RichThompsonAK
@richthompsonak.bsky.social
720 followers 710 following 3K posts
Boot person. Retired LEO. No whinging. Usual caveats apply. Alaska Все буде Україна http://u24.gov.ua https://1team1fightusa.org https://savelife.in.ua http://ukraineaidops.org http://saintjavelin.com
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Reposted by RichThompsonAK
alaskawx.bsky.social
Ocean level on the NOAA tide gauge at Nome probably peaked with the early evening high tide. This is slightly higher than the October 2024 storm but well below Merbok in September 2022. #akwx #ExtermeWeather
@hanners64n.bsky.social
Reposted by RichThompsonAK
alaskawx.bsky.social
As of 7pm AKDT Wednesday the ocean water level at Kotzebue was rising rapidly and was already at the level reached in the October 2024 storm, which caused the worst flooding in living memory at Kotz. #akwx #weather #ExtremeWeather
Water level at the DGGS ocean water level gauge at Kotzebue, Alaska for October 2-8, 2025 showing water level at the major flood category.
richthompsonak.bsky.social
Report: Russia's Shadow Fleet is Pumping Oily Waste Overboard

"Globally, it is the single largest human source of oil pollution into the sea, and ... exceeds the volume of the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon spills combined every three years."

maritime-executive.com/article/repo...
Report: Russia's Shadow Fleet is Pumping Oily Waste Overboard
Russia's "shadow fleet" tankers are in the habit of dumping oily waste into the water, according to a review of satellite imagery conducted by Politi...
maritime-executive.com
richthompsonak.bsky.social
U.S. Navy Cruiser Escorts Special Operations Ship Off Venezuela

"This was not a fleeting rendezvous. The sustained, synchronized presence of a high-power Aegis cruiser . . . and the special ops mothership , just ~126 kilometers from the Venezuelan coast ..."

maritime-executive.com/article/u-s-...
U.S. Navy Cruiser Escorts Special Operations Ship Off Venezuela
As the Trump administration ramps up pressure on the regime of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, open-source marine traffic watchers have been clos...
maritime-executive.com
richthompsonak.bsky.social
"Perspectives on hard security vary among Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, with the former considering food security, housing, and reliable infrastructure as key hard security components."
richthompsonak.bsky.social
Rural airline subsidies will continue into early November despite shutdown, feds say

"U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that funding for the Essential Air Service program, the source of the subsidy, could lapse as soon as Oct. 12."

www.ktoo.org/2025/10/08/r...
Rural airline subsidies will continue into early November despite shutdown, feds say
The U.S. Transportation Department says it has secured funding to continue the Essential Air Service program, subsidizing routes to 65 Alaska communities, through Nov. 2.
www.ktoo.org
Reposted by RichThompsonAK
alaskawx.bsky.social
How cloudy was it in September around Alaska? For Anchorage and Fairbanks, this was either the first or second cloudiest since 1979. For western Alaska and parts of the North Slope, much less cloudiness than usual. Graphic courtesy @climatologist49.bsky.social using ERA5 data. @leahwrenn.bsky.social
Map centered on Alaska showing the rank of average cloudiness in September 2025 compared to all other September since 1979.
richthompsonak.bsky.social
Space Force taps Muon for 3 prototype weather satellites

The Space Force has been struggling to fill gaps in weather coverage by its own dedicated satellites — gaps that are expected to widen with the Trump administration’s planned funding decreases ..."

breakingdefense.com/2025/10/spac...
Space Force taps Muon for 3 prototype weather satellites - Breaking Defense
The award will fund modification of the company's multispectral infrared imaging payload, Quickbeam, "to add additional spectral bands" to meet military environmental monitoring needs.
breakingdefense.com
Reposted by RichThompsonAK
zanath.bsky.social
"We took freedom of speech away" should be in every campaign ad moving forward.
atrupar.com
Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."
richthompsonak.bsky.social
Random note: I'm not sure who needs to know this, but Joe Biden doesn't work here any more. #Alaska
Reposted by RichThompsonAK
alaskawx.bsky.social
High risk for extreme winds and coastal flooding Sunday and Monday for the northern and central Alaska Bering Sea coast from ex-typhoon Halong. There is still uncertainty, but serious impacts are likely somewhere south of the Bering Strait,. #akwx #ExtremeWeather @hanners64n.bsky.social
Reposted by RichThompsonAK
richthompsonak.bsky.social
In a changing Arctic, how much noise is too much?

"President Donald Trump’s January 2025 order “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential” ... What the fine print of this sweeping order doesn’t reveal is the potential collateral damage from ..."

alaskabeacon.com/2025/10/07/i...
In a changing Arctic, how much noise is too much? | Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s bowhead whales can hear the climate changing. Scientists are listening in, too.
alaskabeacon.com
richthompsonak.bsky.social
Arctic and Alaska September 2025 Climate Summary

"Overall this was the third mildest September on record for the Arctic overall (land and seas north of 60°N), and the three mildest September on record have been the past three years."

alaskaclimate.substack.com/p/arctic-and...
Arctic and Alaska September 2025 Climate Summary
Again mild but not so wet
alaskaclimate.substack.com
richthompsonak.bsky.social
Billionaire Trump donor gains tens of millions in one-day Ambler windfall

“It’s not the first time Trump’s government has moved the market by investing directly in stocks this year ... and is rumored to be in discussions with other miners."

www.dermotcole.com/reportingfro...
Reporting From Alaska- Billionaire Trump donor gains tens of millions in one-day Ambler windfall
Forbes Magazine noted that the Trump administration mentioned nothing about how one of Trump’s most loyal allies would gain from the federal subsidy of Trilogy.
www.dermotcole.com
richthompsonak.bsky.social
Alaska crab fishery shows signs of recovery after massive crash

"And for the first time, a portion of the harvest will be reserved for a hybrid snow-tanner crab. Those are crabs that share some characteristics of both snow and tanner crabs ... "

www.ktoo.org/2025/10/07/a...
Alaska crab fishery shows signs of recovery after massive crash
Bering Sea crabbers will see a boost in catch limits this season, after years of cancellations and small harvests due to low snow and king crab stocks.
www.ktoo.org
richthompsonak.bsky.social
Safeguards in place, but still stranded: New details on efforts to free Thamesborg before freeze-up

“... the Canadian Ice Service, said the site of the grounding is currently free of sea ice, with the nearest floes 80 to 90 nautical miles west of the grounding site.”

www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-a...
Safeguards in place, but still stranded: New details on efforts to free Thamesborg before freeze-up
On paper, the European shipping company that sent the Thamesborg cargo vessel through the Northwest Passage did everything right: the ship had ice-class certification, an experienced Canadian ice pilo...
www.rcinet.ca
Reposted by RichThompsonAK
shanahstone.bsky.social
I remember when climate change was considered a huge military threat. It still is you just can’t call it that.
richthompsonak.bsky.social
Well, for sure one of them and probably at least “go along to get along” for the other.

The thing is, if they’re serious about national security they’re going to need the best, most accurate and accessible climate data they can get to soldiers and kit in fighting shape.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Reposted by RichThompsonAK
emergencybod.medsky.social
Never let anyone tell you that small acts of resistance don’t matter.

This is a remarkable story of 2 Irish women who stood up against injustice & stood tall. Their courage & defiance, for strangers they would never meet, is a reminder that even the smallest light can burn through the darkest times
Reposted by RichThompsonAK
candycoatedchaos.bsky.social
Not Stephen Miller accidentally outting the regime in an interview. Let that "plenary authority" claim slip right out and then had to act like the audio cut out.

Sir! We heard you.. and the President does NOT have plenary authority.