Mike Dettinger
@mdettinger.bsky.social
Water/environ/climate news & my own calculations when relevant, from CarsonCity (Wá∙šiw land), NV. Retired USGS & now p/t @CW3EScripps scientist
Letters by my name: PhD.UCLA F.AGU F.AAAS M.NAE; www.mdettinger.com
Letters by my name: PhD.UCLA F.AGU F.AAAS M.NAE; www.mdettinger.com
Snowpack-plus-reservoirs storage so far this year updates for Sierra Nevada and Upper Colorado River Basin. Long dry-spell of January has brought us into less-than-normal storage totals overall... @cw3escripps.bsky.social
cw3e.ucsd.edu/water_storag...
cnap.ucsd.edu/water-storag...
cw3e.ucsd.edu/water_storag...
cnap.ucsd.edu/water-storag...
February 2, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Snowpack-plus-reservoirs storage so far this year updates for Sierra Nevada and Upper Colorado River Basin. Long dry-spell of January has brought us into less-than-normal storage totals overall... @cw3escripps.bsky.social
cw3e.ucsd.edu/water_storag...
cnap.ucsd.edu/water-storag...
cw3e.ucsd.edu/water_storag...
cnap.ucsd.edu/water-storag...
Reposting in case you missed it: US lost >150K years worth of federal-scientific experience in the past 2 years, 2/3 in 2025. Our scientific human resources are being “hollowed out”, a sure sign of national decline verging on collapse in today’s technological world!
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
January 29, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Reposting in case you missed it: US lost >150K years worth of federal-scientific experience in the past 2 years, 2/3 in 2025. Our scientific human resources are being “hollowed out”, a sure sign of national decline verging on collapse in today’s technological world!
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
US Federal government lost >150K years worth of scientific experience in the past two years, 3/4 of which was lost in 2025. Our scientific human resources are being “hollowed out”, a sure sign of national decline verging on collapse in today’s technological world!
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
January 27, 2026 at 2:24 PM
US Federal government lost >150K years worth of scientific experience in the past two years, 3/4 of which was lost in 2025. Our scientific human resources are being “hollowed out”, a sure sign of national decline verging on collapse in today’s technological world!
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
The UK's new National Security Assessment of Global Biodiversity Loss and Ecosystem Collapse...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696e0e...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696e0e...
January 26, 2026 at 5:05 PM
The UK's new National Security Assessment of Global Biodiversity Loss and Ecosystem Collapse...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696e0e...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696e0e...
The latest demonstration of how much Trump has hollowed out the capabilities of the Department of the Interior… what a clown car we have running the show!
www.fastcompany.com/91480142/the...
www.fastcompany.com/91480142/the...
January 24, 2026 at 2:19 PM
The latest demonstration of how much Trump has hollowed out the capabilities of the Department of the Interior… what a clown car we have running the show!
www.fastcompany.com/91480142/the...
www.fastcompany.com/91480142/the...
Each summer the JPL Center for Climate Sciences brings in ~25 grad students & postdocs to engage with premier climate scientists, focusing on "Using Satellite Observations to Advance Climate Models." Applications for July 2026 now being accepted.
climatesciences.jpl.nasa.gov/events/summe...
climatesciences.jpl.nasa.gov/events/summe...
January 21, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Each summer the JPL Center for Climate Sciences brings in ~25 grad students & postdocs to engage with premier climate scientists, focusing on "Using Satellite Observations to Advance Climate Models." Applications for July 2026 now being accepted.
climatesciences.jpl.nasa.gov/events/summe...
climatesciences.jpl.nasa.gov/events/summe...
Understanding California's population makeup and changes, with real numbers etc....from @ppicnotes.
www.ppic.org/publication/...
www.ppic.org/publication/...
January 18, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Understanding California's population makeup and changes, with real numbers etc....from @ppicnotes.
www.ppic.org/publication/...
www.ppic.org/publication/...
Ice Memory Foundation opens first-ever sanctuary for mountain
ice cores from around the world, buried 9 m deep in high-altitude ice sheet far inland in Antarctica (at year-round -52C), storing these climate cores for decades and (hopefully) centuries to come.
www.ice-memory.org/medias/fichi...
ice cores from around the world, buried 9 m deep in high-altitude ice sheet far inland in Antarctica (at year-round -52C), storing these climate cores for decades and (hopefully) centuries to come.
www.ice-memory.org/medias/fichi...
January 14, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Ice Memory Foundation opens first-ever sanctuary for mountain
ice cores from around the world, buried 9 m deep in high-altitude ice sheet far inland in Antarctica (at year-round -52C), storing these climate cores for decades and (hopefully) centuries to come.
www.ice-memory.org/medias/fichi...
ice cores from around the world, buried 9 m deep in high-altitude ice sheet far inland in Antarctica (at year-round -52C), storing these climate cores for decades and (hopefully) centuries to come.
www.ice-memory.org/medias/fichi...
Though California has been quite (rain) wet so far this water yr, its worth noting that it was dry enough in the south 2/3 of state last yr so that current odds of making up the last-yr-plus-this-yr deficits by end of this water yr are small except in northern parts.
cw3e.ucsd.edu/odds-of-norm...
cw3e.ucsd.edu/odds-of-norm...
January 13, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Though California has been quite (rain) wet so far this water yr, its worth noting that it was dry enough in the south 2/3 of state last yr so that current odds of making up the last-yr-plus-this-yr deficits by end of this water yr are small except in northern parts.
cw3e.ucsd.edu/odds-of-norm...
cw3e.ucsd.edu/odds-of-norm...
Globally, paired-forests study shows deforestation intensified drought in >52% boreal regions, w/drought prevalence rising by 5% from 2001-2020, while deforested tropical regions showed greater resilience, w/~40% of drought intensification mitigated.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
January 9, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Globally, paired-forests study shows deforestation intensified drought in >52% boreal regions, w/drought prevalence rising by 5% from 2001-2020, while deforested tropical regions showed greater resilience, w/~40% of drought intensification mitigated.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Time is now short...January 15 is the deadline for applying for the Summer 2026 Center for Western Weather & Water Extremes Undergraduate Internship Program! @CW3EScripps does a great job of making it an inclusive AND financially accessible chance to work w/the best.
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-interns...
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-interns...
January 6, 2026 at 10:37 PM
Time is now short...January 15 is the deadline for applying for the Summer 2026 Center for Western Weather & Water Extremes Undergraduate Internship Program! @CW3EScripps does a great job of making it an inclusive AND financially accessible chance to work w/the best.
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-interns...
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-interns...
N Pacific atmospheric river precip freshens & cools upper ocean briefly, espec when srfc winds are low. ARs contribute 70-90% of winter precip on subtropical NE Pacific so that winter AR precipitation is main driver of top-20-30m-ocean freshening.
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
January 5, 2026 at 5:17 PM
N Pacific atmospheric river precip freshens & cools upper ocean briefly, espec when srfc winds are low. ARs contribute 70-90% of winter precip on subtropical NE Pacific so that winter AR precipitation is main driver of top-20-30m-ocean freshening.
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
Reaping what we've sown: In 2024 & 2025, the Reputation Lab polled citizens of G7 nations re: which nations had best international reputations. Here are results (from Visual Capitalist).
No surprise, the US fell most precipitously (by far) last year...
www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-count...
No surprise, the US fell most precipitously (by far) last year...
www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-count...
January 4, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Reaping what we've sown: In 2024 & 2025, the Reputation Lab polled citizens of G7 nations re: which nations had best international reputations. Here are results (from Visual Capitalist).
No surprise, the US fell most precipitously (by far) last year...
www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-count...
No surprise, the US fell most precipitously (by far) last year...
www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-count...
And, at this halfway pt in the wet season, here's how the snow is stacking up, compared to last yr (which eventually got up close to normal overall by April).
December 29, 2025 at 9:01 PM
And, at this halfway pt in the wet season, here's how the snow is stacking up, compared to last yr (which eventually got up close to normal overall by April).
For any Calif-precip obsessives out there...Here is 2026 water-yr's precip breakdown in my part of the SierraNv into contribs from BIG storms vs others, in context of past 110 yrs. At ~½ normal-total yr so far & ~ ½-½ BIG- vs other-storm contribs.
See escholarship.org/uc/item/1hq3... for the idea.
See escholarship.org/uc/item/1hq3... for the idea.
December 29, 2025 at 8:28 PM
For any Calif-precip obsessives out there...Here is 2026 water-yr's precip breakdown in my part of the SierraNv into contribs from BIG storms vs others, in context of past 110 yrs. At ~½ normal-total yr so far & ~ ½-½ BIG- vs other-storm contribs.
See escholarship.org/uc/item/1hq3... for the idea.
See escholarship.org/uc/item/1hq3... for the idea.
In September, Quanta Magazine published an extensive, prototypically readable, prototypically important collection of explainers about our planet's climate.
mailchi.mp/quantamagazi...
mailchi.mp/quantamagazi...
December 28, 2025 at 1:54 PM
In September, Quanta Magazine published an extensive, prototypically readable, prototypically important collection of explainers about our planet's climate.
mailchi.mp/quantamagazi...
mailchi.mp/quantamagazi...
Upcoming atmospheric river approaching California could be attached to a “bomb cyclone”…
But here ‘s the current flood fcasts (surely not the final word but), for now broadly not as dire as could be.
www.sfchronicle.com/weather-fore...
But here ‘s the current flood fcasts (surely not the final word but), for now broadly not as dire as could be.
www.sfchronicle.com/weather-fore...
December 20, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Upcoming atmospheric river approaching California could be attached to a “bomb cyclone”…
But here ‘s the current flood fcasts (surely not the final word but), for now broadly not as dire as could be.
www.sfchronicle.com/weather-fore...
But here ‘s the current flood fcasts (surely not the final word but), for now broadly not as dire as could be.
www.sfchronicle.com/weather-fore...
Quite a hefty (cat 4 or 5) atmospheric river now showing up pointed at Bay area in both GEFS and ECMWF forecasts this coming week. The Sierra will get some precip too, with serious snow potential at/after xmas....
December 19, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Quite a hefty (cat 4 or 5) atmospheric river now showing up pointed at Bay area in both GEFS and ECMWF forecasts this coming week. The Sierra will get some precip too, with serious snow potential at/after xmas....
Economically marginalized communities experience more severe urban-vegetation degradations during droughts, and those unequal UVDs during drought exacerbate existing inequalities in heat exposure.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
December 18, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Economically marginalized communities experience more severe urban-vegetation degradations during droughts, and those unequal UVDs during drought exacerbate existing inequalities in heat exposure.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
The rate of sea-level rise along US coast has > doubled over the past 125 years, according to a new analysis of data from scores of tide gages. & it took some serious cherry-picking of data for Trump’s DOE climate report earlier this yr to conclude otherwise.
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
December 17, 2025 at 3:46 PM
The rate of sea-level rise along US coast has > doubled over the past 125 years, according to a new analysis of data from scores of tide gages. & it took some serious cherry-picking of data for Trump’s DOE climate report earlier this yr to conclude otherwise.
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Yet another rainy (at basin-scales) AR storm headed our way. Its been a real winter for them so far.
Check out whats forecast, in this regard, for your locale at
cw3e.ucsd.edu/DSMaps/DS_fr...
Check out whats forecast, in this regard, for your locale at
cw3e.ucsd.edu/DSMaps/DS_fr...
December 15, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Yet another rainy (at basin-scales) AR storm headed our way. Its been a real winter for them so far.
Check out whats forecast, in this regard, for your locale at
cw3e.ucsd.edu/DSMaps/DS_fr...
Check out whats forecast, in this regard, for your locale at
cw3e.ucsd.edu/DSMaps/DS_fr...
To understand how our relationship with the natural world has shifted, researchers are studying the media we produce. Eg, a study published in the journal Earth this summer found that use of nature-related words declined >60 % from 1800-2019.
grist.org/language/nat...
grist.org/language/nat...
December 14, 2025 at 2:51 PM
To understand how our relationship with the natural world has shifted, researchers are studying the media we produce. Eg, a study published in the journal Earth this summer found that use of nature-related words declined >60 % from 1800-2019.
grist.org/language/nat...
grist.org/language/nat...
New @cw3escripps study presents a comprehensive 2000–2024 database of California postfire debris flows, and analyzes their spatial distribution, seasonal timing, atmospheric drivers, & variability.
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-publica...
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-publica...
December 11, 2025 at 7:10 PM
New @cw3escripps study presents a comprehensive 2000–2024 database of California postfire debris flows, and analyzes their spatial distribution, seasonal timing, atmospheric drivers, & variability.
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-publica...
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-publica...
If you're going to be at the AGU Meeting on Dec 15 (Monday), please give some thought to participating in this session...a chance for the AGU community to discuss the fate of Earth & Space Science & what can be done in the current situation, in an open forum! Be heard! Show up and speak your mind.
December 3, 2025 at 10:36 PM
If you're going to be at the AGU Meeting on Dec 15 (Monday), please give some thought to participating in this session...a chance for the AGU community to discuss the fate of Earth & Space Science & what can be done in the current situation, in an open forum! Be heard! Show up and speak your mind.
@CW3EScripps's synthesis of several subseasonal products for California indicates that precipitation for most of December is uncertain, and tilting mostly towards dry. Storms heading north of us.
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-subseas...
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-subseas...
December 3, 2025 at 7:21 PM
@CW3EScripps's synthesis of several subseasonal products for California indicates that precipitation for most of December is uncertain, and tilting mostly towards dry. Storms heading north of us.
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-subseas...
cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-subseas...