Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 17h

Not rude at all! Also, in google scholar, you can often find a free .pdf version of the article that the authors have posted somewhere (a pre-print in BioArchive, or a copy posted to researchgate, etc.), as a work around the journal paywall.

2

Reposted by Sophie Gilbert

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 22h

The global whaling industry experienced a boom c. 1840-1950 as technology allowed whalers to hunt the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

Under standard models, we would have expected krill populations to have *exploded*.

Instead, they DROPPED exponentially.

Let's talk about the KRILL PARADOX.

Change in distribution and abundance of southern right whales. (A) Shows historical and contemporary wintering distributions (Figure 1 from Carroll et al., 2018), and (B) shows decline in abundance and subsequent recovery (solid line is the mean, dashed line shows upper and lower 95% CI). Modified Figure 1 from Jackson et al. (2008). Contemporary sightings are divided into regions where large aggregations are seen during winter: Argentina (ARG), Brazil (BZL), South Africa (SAF), southwest Australia (SWA), south central Australia (SCA), and New Zealand sub-Antarctic (NZSA) and regions where sightings are typically of small numbers of individuals per year. The large aggregations are IWC management units and correspond to historical whaling grounds, although another 5 whaling grounds show little sign of recovery. Summer feeding areas are poorly described and so not shown.

4 100 220

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 1d

It feels like the "asset theory of everything (climate)" really explains this pattern well...Europe and US have way more powerful climate-forcing asset owners flexing their power www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

1 4

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 1d

NIMBY / YIMBY / Abundance Bro

Dezene Huber 🍁 🌻 @dezene.me · 1d

Applied ecologist / Field ecologist / Ecological modeler

2

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 13d

If you care about affordability, you should care about climate... and vice versa. #PoliciesOfPlenty #GreenSky #EnergySky

"The average American born in 2024 will likely face up to $500K in additional lifetime costs from climate crisis"

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

‘Hidden costs’ of climate emergency are worsening California’s affordability crisis – report

University of California, Berkeley, study found that those who experience severe effects will see upto a $1m in costs

www.theguardian.com

1 3

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 13d

Very cool science 🧪 leadership role at @schmidtsciences.bsky.social for somebody working on carbon cycle stuff. Based in NYC. #GreenSky

jobs.lever.co/schmidt-enti...

jobs - Program Scientist

Schmidt Sciences is a nonprofit organization founded in 2024 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt that works to accelerate scientific knowledge and breakthroughs with the most promising, advanced tools to suppor...

jobs.lever.co

2 1

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 13d

Back when there were just 10 dudes writing each other science letters and that was "the literature"

Dr. Catherine Scott @cataranea.bsky.social · 13d

I love the way science used to be written. Is it necessary to know that the author was pushing his baby in a pram while making observations of insects? Perhaps not, but it provides delightful context, while assuming the reader is familiar with his previously published baby-wheeling-related work.

A screenshot of some text of a paper, with the following sentence highlighted: "One July evening last summer, while engaged in wheeling the baby (another one this time) through some tall grass in the corner of my yard, I noticed..." It continues "an Ammophila attached to a grass-stem in the peculiar..."

4

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 15d

😱😍😱😱😍😱😍😱😍😱😍😱😍😱😍😱😍😱😍😱😍😱😍😱😍
The Predator-Prey interaction we've all dreamed about!!!

Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 15d

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

2 6 26

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 15d

Let's Gooooooo! The more balcony, rooftop, and brownfield, solar we do, the less land footprint we need for other solar! #LandSparing #CheapGreenEnergy

Alison F. Takemura @alisontakemura.bsky.social · 15d

Love how this article by Sarah Shemkus clearly lays out what states are legislating around plug-in solar — and what the industry needs to do for its systems to be certified safe. www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol...

Plug-in solar bills are in the works in New Hampshire and Vermont

DIY "balcony" solar kits, which can save residents money and give them more independence, are piquing interest from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

www.canarymedia.com

3

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 15d

Aaaand... because I'm obsessed... we need real, high-integrity permitting reform so we can do more good things! Even playing on "easy mode", when fuel mitigation projects qualify for categorical exemptions, it takes YEARS

1

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 15d

Here's a nice write-up of the Cheap Energy Act by @heatmap.news ... heatmap.news/politics/ene... #EnergySky #Greensky

Democrats Bid to Become the Party of Cheap Energy: Exclusive

Representatives Sean Casten and Mike Levin have a new package of legislation designed to lower electricity prices — in a way that just so happens to be “clean.”

heatmap.news

1 5

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 15d

This is such a critical issue, for people AND nature AND climate!

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 16d

A sleeper political issue of the next few years is the rising costs of electricity. AI & data centers are driving up demand & the Trump Administration is making it harder to add clean energy supply. I joined @chrislhayes.bsky.social on #WITHpod to talk about it: open.spotify.com/episode/32ps...

The Electricity Crisis with Costa Samaras

open.spotify.com

5

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 15d

Heartening to see the President of NRDC talking this way... #PoliticsOfPlenty #AbundantNature

3

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 15d

Feeling excited about the Cheap Energy Act, just introduced by @levin.house.gov and @seancasten.bsky.social in the U.S. House... lots to like in here for people and climate. Now let's make sure biodiversity/nature comes along for the ride with #AbundantNature win-wins!

1 1 6

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 17d

#Nature and 🧪 meet for #FatBearWeek... @explore.org teams up with @fatbearweek.bsky.social, hope they will post some great content to BlueSky!

a large brown bear is standing on its hind legs in a field .

ALT: a large brown bear is standing on its hind legs in a field .

media.tenor.com

3 7

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 17d

🐻🐟😋 #FatBearWeek is why the internet was invented. These chonky ursids can have my attention and welcome to it. Sept 23-30th, vote for your favorites... @fatbearweek.bsky.social

The 2025 Bracket Reveal starts in 4 hours (September 22nd at 4pm Pacific):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN3k...

Fat Bear Week 2025 Bracket Reveal | Brooks Live Chat

YouTube video by Explore Bears & Bison

www.youtube.com

1 3 4

Reposted by Sophie Gilbert

Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof @evanbernick.bsky.social · 18d

GUESS WHAT WEEK IT IS

69 830 3.4K

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 17d

Plus, solar footprint can be restored to ecological function, getting brownfield solar sites from ecologically-bad to ecologically-good...https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/brv.13095

1

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 17d

@maxlambert.bsky.social thoughts?

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 17d

Time for enviro NGOs to forge a new strategy that meets the real needs of people while also improving outcomes for nature and climate. "Policies of Plenty" for humans and nature are possible, especially when compared to the no-action scenario (business as usual is a longterm lose-lose) #greensky

Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 17d

Trump's election and rapid-fire dismantling of environmental rules stunned the climate movement into inaction.

Green groups are now re-emerging with contrasting visions for activism that will look different than the Resistance era.

My latest here:

www.politico.com/news/2025/09...

Shell-shocked green movement searches for how to counter Trump

Environmental groups that have watched President Donald Trump shred their climate victories are beset by internal divides, slumping fund-raising and a debate on how to fight back.

www.politico.com

4 1 4

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 21d

The new "climate tech atlas" is pretty cool! climatetechatlas.com #greensky

Climate Tech Atlas

Explore breakthrough technologies and innovation opportunities to accelerate climate solutions.

climatetechatlas.com

2

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 29d

I think there is potential to do that with new synthetic LiDAR products that can be hindcast to the date of treatment, potentially? @katharynduffy.bsky.social @variablesource.bsky.social thoughts on this?

2

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 29d

Yes, that's why I actually suspect our study is an under-estimate of what treatment effectiveness actually is for fuels-focused treatments... probably some counter-productive treatments in here from a fuels perspective that were still classified as comm thinning.

1 1

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · Sep 5

We focused here on commercial thinning as the treatment method, with about half of our 216 treatments also receiving some kind of subsequent surface fuel release via pile burning, prescribed burn, or biomass removal.

1

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · Sep 5

Yes absolutely, not all treatments are focused on the same goal, for sure. I'm very keen on the Southwest Ecological Research Institute's SWERI database for this reason (reshapewildfire.org/home?trk=fee...)

ReSHAPE | Reshaping Wildfire & Fuels Reduction Information

reshapewildfire.org

1 1