Rob Larter @rdlarter Twitter profile

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Rob Larter

5 months

An fairly average iceberg in the southern Bellingshausen Sea on 22nd February this year. What's unusual is the total absence of sea ice in the area at that time. 125 years earlier the Belgica was beset by sea ice for more than a year in the same area. #AntarcticaDay 1/2

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

3 months

If you don't find this concerning, you really don't understand how bad things are getting. Yes, there's an El Niño at the moment, but the sea surface temperature anomaly has never been so extreme during previous El Niños. From @guardian article - link in following post.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

This may look like a very ordinary seascape, but it isn't. This view is at 72°S in the Bellingshausen Sea, #Antarctica , taken from RV Polarstern expedition #PS134 . In a normal year there would be a lot of #seaice in this area, but this year there is none. 1/3

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

10 months

Among several graphs showing unprecedented current climate extremes it is the ones showing the growing anomaly in Antarctic sea ice extent that I find most concerning. 1/n

Prof. Eliot Jacobson

@EliotJacobson

10 months

It finally happened, breaking 5 sigma, the same statistical threshold physicists used to prove the existence of the Higgs boson. At 2,700,000 km² below the 1991-2020 mean, Antarctic sea ice extent was 5.14σ below the mean, roughly a 1-in-7,400,000 chance.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

I'm aware of a lot of change going on in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean environment, but sometimes I see a new paper, read the abstract and think "OMG it's worse than I thought". This is one of those papers.

Abyssal ocean overturning slowdown and warming driven by Antarctic meltwater

Nature - Simulations show that projected increases in Antarctic meltwater will slow down the abyssal ocean overturning circulation over the coming decades and lead to warming and ageing of the...

www.nature.com

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

6 years

For the first time in ages we had clear skies at sunset on RRS Discovery #DY087 in the South Atlantic, and it coincided with the partial #Eclipse2018

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

5 years

Absolutely fantastic visualisation. If you ever wanted to know why the Southern Ocean is often an uncomfortable place to be on a ship, look at this. Or if you want to see what drives the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the largest ocean current system on Earth.

NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research

@NCAR_Science

5 years

For #EarthDay : A little visualization of surface winds around Antarctica. #Roaring40s

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 months

Absolutely appalling propaganda on @BBCnews this evening for a crazy geo-engineering idea of pumping up water to thicken Arctic sea ice. Didn't even include any expert comment from a polar scientist. Such projects are a dangerous distraction from what we know needs to be done.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

8 months

This has been going on all year and is a major concern, because if the decline that has been observed over the past 7 years continues there will be effects worldwide. At least it's front page news at last.

Antarctic sea-ice at 'mind-blowing' low alarms experts

Missing winter sea ice signals changes that could be a "disaster for the world", scientists say.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

11 months

A selection of climate data graphs from my Twitter feed this morning. It's shaping up to be an interesting year. Oh, and by the way, there's a strong El Niño on the way. Graphs from tweets posted by @kevpluck @m_parrington @BMcNoldy and @DrTELS

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

16 days

@_david_ho_ @scottpw7 Or that total warming over 20,000 years since the Last Glacial Maximum was just 7°C, so 1°C in 50 years is more than 50 times the average rate of warming over that period.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

Cool #geological mural in @rpancost country

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

11 months

Never before have I responded to so many media requests in one day as yesterday. If only there was similar media interest in some of the unprecedented climate extremes being observed at the moment. 1/2

Rob Larter

@rdlarter

11 months

A selection of climate data graphs from my Twitter feed this morning. It's shaping up to be an interesting year. Oh, and by the way, there's a strong El Niño on the way. Graphs from tweets posted by @kevpluck @m_parrington @BMcNoldy and @DrTELS

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

View from RV Polarstern approaching the edge of the Ekström Ice Shelf on Friday as a fleet of Pisten Bully tractors from Neumayer Station wait to take cargo offloaded from the ship to the station. #PS134

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

9 months

View through my cabin port hole on #RRSSirDavidAttenborough this morning. #FaroeIslands

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

Any post about declining #seaice extent triggers replies pointing out that as the ice is already floating it doesn’t make any difference to sea level. This is correct of course (well, nearly). So why does sea-ice loss matter? There are several reasons. 1/11

Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

This may look like a very ordinary seascape, but it isn't. This view is at 72°S in the Bellingshausen Sea, #Antarctica , taken from RV Polarstern expedition #PS134 . In a normal year there would be a lot of #seaice in this area, but this year there is none. 1/3

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

@AWI_Media @BAS_News The minimum #seaice extent is highly variable from year to year, and we should be cautious about reading too much into a single year. However, #Antarctic annual and summer sea ice extents have now been below the long-term average for 7 years. A trend seems to be emerging. 3/3

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

@AWI_Media @BAS_News This month has seen a new record minimum in #Antarctic #seaice extent since satellite records began more than 40 years ago. In the Bellingshausen Sea most of the ice was gone by the end of November. 2/3

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

Have I put up enough maps in my home office now?

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

20 days

A really excellent lecture that I saw from a doorway to the lecture room because it was overflowing. I already knew about what could happen from palaeo records, but I'm now a lot more concerned we may be nearer to the tipping point than many people assume.

Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf 🌏 🦣

@rahmstorf

21 days

Incredible turnout at my Alfred Wegener Medal lecture at #EGU2024 just now.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

Has @BBCNews coverage of storm #Eunice neglected to discuss the role of climate change in making events of this kind more frequent, or have I just missed those reports?

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

10 months

Here's a thought-provoking bit of feedback I received in response to a recent series of tweets about the wider consequences of the current anomalously low Antarctic sea-ice extent.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

I've participated in 14 previous research cruises that visited the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, but have never been through the Lemaire Channel. Until yesterday, on RV Polarstern Expedition #PS134 . Can confirm that it's as spectacular as everyone says.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 months

New research shows that Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers both started retreating in the 1940s after thousands of years of relative stability.

El Niño May Have Kicked Off Thwaites Glacier Retreat - Eos

Antarctica’s “Doomsday Glacier” started losing mass midcentury, around the same time as its neighboring glacier.

eos.org

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

5 years

My first sight of the #ThwaitesGlacier ice front in the pre-dawn light this morning. This was on the west side of the Eastern Ice Shelf. Since then we have conducted detailed bathymetry survey along much of the ice front and deployed an ocean glider. @GlacierThwaites @BAS_News

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

10 months

Fiddling while the planet burns continues.

G20 countries fail to reach agreement on cutting fossil fuels

Some members dispute goals of tripling renewable capacity by 2030 and deploying $100bn a year for action in developing countries

www.theguardian.com

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

It was an amazing surprise to receive notification yesterday that a glacier has been named after me. What an incredible honour! However, I want to to take this opportunity to highlight that no scientist achieves much around Antarctica without support from many others. 1/3

Joanne Johnson

@geologicalJo

4 years

Larter Glacier in Hudson Mts just named after @BAS_News geophysicist @rdlarter ! Congratulations Rob, and thank you for your huge contribution to cryospheric science and public understanding of @GlacierThwaites research - you deserve this all the way!🥳

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

The new face of Pine Island Glacier today, which B-49 and associated icebergs calved from 10 days ago. This is the third time I've been here in recent years, but each time 'here' is a few km further back into the glacier.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

Great to see @GlacierThwaites research covered in national media, but a few points in this @guardian article need correction or further explanation. 1/n

Scientists watch giant ‘doomsday’ glacier in Antarctica with concern

Cracks and fissures stoke fears of breakup that could lead to half-metre rise in global sea levels – or more

www.theguardian.com

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

The wonders of modern communication: 08:40 - took photo of iceberg 09:30 - posted it on Twitter 13:00 - @BBCAmos included it in a story on @BBCNews website BBC News - Antarctica's big new iceberg: Up close with B49

Antarctica's big new iceberg: Up close with B49

A US research ship is the first vessel to encounter Antarctica's giant new iceberg.

www.bbc.com

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

It's a fluke! I've dreamed of taking a humpback whale fluke photo like this for years, and then a few days ago on RV Polarstern expedition #PS134 in Eltanin Bay, Bellingshausen Sea, #Antarctica , I was lucky enough to have my camera and telephoto lens on me at the right time.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

We're trying to get away from the "Doomsday Glacier" label, as how much West Antarctica will contribute to future sea-level rise is still to some extent in our own hands. But thanks to CNN for the coverage.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

We just approached within a couple of miles of the new giant #PineIslandGlacier iceberg B-49 (the white wall behind smaller icebergs and brash ice in the foreground) on @GlacierThwaites @GlacierOffshore cruise #NBP2002 aboard RV Nathaniel B Palmer.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

6 months

This is an excellent animation of a sequence of satellite images spanning several years, but it is important to understand that it shows just part of the front of the glacier where the ice flows out into the Amundsen Sea and goes afloat. 1/2

kosmi 🛰️🌍

@kosmi64833127

7 months

Glacial motion and breakup of #Thwaites Glacier in #Antarctica . #Radar images taken by @CopernicusEU #Sentinel1 since June 2017. Data processed in @sentinel_hub @SistersofSAR 😉 #Glacier #SAR

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

I'm starting to appreciate what a long way it is from Cape Town to #Antarctica . Three and a half days into RV Polarstern expedition #PS134 and we're not even half way there. You can follow our progress at

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

It is a rare event to cross paths with another research vessel around #Antarctica , but last weekend the South African vessel SA Agulhas II was operating near RV Polarstern offshore from the Ekström Ice Shelf.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

On the recent RV Nathaniel B Palmer cruise #NBP2002 to #ThwaitesGlacier we requested a camera on the megacorer and CTD to obtain images of the seabed. We never expected this #photobomb

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

I was privileged to be invited to write a commentary on an interesting recent paper about the roughness of ice shelves by Watkins et al. (2021). Commentary features this schematic diagram of the #ThwaitesGlacier Eastern Ice Shelf by @MarloWordyBird 1/N

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

OK #geotwitter , who can identify this beautiful old instrument that I'm being let loose with tomorrow? (posted this on mastodon about an hour ago and it got absolutely no engagement - let's see if it elicits more response here)

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

11 months

It seems to me that the jury is still out on whether the West Antarctic Ice Sheet can stand even 1.5 °C warming. If it turns out that it can’t and we pass that threshold we will be committed to a global mean sea-level rise of more than 3 m.

Dr James Kirkham

@JD_Kirkham

11 months

#Antarctica can't cope with 2C warming. - Multiple tipping points crossed - 45% of summer sea ice lost by 2070 - 50% of ice shelves gone by 2100 - Sea level rise of up to 3m per century Multi-generational repercussions @naish_tim #BonnClimateConference

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

Some comments that have emerged since the release of the #IPCC Working Group III report yesterday highlight that the path to #netzero envisaged by many politicians and business leaders is quite different from what the science community mean. The consequences are not the same.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

One of the great pleasures in participating in ship-based research around #Antarctica is seeing some of the spectacular wildlife, such as this Minke Whale that we saw yesterday on RV Polarstern expedition #PS134

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

3 years

It occurred to me today that I've now been working for @BAS_News for more than a third of a century. To mark that milestone here's a small selection of photos from my first #Antarctic research cruise as a BAS employee (my third overall) in the 1987-88 season. #PolarThrowback

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

10 months

As global average surface temperature and sea surface temperature break records, the negative anomaly in Antarctic sea ice extent continues to become ever more extreme and Canada burns, the world’s media obsesses about defining a point in time when it all went wrong 🤦‍♂️

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

3 months

Very disappointing to see a national newspaper giving publicity to a ridiculous geo-engineering suggestion for slowing ice-sheet loss. I'm deliberately not including a link because the article doesn't merit anyone wasting their time on it. Shame on you @RobinMcKie and @OberverUK

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

5 years

You may have seen scientific papers on marine sediment cores from around #Antarctica , but they don't tell you what scientists and technicians do to collect them. Photo shows liner being extracted from gravity core barrel near #ThwaitesGlacier on cruise #NBP1902 last night.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

Delighted to have been notified recently that my application for promotion to UKRI Individual Merit Promotion Level 3 (IMP3) has been successful. For most of my career I never expected to reach this level and recognise that in doing so I have benefitted from some great teamwork.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

Not the first #iceberg we've seen on @GlacierThwaites RV Nathaniel B Palmer cruise #NBP2002 , but it's my first iceberg photo this trip. Not a bad start eh?

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

For two and half years fast ice surrounding the #ThwaitesGlacier Tongue has held it together. After the fast ice shattered on Feb 1st the Glacier Tongue (lower right in these images) disintegrated within a few days. Sentinel-1 images from @CopernicusEU @ESA_EO via @polarview

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

5 years

I know posting #iceberg photos is a bit of a cliche when people are on ships around #Antarctica , but some are just so achingly beautiful. #ThwaitesGlacier @GlacierThwaites @BAS_News

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

Now I've access to better internet I can post some things that it wasn't possible to post from the ship during RV Nathaniel B Palmer cruise #NBP2002 . Here's a clip from a GoPro mounted on the magacorer showing the controlled way core tubes penetrate into the sea-floor sediments.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

3 months

@HankRacette @guardian Over the past couple of decades a lot of scientists have worked on deriving palaeoclimate proxy records spanning that past few thousand years. For example see

Annually resolved Atlantic sea surface temperature variability over the past 2,900 y | Proceedings...

Global warming due to anthropogenic factors can be amplified or dampened by natural climate oscillations, especially those involving sea surface te...

www.pnas.org

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

Some news I've been putting off sharing here - Last month I took on the role of UK Lead for the Science Coordination Office of @GlacierThwaites So, sorry if you think I go on too much about #ThwaitesGlacier - expect more of the same.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

Disembarked from RV Polarstern at Punta Arenas, Chile this morning after 73 days on expedition #PS134 since departing from Cape Town on 23 December. That's the longest time I've ever spent at sea between port calls, but it was an amazing trip.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

3 months

February on course to break unprecedented number of heat records

Rapid ocean warming and unusually hot winter days recorded as human-made global heating combines with El Niño

www.theguardian.com

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

10 months

Includes a detail you could easily miss: "The report also found that the sea level in the UK had risen by 18.5cm since the 1900s, with about 11.4cm of this rise having taken place over the past 30 years."

2022 was UK’s warmest year on record, says Met Office

All four seasons were among top 10 hottest since 1884, with extreme heat likely to occur more frequently

www.theguardian.com

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

Chaos where the southern shear margin of Pine Island Glacier meets the sea, seen in pre-dawn light this morning. Immense forces are at work here, shattering, rotating, tilting and thrusting large blocks of ice.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

3 years

I’ve been keeping quiet about this, but my family insist I need to come clean.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

Nine days until I head South for the 22nd time to join a ship in order to participate in an #Antarctic or Southern Ocean research cruise. This year I'll join RV Polarstern, which recently completed 40 years of service, for the second time. 1/2

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

10 months

As it's now midwinter in Antarctica and the extent of sea ice around the continent reaches its annual maximum in August, the deficit in sea ice formation also means a large deficit in production of cold, saline water that results from brine rejection as sea ice forms. 3/n

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

5 years

View from cabin window, RV Nathaniel B Palmer cruise #NBP1902 day 29. The front of Thwaites Glacier. People who have seen other ice shelves may say "That doesn't look like a normal ice shelf front." It isn't. @GlacierThwaites @BAS_News #Antarctica #RoomWithaView

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

“The model projections of rapid change in the deep ocean circulation in response to melting of Antarctic ice might, if anything, have been conservative” Slowing ocean current caused by melting Antarctic ice could have drastic climate impact, study says

Slowing ocean current caused by melting Antarctic ice could have drastic climate impact, study says

The Southern Ocean overturning circulation has ebbed 30% since the 90s, CSIRO scientist claims, leading to higher sea levels and changing weather

www.theguardian.com

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

For the second time in the space of two weeks @guardian has published a misleading article about some environmental issues I care a lot about. 1/n Sands of time are slipping away for England’s crumbling coasts amid climate crisis

Sands of time are slipping away for England’s crumbling coasts amid climate crisis

Along the eastern shore, seaside attractions are being demolished and millions of homes are at risk as rising sea levels speed erosion

www.theguardian.com

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

6 months

The message clearly isn't getting through is it? To avert dangerous climate change immediate and steep cuts in emissions are needed, but instead we get this.

North Sea oil and gas: what is the new licensing scheme, and will it cut bills?

Rishi Sunak signalled changes in the king’s speech that create a policy divide with Labour

www.theguardian.com

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@rdlarter

1 year

We're getting nearer to #Antarctica each day on RV Polarstern expedition #PS134 and the #icebergs are getting bigger.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

8 months

If Sir Mo Farah had stopped half way through the Olympic 10,000 m final and announced that he planned to walk for the next four laps, but was still aiming to win the gold medal, would anyone have believed him? That's effectively what @RishiSunak did yesterday. #NetZeroBy2050

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

3 years

As new sea ice was forming on a bitterly cold day in the Amundsen Sea at the end of February this year the dawn sky displayed almost all the colours of the rainbow. Posted as a reminder that it's #PolarPride Day.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

5 years

Exceptional visibility over #ThwaitesGlacier from RV Nathaniel B Palmer cruise #NBP1902 today that gave us clear views of Mount Murphy from more than 50 miles away. How about that @geologicalJo ?

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

A bittersweet surprise as to see the RV Noosfera, the ship formerly known as RRS James Clark Ross, in Cape Town as we prepared for RV Polarstern Expedition #PS134 over the past couple of days. So many memories associated with times on that ship.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

5 years

“The average rate of rise since 1993 until now is 3.2mm per year. However, from May 2014 to 2019 the rise has increased to 5mm per year.” No surprise to cryosphere community. BBC News - Climate change: Impacts 'accelerating' as leaders gather for UN talks

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@rdlarter

1 year

“This contribution is five times what it was 30 years ago.”

Accelerating melt of ice sheets now 'unmistakable'

Greenland and Antarctica are increasing their contribution to the annual rise in global sea levels.

www.bbc.co.uk

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@rdlarter

2 years

On #EarthDay , a reminder that the biggest uncertainty in predicting sea-level rise to the end of this century and beyond is how the #Antarctic Ice Sheet will respond to climate change, particularly in West Antarctica, where the most imminent concern is #ThwaitesGlacier

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@rdlarter

1 year

Looking back at Cape Town as we set out towards #Antarctica at 10pm on Friday at the start of RV Polarstern expedition #PS134

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@rdlarter

11 months

We’ve made a lot of progress in understanding #ThwaitesGlacier change but it still remains the biggest uncertainty in predicting future sea-level rise. Scientists monitoring 'doomsday' glacier warn climate change happening faster than ever before

Scientists monitoring 'doomsday' glacier warn climate change happening faster than ever before

Collapse of the Thwaites glacier and its accompanying ice sheet could lead to more than three metres of sea level rise. The British Antarctic Survey is hoping to find out how fast it might collapse

inews.co.uk

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@rdlarter

2 years

Oops. 'Investigations show that practically none of the signatories to the "World Climate Declaration" are climate scientists. Also, 6 of the signatories are dead. Fact check: Did 1,200 climate experts sign 'declaration' denying climate emergency?

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@rdlarter

11 months

Which begs the question, if the EU and UK are serious about reducing carbon emissions, why are they not imposing much heavier taxes on short-haul flights and using them to subsidise rail travel? 4/4

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@rdlarter

1 year

I haven't been keeping a close eye on changes in sea ice in the Bellingshausen Sea since returning from RV Polarstern expedition #PS134 , but a colleague just made me aware that there has still been hardly any new ice formation. AMSR2 analysis here from Uni Bremen.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

10 months

As Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) flows down into the abyss it acts as a primary driver of the thermohaline overturning circulation, which in turn influences climate worldwide. Reduced AABW production can be expected to result in slowing of the overturning circulation. 5/n

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

To take my mind off Thursday in a dull and damp UK I've decided that I'm going to call it #ThwaitesDay and use this as an excuse to post photos and graphics relating to #ThwaitesGlacier each week. To kick off here's a photo of the front of the Glacier Tongue taken last year.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

I've worked at a largely government-funded research institute for more than 35 years. Until a couple of months ago the science staff had never taken strike action. However, since then there has been no movement, so here we go again today.

Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

This placard captures the main reason why many colleagues and I have taken the difficult decision to strike today. We work in research because we love doing it and because we're passionate about science, but it's getting more and more difficult. 1/n

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@rdlarter

4 years

@kevpluck @MarloWordyBird @griffiths_huw 400 years since Galileo and many humans still don't understand the difference between evidence and belief.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

Boarding the @BAS_News Dash7 aircraft to fly from Rothera to the Falkland Islands this morning. Now in Stanley and waiting to hear what our next move will be, but I'm not in a great hurry.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

Someone was telling me yesterday that academia isn't as harsh and challenging as the real world. I wonder what they do in the 'real world ' and how it compares to this.

Joanne Johnson

@geologicalJo

4 years

Nasty weather today - blowing a gale all night/day. Struggling to get out of tent so making the most of some well-earned time off with bit of work/eating/drinking tea/knitting/digging tent out of snow drifts. Glad I get on with my tentmate as we’re prob stuck in for a few days

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

Here it is. My obligatory first iceberg photo of expedition #PS134 - and this through a fairly long telephoto lens. We will see many more and get much more interesting photographs, but on a ship heading towards Antarctica the first iceberg sighting is always eagerly anticipated.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

It's a proud parent day.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

10 months

Concerns about ongoing change are heightened by results of a recent modelling study indicating that under a high emissions scenario AABW production will decrease and the overturning circulation will slow dramatically over the next 30 years. 6/n

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

3 years

Midwinter is approaching in #Antarctica , so #ThwaitesGlacier is in continuous darkness. I've never been in the region later than mid March. For this #ThowbackThursday #ThwaitesDay here is a 📷of one of the last sunrises over sea ice I saw there last year.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

10½ years ago I was honoured to receive a Polar Medal. As all the family were at home this weekend we decided to have a go at recreating the photo taken on that day. Unfortunately we didn't have access to the same backdrop, and 2 kids had to swap positions due to height changes.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

Sometimes conditions for marine geoscience research become challenging, on RV Polarstern expedition #PS134 in the Bellingshausen Sea, #Antarctica

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

10 months

However, decreasing Antarctic sea ice cover also has several other significant consequences, as I outlined in a previous thread. 9/9

Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

Any post about declining #seaice extent triggers replies pointing out that as the ice is already floating it doesn’t make any difference to sea level. This is correct of course (well, nearly). So why does sea-ice loss matter? There are several reasons. 1/11

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 months

It's now a full month since the #Antarctic sea ice minimum this year and still hardly any new ice has formed in the Bellingshausen Sea (lower left in image). #seaice concentration map from analysis of AMSR2 data by University of Bremen Institute of Environmental Physics.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

Giant tabular #iceberg B-49 calved from Pine Island Glacier on February 9th. We encountered it 3 days later on RV Nathaniel B Palmer cruise #NBP2002 and I posted a photo, but a still photo doesn't really convey its huge size. So here's a video panning across part of the iceberg.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

This placard captures the main reason why many colleagues and I have taken the difficult decision to strike today. We work in research because we love doing it and because we're passionate about science, but it's getting more and more difficult. 1/n

Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 year

I won’t be tweeting about science today because ... I’ve never participated in this kind of action before, but enough is enough. More on my reasons later.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

First look under imperiled Antarctic glacier finds ‘warm water coming from all directions’

First look under imperilled Antarctic glacier finds ‘warm water coming from all directions’

Nature - Thwaites Glacier’s collapse could raise sea levels worldwide by more than half a metre.

www.nature.com

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

A couple of days ago I posted a sequence of Sentinel-1 images showing the disintegration of part of the #ThwaitesGlacier Tongue. Here's a zoomed in view of the key part of those images (plus one new one). Sentinel-1 images from @CopernicusEU @ESA_EO via @polarview

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

Kids made me a card for #fathersday2020 A card for our times.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

4 years

Less than 3 weeks now until we start the second @GlacierThwaites research cruise on RV Nathaniel B Palmer, #NBP2002 , so time for a change of header photo. Drone photo by @AK_Mazur shows the Palmer among tabular icebergs near #ThwaitesGlacier Eastern Ice Shelf during #NBP1902

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

3 years

Wow. Magnitude 7 earthquake just occurred in Bransfield Strait off the northern end of the #Antarctic Peninsula. It's an active rift, but over nearly 60 years of global network recording there have only been two other earthquakes of similar magnitude along the rift (1971 & 1983).

USGS Tweet Earthquake Dispatch

@USGSted

3 years

Prelim M7.0 Earthquake South Shetland Islands Jan-23 23:36 UTC, updates

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

1 month

Don't look now, but for the first time this year Antarctic sea-ice extent just dipped below where it was on the same date last year, when it was tracking from the record minimum to the lowest winter maximum since the satellite record began.

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Rob Larter

@rdlarter

2 years

Last week saw the daily atmospheric CO₂ level spike above 420ppm for the first time this year, and the weekly average was above 419ppm. Hold tight folks, as we’re on course for February to be the first month in human history to average over 420ppm.

CO2_Earth

@CO2_earth

2 years

📈 420.52 ppm #CO2 in the global air on January 26, 2022, a spike up from 415.70 ppm a year ago 📈 Mauna Loa Observatory @NOAA data & plot: 📈 tracking: 🙏 Stay tuned for new, all-time records ahead 🙏

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