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Benjamin Cook

@dustybowl.bsky.social

7.7K followers 300 following 150 posts

Climate scientist studying drought, land surface processes, climate extremes. https://www.drbenjamincook.net/

Benjamin I. Cook is an American climatologist with a number of publications to his name. Along with the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, for instance, he used paleorecords to reconstruct land cover in Mexico’s Yucatán and other Central American regions. .. more

Environmental science 57%

Geography 18%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

THE CITY @thecity.nyc · 19h

Among those who could benefit: Government workers furloughed without pay in the federal shutdown that has lasted a week so far.

Unemployed New Yorkers Get Benefit Boost

After years stuck at $504 per week, the maximum unemployment insurance payout set to hit $869 on Oct. 13 — helping more than half of those currently on the rolls.

buff.ly

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Reposted by Scott C. Doney, Adam H. Sobel, Benjamin I. Cook , and 1 more Scott C. Doney, Adam H. Sobel, Benjamin I. Cook, Kevin J. Anchukaitis

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory @lamont.columbia.edu · 2d

📣 Postdoc opportunity alert! Join our dynamic community of Earth, environmental, and climate scientists as LDEO postdoctoral fellow. Principal criteria: scientific excellence + clear plan to investigate problems at forefront of Earth science. ➡️ Apply by Nov 7: lamont.columbia.edu/about/postdo...

LDEO postdocs traversing a volcanic dike on the Olomana Trail in Oahu. Credit: Brandon Shuck

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Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Graeme S. Cumming, Stefan Rahmstorf , and 7 more Richard S.J. Tol, Graeme S. Cumming, Stefan Rahmstorf, Peter Thorne, Benjamin I. Cook, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Brian J. Harvey, Richard Davy, Anthony Burke, Ryan K. Brook

Dr. Crystal A. Kolden @pyrogeog.bsky.social · 7d

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

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Reposted by Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Benjamin I. Cook, Kevin J. Anchukaitis , and 1 more Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Benjamin I. Cook, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Peter Jacobs

Tess Wei-Ping Jacobson @tessweiping.bsky.social · 7d

⚠️new(-ish) paper in Journal of Climate⚠️ i evaluated CMIP6 models' Pacific decadal SST variability and teleconnections... big takeaway is that models under-simulate temporal PDO/IPO variability on decadal timescales, likely affecting precip trends in the Southwest
journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...

journals.ametsoc.org

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

Kevin Anchukaitis @thirstygecko.bsky.social · 7d

Very cool work (with a very sobering result) led by Andy Jones (a paleoCAMP alumnus!) in Science Advances: 'Glaciers in California’s Sierra Nevada are likely disappearing for the first time in the Holocene' www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Glaciers in California’s Sierra Nevada are likely disappearing for the first time in the Holocene

The projected loss of glaciers in California’s Sierra Nevada is likely unprecedented in at least the past 30,000 years.

www.science.org

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Reposted by Mark Lubell, Benjamin I. Cook

Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 7d

📣 Check it out! Explore the new data viz on our homepage: www.climatecentral.org

@climatecentral.org just released a new tool to explore climate impacts in U.S. cities and states - making complex data easier to understand for your community.

🚨 What’s the biggest Fall climate threat where you live?

Example of the new climate tool from Climate Central. This is showing climate change in Pennsylvania which is seeing annually a change in precipitation of 3.2 inches since 1970 and a warming of 3.2°F. Fall threats include heat, heavy rainfall, and sea level rise. This is associated with impacts like increased cooling demand, more extreme rainfall, and changes to fall foliage.

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

Mike Dettinger @mdettinger.bsky.social · 9d

Just to cllose out the water year, here is my final wy2025 storage graphic for the Upper Colorado, along with the previous 9 yrs worth for context. @cw3escripps.bsky.social

Explanations at
cnap.ucsd.edu/water-storag...

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

Kevin Anchukaitis @thirstygecko.bsky.social · 10d

Disentangling climate and policy uncertainties for the Colorado River post-2026 operations www.nature.com/articles/s41... 'under existing policy, both reservoirs will face substantial risks (>80% likelihood) of reaching dead pool before 2060'

Disentangling climate and policy uncertainties for the Colorado River post-2026 operations - Nature Communications

Planning for the Colorado River is critical to secure water and hydropower for the western US under climate change. This study highlights how different policies may reduce but not eliminate the risk of losing water and energy supply altogether.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Gavin L. Foster, Benjamin I. Cook

Pallavi Anand (she/her) @anandpallavijha.bsky.social · 10d

#Lecturer position in #EarthSciences 👇🏼@openuniversity.bsky.social

Please apply, if interested 🙏🏼

Closing Date: 20 October 2025
Contract Type: #Permanent
Fixed Term Contract/End Date: Not Applicable

jobs.open.ac.uk/job/Lecturer...

Lecturer in Earth Sciences

jobs.open.ac.uk

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

Mathew Barlow @mathewabarlow.bsky.social · 13d

Here's an interactive web simulation of the Fujiwhara effect, using @visualpde.com: lnkd.in/eaWCpKHF

When two areas of rotating fluid - like hurricanes in the atmosphere - get close enough, they can influence each other (the 'Fujiwhara effect'). Click to add your own vortices and see what they do.

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

Climate Central @climatecentral.org · 14d

What @ariellemargot.bsky.social said.

We're hiring a Social Media and Digital Content Creator!
www.climatecentral.org/open-positio...

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook, Neil Pederson

Kevin Anchukaitis @thirstygecko.bsky.social · 14d

Huge congratulations to Ed Cook for receiving the @agu.org Revelle Medal, which 'recognition of outstanding contributions in atmospheric sciences, atmosphere-ocean coupling, atmosphere-land coupling, biogeochemical cycles, climate or related aspects of the Earth system.'

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Benjamin Cook @dustybowl.bsky.social · 14d

Thanks Diego!

Benjamin Cook @dustybowl.bsky.social · 15d

i just hope we'll still get a cup of ranch with a few carrot sticks in it this year

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Benjamin Cook @dustybowl.bsky.social · 15d

Sacrificing server stability to keep the meeting affordable! Which is why member registration for AGU 2025 is now <<checks notes>> $794 ??!!!!1!!!

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Reposted by Doerthe Tetzlaff, Colette L. Heald, Benjamin I. Cook

AGU (American Geophysical Union) @agu.org · 15d

🏆 AGU is excited to announce the recipients of the 2025 Union Medals, Awards and Prizes; Fellows; and Section Awards and Lectures. Honorees will be recognized this December in New Orleans, LA at #AGU25.

🎖️👉 View the 2025 Honorees: buff.ly/eQSk1xJ

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Benjamin Cook @dustybowl.bsky.social · 15d

Thank you!

Benjamin Cook @dustybowl.bsky.social · 15d

Anyone know if ERA5 assimilates any satellite soil moisture observations? Finding some conflicting information online.

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Reposted by Gavin A. Schmidt, Ed Hawkins, Benjamin I. Cook , and 1 more Gavin A. Schmidt, Ed Hawkins, Benjamin I. Cook, Jonathan A. Foley

Kate Marvel @drkatemarvel.bsky.social · 15d

“Everyone should read it”: Nature reviews Human Nature
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Fighting climate change takes more than data — it needs wonder, love and hope

An informative and highly accessible book discusses climate change, its impacts and challenges to mitigating global warming through a compelling personal account.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

Grist @grist.org · 16d

When extreme weather strikes, thousands turn to @weatherwest.bsky.social. 🌩️ Daniel Swain, climate scientist and prolific communicator, makes complex #science clear for the public.

Meet him in this year’s #Grist50 list: grist.org/fix/grist-50...

#Weather #Disaster #Climate #Floods #Hurricane

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook, Leslie Mabon

Dr (of rocks) Marcus Badger @climatebadger.bsky.social · 17d

📢We're hiring!📢

We have a permanent Lecturer in Earth Sciences position available in @OU_EEE
@OpenUniversity

£47,389 to £56,535
Closing Date: 20 October 2025*

We are a friendly, research intensive school with supportive colleagues and great labs.

jobs.open.ac.uk/job/Lecturer...

Lecturer in Earth Sciences

jobs.open.ac.uk

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

Jason P. Evans @jasonpevans.bsky.social · 18d

We just published a paper that shows including lateral flow of soil moisture matters for climate once you get down to km-scale modelling of the land surface. More and more of our work is at these scales so we need to start including processes like this. 🧪
hess.copernicus.org/articles/29/...

The influence of lateral flow on land surface fluxes in southeast Australia varies with model resolution

Abstract. Land surface models (LSMs) used in climate models typically represent surface hydrology as one-dimensional vertical fluxes, neglecting the lateral movement of water within and between grids....

hess.copernicus.org

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

Andrew Freedman @afreedma.bsky.social · 20d

The Pacific "blob" is back, except this time it stretches across the entire North Pacific Ocean Basin. This is altering weather patterns, led to Japan's hottest summer on record, and could affect your winter weather too. Also hit hard is marine life. www.cnn.com/2025/09/19/c...

Map showing sea surface temperature anomalies across the North Pacific Ocean Basin as of Sept. 18, 2025.

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Reposted by Scott C. Doney, John Kennedy, David N. Thomas , and 4 more Scott C. Doney, John Kennedy, David N. Thomas, Du Toit, Ed Hawkins, Benjamin I. Cook, Jussi T. Eronen

Robert Rohde @rarohde.bsky.social · 21d

The Northern Pacific Ocean is currently smashing temperature records.

And it is reaching these levels far earlier than the current generation of climate models had expected.

A short thread 🧵

Time series of monthly Northern Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature anomalies from 1850 to August 2025 alongside multi-model expectations of the warming in this area (scenario SSP2-4.5).

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

Kevin Anchukaitis @thirstygecko.bsky.social · 22d

Hot Drought of Summer 2023 in Southwestern North America agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook, Kevin J. Anchukaitis

Samuel Muñoz @paleomunoz.bsky.social · 22d

New paper out today in GRL: Drying of the Panama Canal in a Warming Climate (shorturl.at/TJ3aj)

Main finding: Low water levels in Gatun Lake (main reservoir for Panama Canal) become more frequent and severe in a warming climate, particularly under higher emissions pathways

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Reposted by Michael Wehner, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Benjamin I. Cook , and 1 more Michael Wehner, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Benjamin I. Cook, Prajal Pradhan

IPCC @ipcc.bsky.social · 22d

📣 PRESS RELEASE

Registration for experts interested in serving as Expert Reviewers and providing scientific comments on the First Order Draft of the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities is now open!

Registration closes 30 Nov 2025.

Read more 🔗 www.ipcc.ch/2025/09/17/p...

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Reposted by Scott C. Doney, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Gavin A. Schmidt , and 3 more Scott C. Doney, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Gavin A. Schmidt, Colette L. Heald, Benjamin I. Cook, Kevin J. Anchukaitis

Galen McKinley @oceancarbon.bsky.social · 23d

In the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences @columbiauniversity.bsky.social, we are hiring an Assistant Professor in Atmosphere and/or Ocean Physics. No deadline stated, but review will begin soon, so please do not delay. apply.interfolio.com/173819

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Reposted by Pierre Gentine, Benjamin I. Cook, Kevin J. Anchukaitis , and 3 more Pierre Gentine, Benjamin I. Cook, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Neil Pederson, Jonathan M. Gilligan, Peter Jacobs

Adam Sobel @adamsobel.bsky.social · 23d

We're hiring! We have an open search for an Assistant Professor in physics of the ocean and/or atmosphere in Columbia's Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Please circulate this information to good candidates, and apply yourself if you are one! Ad & link to apply: apply.interfolio.com/173819

Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio

apply.interfolio.com

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Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook

Kevin Anchukaitis @thirstygecko.bsky.social · 23d

New paper led by Alex Saunders (University of Arizona) shows index insurance outcomes can be sensitive to choice of metric and dataset - important insights for those using index insurance as a means to reduce vulnerability agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Sensitivity to Data Choice for Index‐Based Flood Insurance

Data choice directly controls the accuracy, timeliness, and uncertainty of index-based flood insurance payouts Our state-of-the-art index activated payouts earlier and with lower uncertainty than...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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