Sign in

Paul Voosen

@voosen.me
15K followers 1.9K following 498 posts

Dad of two. Earth, climate, and planetary science reporter @Science.org magazine. Mistrusts narratives; still writes them. www.science.org/content/author/paul… sciencemastodon.com/@voooos voosen@protonmail.com Signal: @voosen.01

PostsRepliesMedia
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 30/06/2026
Very cool: @berkeleyearth.org has launched the beta of their Climate Model Synthesis, their attempt to make (better) downscaled bias-corrected climate projections broadly available. Right now it only does temperature, which is easier (but not easy). Precip to come. synthesis.berkeleyearth.org
A website screenshot showing the historical and projected temperatures for Washington DC, from the Berkeley Earth Climate Model Synthesis project.
1115
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 30/06/2026
Right now, each of the four new CLPS missions that they just announced only include three basic instruments: a camera array, a retroreflector, and spectrometer. We'll see if they get bolstered with more instruments later on. www.nasa.gov/news-release...
Each delivery will carry three NASA payloads to the lunar surface:

Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS): An array of four cameras that uses a technique called stereo photogrammetry to produce a 3D view of the impact of an engine’s exhaust plume on lunar dust as the lander descends on the Moon’s surface. Collecting data from a variety of engine sizes, propellants, and landing locations, these high-resolution stereo images will aid in creating models to predict lunar dust erosion and ejecta characteristics, playing a vital role as bigger, heavier spacecraft and hardware are delivered to the Moon near each other.
Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA): Reflects laser beams transmitted by Moon orbiters or landing spacecraft to help them determine their orbit position or navigate to the surface. A small cookie-sized device made of eight quartz corner-cube prisms set into a dome-shaped aluminum frame, the array is passive, requiring no power or maintenance. These arrays have flown on previous CLPS landers and international lunar landers and will continue to be used to build a network of permanent location markers on the Moon for future exploration.
Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS): Helps to better understand the radiation environment from a variety of lunar transit approaches and at different locations on the lunar surface. Derived from heritage hardware, this radiation monitor uses a tiny, advanced silicon detector to measure the energy carried by incoming space radiation. It will provide information about how strong radiation is and what kind of radiation is hitting the lunar surface, and provides the kind of detailed radiation data NASA needs to design safer missions, protect astronauts, and plan long‑duration exploration.
The agency also is reviewing options for these landers to deliver potential additional payloads to the Moon.

“By flying the same science instruments on multiple landers, we will better understand potential hazards during land…
010
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 30/06/2026
A pic of MAGGIE and OPTIMISM from 2022, via JPL. www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia24...
Engineering models of the Curiosity Mars rover (foreground) and the Perseverance Mars rover share space in the garage at JPL's Mars Yard
150
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 11/06/2026
I'm proud of this new viz of AMOC that our graphics team produced, with big help from Susan Lozier. We wanted to move past the "conveyor belt," and render AMOC as more of a belt of belts, while also including the gyres/Gulf Stream and the broadened view of deepwater formation. I think we did!
A graphic of a globe showing the Atlantic Ocean, with arrows to represents the flows of the surface gyres and AMOC.
1265
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 28/05/2026
Holden seems like a real character. He didn't quite get his PhD, but had a particularly productive era working with Robert Dietz, one of the founders of plate tectonics. Here's a serious illustration from a 1966 paper. He also founded the satirical "International Stop Continental Drift Society."
Three cross sections showing the different ways continents could deform, from a 1966 paper.
130
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 28/05/2026
Figure 6 here shows "Vogt's Half-Cracked Sewer Pipe," flowing laterally along the Atlantic's spreading center. This is of course the cartoon version of the pulsing plume hypothesis covered in my story this week.
A cartoon showing demons working on a sewer pipe, representing a mantle plume, rising to Iceland, with "Vogt's Half-Cracked Sewer Pipe" extending down along the Atlantic's spreading center.A cartoon of big demons chugging drinks with different minerals beneath the Earth, and spitting them up in hot spots.A cartoon showing beleagured grad students and lab assistants producing geochemical research that emerges through a horn to the Azores hotspot above, with a supervising researcher yelling "Publish! Publish!" on the side.This defies ALT text. I'm sorry.
232
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 28/05/2026
The text is full of inside jokes on plate tectonics, still new then, and the debate about plumes and hotspots. It also wedges in lots of actual science from the time. But the illustrations are what get you.
A cartoon drawing showing "gravitational anchor theory," with an anchor chain extending from Menlo Park to Hawaii and then descending into the mantle to an anchor.A map showing stress field lineations of the Hawaiian chain, with the Latin "Cogito Ergo Sum" drawn into it.A mantle cross section with a giant cartoon fish, likely a depiction of Namazu, the giant catfish from Japanese mythology that shakes the Earth.Cartoon of God throwing horshoes around the north and south pole of Earth.
150
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 28/05/2026
Side quest: Diving into the history of mantle plume pulsing led to an oddball 1977 satirical article in Eos Transactions, "Graphic Solutions to Problems of Plumacy," which was illustrated by Jack Holden. www.mantleplumes.org/WebDocuments... It is a window to another world. Here's the first figure.
A line drawing showing a bespectaled man smoking a pipe, with the fumes giving rise to a mantle plume.
3217
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 01/05/2026
Fair point! Let me see what I can dig up. You can easily see the influence of it in NOAA's Geoelectric Field Models here -- though it is not the only thing going on there: www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/geo...
Map of CONUS showing the electromag field model of the country in blues and greens, with line of greens going norh along the Appalachian Mountains
100
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 04/03/2026
what athlete’s expression will stay with you for the rest of your life? Burned into my soul when I watched it live as kid. Cry every time, even moreso as a father.
A close up photo of British runner Derek Redmond, with his father supporting him, during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, finishing his race.
020
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 13/02/2026
Also: Hi! I'm back after two weeks on a ship with researchers doing climate science. First thing I had to do was a brief on the final endangerment finding sidestepping science. Quite the transition! Much more on that ship when the feature is done.
Sunrise over the ocean
0453
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 05/02/2026
And you can assume that this announcement would not have happened without the defense of NASA's science budget, of course. Now I'm going back on assignment in the middle of an ocean.
Sunset over the ocean, nothing else in sight.
0140
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 18/11/2025
You sent me down a rabbit hole that I had to peel out of ASAP. I had never looked at the RCP SO2 numbers. Interesting that while they all end around the same place, 4.5 and 8.5 are most similar, while 6.0 is higher than either in the midcentury. From Fig 2: acp.copernicus.org/articles/15/...
A line chart showing 5 lines from 1850 to 2100, charting historical and projected SO2 emissions.
210
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 04/09/2025
A lot of people are being misled by that paper. They separate the continents into areas getting dryer or wetter -- but then only emphasize the dry while leaving out how the wetter areas are subtracting from SLR. Look at this graphic from it.
Bar chart showing positive red and brown bars and a negative blue bar.
151
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 20/08/2025
Back to it after a couple weeks off with the fam. Surreal time to be away from home in DC. The world is still a beautiful place.
The sun setting behind silhouetted mountains and a fjord waters below.
091
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 29/07/2025
While DOD will maintain access to SSMIS, it's doubtful they will put more staff back on to process the data important for ice at the poles. As I covered last month, those gaps are getting bigger and bigger. To understand, check out this map of Antarctica from July 25. The yellow is missing data.
A map showing white sea ice extent around Antarctica, with nearly half of it yellow, indicating missing data.
1103
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 18/07/2025
A big if, and yes agreed "force of law" maybe overstates it re the report. But there's a lot of references in the bill to the report, which makes those "statutory incorporation by reference," I think, including in NOAA/NASA -- but now I'm over my skis. Also this note in the report's NASA section.
The Federal funding priorities for NASA set forth in this bill and explanatory statement should not be interpreted as suggestions. They are equivalent to any statutory requirement levied upon NASA in this act. The Committee articulates the funding levels of programs, where appropriate, in the form of tables and, if necessary, supplements with explanatory statement language.
110
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 18/07/2025
For earth science, it says: Do the Earth System Observatory. Keep Aqua, Terra, Aura going as long as possible. It does express openness to creating an "Integrated Earth System Modeling Institute," as the budget proposed, with GISS an important part of it. See screenshot.
Earth System Modeling.—As part of NASA’s Earth system modeling efforts, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies [GISS] plays a critical role in advancing Federal research. Its contributions have enhanced our understanding of historical climate patterns, supported assessments of current water resources and food security, and improved predictions of extreme weather events. These models provide substantial value to taxpayers by delivering reliable, long- term data that inform decision-making across key sectors such as agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and parametric insurance- strengthening resilience, promoting economic stability, and improving risk management. To sustain these capabilities, the Committee provides no less than the fiscal year 2024 enacted level for earth system modeling, including GISS. Not later than 120 days after enactment of this act, NASA shall submit to the Committees a comprehensive plan for establishing the Integrated Earth System Modeling Institute, that will leverage expertise across all NASA centers, including GISS, to ensure continued modeling excellence, efficient use of resources, and delivery of actionable insights.
1221
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 18/07/2025
On NASA, it pretty much goes mission-by-mission, pushing back on all the proposed cancellations throughout all of SMD. The lead text is worth reading.
The Committee provides $7,300,000,000 for Science, which is $34,200,000 below the fiscal year 2025 enacted level. The Science account encompasses: Earth Science, Planetary Science, Astrophysics, Heliophysics, and Biological and Physical Science. This funding supports NASA programs that seek to answer fundamental questions concerning the ways in which Earth is changing; the comparison of Earth with other planets in the solar system and around other stars; the connections between the Sun and Earth; and the origin and evolution of planetary systems, the galaxy, and the universe, including the origin and distribution of life in the universe. These objectives are assisted by input from the scientific community through decadal surveys and are achieved through orbital and suborbital experiments, robotic flight missions, ground- based scientific research and data analysis, and the development of new technologies for future missions. NASA shall continue its progress toward implementing the recommendations of decadal surveys in Earth Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Science, Astrophysics, and Biological and Physical Sciences. The Committee rejects the mission terminations proposed in the fiscal year 2026 budget request for Earth Science, Planetary Science, Astrophysics, and Heliophysics. The Committee is concerned by the plan to end 55 missions across Science, which was driven by budget pressure rather than scientific value. The operating missions that are providing valuable scientific data should undergo the Senior Review process. Meanwhile, missions that are at the end of development and have been confirmed should proceed to launch at the earliest possible date. The Committee is open to collaborating with NASA to implement Senior Review findings. ...
1385
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 31/03/2025
Being back at @nationalacademies.org for Space Science Week today reminded me that I passed by its Keck Center in downtown DC walking back home from the cherry blossoms with my kids this weekend. Here are the two engravings on either side of its entrance.
Granite engraving reading: The right to search for truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true. Albert Einstein, 1879 - 1955A granite engraving reading: Liberty is the great parent of science and of virtue; a nation will be great in both always in proportion as it is free. Thomas Jefferson 1743 - 1826
1132
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 14/03/2025
Visiting MLO was one of the highlights of my career. But let's be clear: This floats closing the support office in Hilo, which has an optics lab, machine shop, computer lab, loading bay. Closing it would be totally nonsensical. I have my doubts it would be existential for MLO.
Hilo Office
The Hilo office is the base of operations where the administration, development of instruments, data analyisis is done.

Mauna Loa Observatory's base of operations is located in the Kilauea Financal Plaza located at 1437 Kilauea Ave. #102.

The Hilo facility has a chemistry lab to analyze rain water and projects for the EPA.

An optics lab is used for development and testing of new lidar systems.

The electronics shop is used to build, and repair various types of equipment.

The computer lab is used to monitor the observatory's network. Computer repairs are done here also.

Loading bay and shop is used to store flasks, tanks and other large items received. It contains shop equipment for wood and metal work.
173
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 12/03/2025
Hey LPSC, NASA just announced that it will merge its five FACA science advisory committees -- Astrophysics, Biological and Physical Sciences, Earth Science, Heliophysics, and Planetary Science -- into one science advisory committee. See message sent on NSPIRES below.
Update to NASA Science Advisory Committees

 

 

 

On February 19, 2025, the President issued Executive Order 14217, Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, which sets forth the Administration’s policy of reducing the size of the Federal government in order to minimize waste and abuse, reduce inflation and promote American freedom and innovation. This Executive Order directed the termination of several Federal advisory committees across the government and ordered the identification of additional unnecessary Federal advisory committees for termination.

 

NASA maintains an advisory committee for each of the five science divisions within the Science Mission Directorate: Astrophysics, Biological and Physical Sciences, Earth Science, Heliophysics, and Planetary Science. These committees, which are discretionary and not required by statute, have supported NASA’s achievement of its science goals. 


In response to Executive Order 14217, NASA’s acting administrator, Janet Petro, has directed NASA to merge these five committees into a single advisory committee with broad representation from across the NASA science community. This restructuring will provide the opportunity to retain one non-statutory science committee and ensure continued support of NASA science goals -- improving efficiency, while ensuring NASA maintains the important process of engaging with the science community. 


NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is in the process of determining the best structure, scale, and scope for the merged committee. The directorate is committed to ensuring representation from all areas of expertise relevant to the Science Mission Directorate’s objectives. 

The Science Mission Directorate is committed to continuing to engage with the science community in a variety of ways -- both formal and informal.

 

For more information contact:
Michael New

Deputy Associate Administrator for Research

Science Mission Directorate

SARA@nasa.gov
016
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 05/03/2025
Finally pinning this. To reach me on Signal, while using your personal device, scan this QR code or click this link: signal.me#eu/U1ryqcv4c...
Signal QR code. Link: https://signal.me/#eu/U1ryqcv4cmcII_ZlclH9E9xv1Af1Zv-RQNv85yUbg16N1eSrmrZEaJzFAse0upjc
080
Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 11/11/2024
Last week my latest feature came out, on African scientists charting the nascent future African rifting. It's here: www.science.org/content/arti... One aspect I didn't mention then: It comes with *amazing* graphics from the Science viz team. Seriously, check them out.
A graphic showing the East African Rift Zone on top, along with related volcanism, and three cubes describing the steps of continental rifting on the bottom.A map of Botswana showing all of the known faults in the region, including in the country's southeast.
02915