 2023.

Reposted by Gavin L. Foster

rahmstorf.bsky.social
Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf @rahmstorf.bsky.social · 9d
All nations committed under the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degC for good reason. Instead many governments are beholden to the fossil fuel lobby and even subsidize fossil fuel use with your money. We’re now at 1.4 degC & emissions are rising not falling.
unfccc.int/process-and-...