Paul Selmants
@biogeocycle.net
Ecosystem scientist, bike nerd, transit fan.
Research on forests, carbon and climate change.
Opinions my own.
📍San Francisco, CA
https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/paul-c-selmants
Research on forests, carbon and climate change.
Opinions my own.
📍San Francisco, CA
https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/paul-c-selmants
There are good things happening the world. This is one of them.
January 12, 2026 at 7:34 PM
There are good things happening the world. This is one of them.
Reposted by Paul Selmants
Please repost! The LOC Lab @UCSB is recruiting a #PostdoctoralScholar in forest ecology and data science to
develop data-driven models of forest resilience to compound disturbances (e.g., fire, drought, insects). 🌱🍁🌏🧪🌐
Applications due Feb 5
Apply here: www.landscapesofchangelab.com/were-hiring-1
develop data-driven models of forest resilience to compound disturbances (e.g., fire, drought, insects). 🌱🍁🌏🧪🌐
Applications due Feb 5
Apply here: www.landscapesofchangelab.com/were-hiring-1
December 18, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Please repost! The LOC Lab @UCSB is recruiting a #PostdoctoralScholar in forest ecology and data science to
develop data-driven models of forest resilience to compound disturbances (e.g., fire, drought, insects). 🌱🍁🌏🧪🌐
Applications due Feb 5
Apply here: www.landscapesofchangelab.com/were-hiring-1
develop data-driven models of forest resilience to compound disturbances (e.g., fire, drought, insects). 🌱🍁🌏🧪🌐
Applications due Feb 5
Apply here: www.landscapesofchangelab.com/were-hiring-1
It’s a sunny day, the gang’s all here …
December 13, 2025 at 6:03 PM
It’s a sunny day, the gang’s all here …
Reposted by Paul Selmants
Grateful to MacKenzie Scott for her $38 million gift ... the largest in UC Merced's history, surpassing even her own record-setting donation to our campus in 2021.
She continues to be one of the few doing billionairing right.
news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc...
She continues to be one of the few doing billionairing right.
news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc...
UC Merced Receives Transformational $38 Million Gift from MacKenzie Scott | Newsroom
news.ucmerced.edu
December 8, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Grateful to MacKenzie Scott for her $38 million gift ... the largest in UC Merced's history, surpassing even her own record-setting donation to our campus in 2021.
She continues to be one of the few doing billionairing right.
news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc...
She continues to be one of the few doing billionairing right.
news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc...
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:
Moose
Black bear
Green sea turtle
Sea otter
Hammerhead shark
Moose
Black bear
Green sea turtle
Sea otter
Hammerhead shark
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:
Caribou
Ravens
Seals
Kea
Turkeys
Caribou
Ravens
Seals
Kea
Turkeys
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:
Moose
Humpback whales
Giraffes
African Elephants
West African or Nile monitor lizard
Moose
Humpback whales
Giraffes
African Elephants
West African or Nile monitor lizard
November 28, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:
Moose
Black bear
Green sea turtle
Sea otter
Hammerhead shark
Moose
Black bear
Green sea turtle
Sea otter
Hammerhead shark
Reposted by Paul Selmants
One could write a similar piece substituting “source” with “access”…
"Open Software as a positive force in the world is entirely contingent on its ability to distribute power. To date it has facilitated the opposite."
This piece from @erlend.sh is such a banger! V excited for next week's @scenius.bsky.social open source panel with him 🔥
This piece from @erlend.sh is such a banger! V excited for next week's @scenius.bsky.social open source panel with him 🔥
November 27, 2025 at 2:28 PM
One could write a similar piece substituting “source” with “access”…
Yeah, more fuel for @sevier.io‘s fire:
Another way to reduce electricity prices? Shifting from for-profit, investor-owned monopoly utilities to municipal utilities or member-owned co-operatives would save about 15% on electricity bills, averaged over locations and customer classes.
8. For-profit utilities charge 14% more (13.3 c/kWh, 2023 average) than cities (11.7 c/kWh) and 16% more than rural coops (11.5 c/kWh). This trend is accelerating: For-profit utility prices rose 2.7 c/kWh from 2019-2023, 225% more than cities (1.2 c/kWh) and 270% more than coops (1 c/kWh).
November 15, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Yeah, more fuel for @sevier.io‘s fire:
OK, looks like I can go back to work tomorrow. Also, whoever wrote the text for this email violated the Hatch Act.
November 12, 2025 at 11:57 PM
OK, looks like I can go back to work tomorrow. Also, whoever wrote the text for this email violated the Hatch Act.
Just out: more evidence for a weakening land carbon sink across the contiguous U.S. Proud to be part of this collaborative effort among (mostly) federal scientists! 🧪 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Land change, fire, and climate weaken carbon sink in the conterminous United States
The United States has experienced rising carbon sources driven by land use, fire, and climate factors.
www.science.org
November 12, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Just out: more evidence for a weakening land carbon sink across the contiguous U.S. Proud to be part of this collaborative effort among (mostly) federal scientists! 🧪 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Best abstract ever.
"The domination of scientific publishing...by major commercial publishers is harmful to science. We need the most powerful members of the research community, funders, governments & Universities, to lead the drive to recommunalise publishing to serve science not the market"
arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
The Drain of Scientific Publishing
The domination of scientific publishing in the Global North by major commercial publishers is harmful to science. We need the most powerful members of the research community, funders, governments and ...
arxiv.org
November 11, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Best abstract ever.
This thread encapsulates why I have zero regrets about escaping academia - the culture is just so low key toxic. I have nothing but respect for those of you inside shining a light on it and fighting to make it better (like Colin), but I had to get out.
At the end of the day, for all the ongoing cultural changes, academia will always be possible to split into the people who are desperate to move deeper and deeper into the in-group and the people who know they’ll never be able to “earn” it
November 8, 2025 at 8:05 PM
This thread encapsulates why I have zero regrets about escaping academia - the culture is just so low key toxic. I have nothing but respect for those of you inside shining a light on it and fighting to make it better (like Colin), but I had to get out.
I was on a bus in Honolulu when this alert went out. Bus driver pulled over and told us we were supposed to “take shelter” in a nearby Safeway, but we all just stood around on the sidewalk and talked story.
October 26, 2025 at 11:02 PM
I was on a bus in Honolulu when this alert went out. Bus driver pulled over and told us we were supposed to “take shelter” in a nearby Safeway, but we all just stood around on the sidewalk and talked story.
I’m a furloughed federal scientist. Under normal circumstances I’d be stoked so many fed agencies (finally) came over to bluesky - but these ain’t normal times. Block and move on.
October 18, 2025 at 3:26 AM
I’m a furloughed federal scientist. Under normal circumstances I’d be stoked so many fed agencies (finally) came over to bluesky - but these ain’t normal times. Block and move on.
Every year or so, the guys from the tire shop behind our place change the mural on the side of their building. This new one isn’t quite finished but it’s a banger so far.
October 4, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Every year or so, the guys from the tire shop behind our place change the mural on the side of their building. This new one isn’t quite finished but it’s a banger so far.
Reposted by Paul Selmants
Published today: our new paper showing a 44-year trend of increasing global wildfire disasters (fatalities and economic losses) due to climate change-induced extreme weather. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Climate-linked escalation of societally disastrous wildfires
Climate change and land mismanagement are creating increasingly fire-prone built and natural environments. However, despite worsening fire seasons, evidence is lacking globally for trends in socially ...
www.science.org
October 2, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Published today: our new paper showing a 44-year trend of increasing global wildfire disasters (fatalities and economic losses) due to climate change-induced extreme weather. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The giant blimp hangar at Moffett Field got a new skin, now it looks like something from David Lynch’s Dune movie.
September 19, 2025 at 11:07 PM
The giant blimp hangar at Moffett Field got a new skin, now it looks like something from David Lynch’s Dune movie.
Reposted by Paul Selmants
Maybe the land carbon sink is weaker than we thought. Big implications: "A lower-than-expected land carbon sink would also imply that the land biosphere may be closer to transitioning from a net carbon sink to a net source than current models predict" Randerson et al. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The weak land carbon sink hypothesis
Satellite-derived time series of vegetation carbon do not support a strong Northern Hemisphere net land carbon sink.
www.science.org
September 15, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Maybe the land carbon sink is weaker than we thought. Big implications: "A lower-than-expected land carbon sink would also imply that the land biosphere may be closer to transitioning from a net carbon sink to a net source than current models predict" Randerson et al. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Some well deserved publicity for a new kind of newsroom. Congrats @laurawenus.bsky.social, @noaharroyo.bsky.social & @daphnem.bsky.social!
We're honored to be featured by Amalie Nash and @inmaorg.bsky.social !!
In her latest blog, INMA Newsroom Transformation Initiative Lead Amalie Nash shares insights from @laurawenus.bsky.social about a planned pilot newsroom @newsrelaynetwork.bsky.social will roll out next month in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighbourhood. www.inma.org/blogs/newsro...
September 12, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Some well deserved publicity for a new kind of newsroom. Congrats @laurawenus.bsky.social, @noaharroyo.bsky.social & @daphnem.bsky.social!
Reposted by Paul Selmants
Postdoctoral position in Forest Monitoring available. Know your way around spatial datasets? Join us to help monitor changes in Australia's precious forest estate! @westsyduhie.bsky.social
jobs.smartrecruiters.com/WesternSydne...
jobs.smartrecruiters.com/WesternSydne...
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Forest Monitoring
Company Description: Western Sydney University is a modern, forward-thinking, research-led institution at the heart of Australia’s fastest-growing and most economically significant region. With 11 cam...
jobs.smartrecruiters.com
September 9, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Postdoctoral position in Forest Monitoring available. Know your way around spatial datasets? Join us to help monitor changes in Australia's precious forest estate! @westsyduhie.bsky.social
jobs.smartrecruiters.com/WesternSydne...
jobs.smartrecruiters.com/WesternSydne...
Reposted by Paul Selmants
Hi everyone! I am looking for any #scientists (including grad students, post docs) that’d be willing to be interviewed about their research by my #SciComm students in October. Here is the form to fill out if interested! Our time zone is Alaska, FYI. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
BIOL 311 Sci Comm Fall 2025 - Interview Sign up!
Please fill out this form to be interviewed as part of BIOL 311's students project for the second half of the semester. One form per one participant is preferred, so if you have post-docs or graduate ...
docs.google.com
September 8, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Hi everyone! I am looking for any #scientists (including grad students, post docs) that’d be willing to be interviewed about their research by my #SciComm students in October. Here is the form to fill out if interested! Our time zone is Alaska, FYI. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Local climate nerds! Claim your god damn award, you deserve it.
bros if you do a climate nerd good thing in your town I’ll make you a god damn award
holler at me
holler at me
September 5, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Local climate nerds! Claim your god damn award, you deserve it.
OK, these budget cuts have gotten ridiculous.
September 2, 2025 at 7:23 PM
OK, these budget cuts have gotten ridiculous.
Reposted by Paul Selmants
Just out: A new geodatabase of fuel treatments across federal lands—published in Scientific Data.
Whether you’re mapping change or assessing risk, TWIG shows when and where treatments happened.
Grateful to be part of a team!
Paper - www.nature.com/articles/s41...
TWIG - reshapewildfire.org/twig
Whether you’re mapping change or assessing risk, TWIG shows when and where treatments happened.
Grateful to be part of a team!
Paper - www.nature.com/articles/s41...
TWIG - reshapewildfire.org/twig
August 31, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Just out: A new geodatabase of fuel treatments across federal lands—published in Scientific Data.
Whether you’re mapping change or assessing risk, TWIG shows when and where treatments happened.
Grateful to be part of a team!
Paper - www.nature.com/articles/s41...
TWIG - reshapewildfire.org/twig
Whether you’re mapping change or assessing risk, TWIG shows when and where treatments happened.
Grateful to be part of a team!
Paper - www.nature.com/articles/s41...
TWIG - reshapewildfire.org/twig
Yup, full support here. SF has been in dire need and we finally got 33 of them this year.
There’s a widespread myth that Americans hate traffic cameras. It’s simply not true.
On the contrary, researchers have consistently found that Americans broadly support using automatic enforcement to curb crashes. And for good reason: It works.
Me, in Bloomberg 🧵
On the contrary, researchers have consistently found that Americans broadly support using automatic enforcement to curb crashes. And for good reason: It works.
Me, in Bloomberg 🧵
Automated Traffic Enforcement Is More Popular Than You Think
Cameras that ticket drivers who run red lights and speed are effective and widely popular with city residents. So why are they banned in so many places?
www.bloomberg.com
August 28, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Yup, full support here. SF has been in dire need and we finally got 33 of them this year.
My journalist friends started a newsroom! Check it out:
Our #SF newsroom will produce high-quality coverage **driven directly by the audience.**
Rather than staff having full editorial control — that’s the norm — we’ll empower the community to determine what we report on, on an ongoing basis. ... #SanFrancisco newsrelaynetwork.org/coming-soon-...
Rather than staff having full editorial control — that’s the norm — we’ll empower the community to determine what we report on, on an ongoing basis. ... #SanFrancisco newsrelaynetwork.org/coming-soon-...
Coming soon: A newsroom that empowers its audience
Hi! It’s so good to have you. I’d grab you a chair if I could.
This is the first edition of our newsletter, which will chronicle wins, losses, and what we learn as we conduct a novel experiment in jo...
newsrelaynetwork.org
August 15, 2025 at 12:26 AM
My journalist friends started a newsroom! Check it out: