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How influencers and algorithms mobilize propaganda β€” and distort reality

The engagement-fuelled logic of social media has bequeathed us a world in which what’s trending is a yardstick for what’s true.
van der Linden, Sander
Jacob Urlich 🌍 reshared this.

There is a dark, damp, wooded valley near where I have been camped, in the Kirroughtree forest, this week.

The wood is just how I always pictured Tolkien's Mirkwood, dark with all the trees and rocks covered in moss.

#tolkien #mosstodon #KirroughtreeForest

An old, partially collapsed dry stone wall and fallen tree branch, all completely covered in emerald green moss. In the background the trunks of pine trees.
Small boulders at the bottom of a dark wooded valley, all covered in moss and surrounded by dead brown leaves.
The trunk of an old oak tree in a dark wooded valley, covered by moss
At the edge of a dark wooded valley a shadowy tree trunk is illuminated from behind by the sun shining through branches and bright green leaves
#mosstodon #Tolkien #kirroughtreeforest

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bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/c…
#flower
#nature
#science
#ghostorchid

Super rare ghost orchid rediscovered in UK

An ultra rare flower has been spotted in the wild, for the first time in more than 20 years in Britain
BBC Newsround
#science #nature #flower #ghostorchid

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Jacob Urlich 🌍 reshared this.

Quick look at August sea surface temperature trends across the #Arctic, which are warming nearly everywhere that sea ice is not found. We'll have an update on this in our next Arctic Report Card, which will be released in December.

Last year's summary: repository.library.noaa.gov/vi…

Polar stereographic map of sea surface temperature trends for Augusts from 1979 to 2023. Red shading is shown for warming trends, and blue shading is shown for cooling trends. All areas of the ocean are observing warming.

NOAA Arctic Report Card 2023 : Sea Surface Temperature

repository.library.noaa.gov
#arctic

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#Linux #opensource #100DaysToOffload #technology #freesoftware #events #uk #freedom #social #podcasting #freeculture #Manchester #OpenSpace #volunteering #oggcamp #unconference #blaugust2024 @OggCamp
This entry was edited (3 months ago)

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cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/do…
#democracy
#disinformation

Doing the hard research | Cartoon Movement

www.cartoonmovement.com
#disinformation #democracy

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July 2024 data is now available for both Antarctic sea-ice thickness/volume (zacklabe.com/antarctic-sea-ice…) and global sea-ice volume (zacklabe.com/global-sea-ice-ex…) from GIOMAS.

Last month's global sea-ice volume has fallen to near-record low levels for the month of July in this dataset.


Antarctic: Sea-Ice Concentration/Extent/Thickness

My visualizations: Arctic Climate Seasonality and Variability Arctic Sea Ice Extent and Concentration Arctic Sea Ice Volume and Thickness Arctic Temperatures Antarctic Sea Ice Extent and Concentrat…
Zachary Labe

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Here's your Monday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 4th lowest on record (JAXA data)...

β€’ about 340,000 kmΒ² below the 2010s mean
β€’ about 1,360,000 kmΒ² below the 2000s mean
β€’ about 2,310,000 kmΒ² below the 1990s mean
β€’ about 2,990,000 kmΒ² below the 1980s mean

Plots: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-ice-ex…

Line graph time series of 2024's daily Arctic sea ice extent compared to decadal averages from the 1980s to the 2010s. The decadal averages are shown with different colored lines with white for the 1980s, green for the 1990s, blue for the 2000s, and purple for the 2010s. Thin white lines are also shown for each year from 2002 to 2022. 2024 is shown with a thick gold line. There is a long-term decreasing trend in ice extent for every day of the year shown on this graph between June and September by looking at the decadal average line positions.

Arctic: Sea-Ice Concentration/Extent

My visualizations: Arctic Climate Seasonality and Variability Arctic Sea Ice Extent and Concentration Arctic Sea Ice Volume and Thickness Arctic Temperatures Antarctic Sea Ice Extent and Concentrat…
Zachary Labe
#arctic
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I was on the Scientific American Science Quickly podcast, complaining (again) about SpaceX dropping space junk on my part of the world. If you're not tired of hearing this story over and over, here's another version: scientificamerican.com/podcast…

"A Close Encounter with SpaceX Debris Teaches an Astronomer about Space Junk"


Science Quickly

Leading science and tech journalists dive into a rich world of scientific discovery in this bite-size science variety show.
Scientific American
in reply to Prof. Sam Lawler

Paul Sutton
Paul Sutton
• •
if you dropped a sweet wrapper on the floor, you would be fined for littering, why should SpaceX be treated any different?
in reply to Paul Sutton

Prof. Sam Lawler
Prof. Sam Lawler
• •
@zleap I tried! I called the "Turn in poachers and polluters" hotline. They wouldn't touch it!
@Paul Sutton

bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002…
#bbc
#degrowth
#documentary
#climate
#economics

Can 'Degrowth' Save the World?

A group of academics and activists are questioning the possibility of endless economic growth on a finite planet and calling for a bold solution: degrowth.
BBC iPlayer
#climate #documentary #economics #bbc #degrowth
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#humor #humour
Post by Catherine na Nollag I still think my favourite thing that's ever happened to me on the internet is the time a guy said "people change their minds when you show them facts" and I said "actually studies show that's not true " and linked TWO sources and he said "yeah well I still think it works".
#humour #humor

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Jacob Urlich 🌍 reshared this.

Join me in tracking this year's #Arctic sea ice minimum!

Sea ice melt substantially slows every September as solar energy decreases and temperatures drop in the far north.

Follow along with the data at zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-ice-ex…

Line graph time series of 2024's daily Arctic sea ice extent compared to decadal averages from the 1980s to the 2010s. Scatter points are also shown for the previous annual minimum years from 2002 to 2023. There is a long-term decreasing trend in ice extent. 2012 is current the all-time record low.

Arctic: Sea-Ice Concentration/Extent

My visualizations: Arctic Climate Seasonality and Variability Arctic Sea Ice Extent and Concentration Arctic Sea Ice Volume and Thickness Arctic Temperatures Antarctic Sea Ice Extent and Concentrat…
Zachary Labe
#arctic

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bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0k44x…
#monopoly
#tradeforprofit
#google
#corporation
#court
#searchengine

Google antitrust: Judge rules it illegally maintains search monopoly

The decision could reshape how technology giants do business in the future.
Nadine Yousif (BBC News)
#Google #monopoly #court #searchengine #corporation #tradeforprofit

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6p2p6…
#climate
#nature
#butteflies
#Buttefliescount
#uk
#bbc
#insects
#ecosystem

Low butterfly and moth numbers in NI cause concern

Conservationists say figures are worse due to the wet spring and late arrival of summer temperatures.
Ita Dungan (BBC News)
#nature #ecosystem #insects #uk #climate #bbc #butteflies #Buttefliescount
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Trends in July #Arctic sea ice concentration are more extensive and begin to surround the central Arctic, including areas like the Beaufort, Chukchi, East Siberian, Laptev, Kara, Barents Seas

[Sea ice concentration = fraction of ice-cover. More info: doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-23-0079…]

Polar stereographic map showing Arctic sea ice concentration trends for Julys from 1979 to 2023. Red shading is shown for deceasing sea ice, and blue shading is shown for increasing sea ice. Trends are calculated in % per decade. All areas are observing decreasing sea ice in the outer edges of the Arctic Ocean.
#arctic

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Due to anomalous conditions ongoing in the #Arctic and #Antarctic, the total extent of sea ice globally is a record low for the date and nearly *4 million square kilometers* below the 1981-2010 average...

More graphics: zacklabe.com/global-sea-ice-ex…

Line graph time series of 2024's daily global sea ice extent anomalies in red shading compared to each year from 1979 to 2022 using shades of purple to white for each line. The year 2023 is also highlighted in yellow, which is the current absolute magnitude record low. Anomalies are computed relative to a 1981-2010 baseline. There is substantial interannual and daily variability. Data from the NSIDC.

Global: Sea-Ice Concentration/Extent/Thickness

NOTE: Trends and variability in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice are affected by very different atmospheric/oceanic/ice processes and are in opposite seasons! Caution is advised for assessing any stati…
Zachary Labe
#arctic #antarctic

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in reply to Zack Labe

PKPs Powerfromspace1
PKPs Powerfromspace1
• •
well this will be end of the planet climate as we know it interesting πŸ€”
in reply to Zack Labe

AI6YR Ben
AI6YR Ben
• •
WHEEE! WHEEE!!! MOMMY GET ME OFF THE ROLLER COASTER! (ps. yes, I'm repeating myself)

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
#planet
#climate
#bats
#animals
#article
#reality

The end is nigh. For insects, bats, protest, the planet…

Our response to global heating and the decimation of animal species is to marginalise the Green party and lock up protesters
Stewart Lee (The Guardian)
#climate #Animals #planet #reality #bats #article
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Due to anomalously low sea ice in both poles, global sea ice extent levels are now at a record low for this time of year...

More sea ice graphics available at zacklabe.com/global-sea-ice-ex…

Line graph time series of 2024's daily global sea ice extent in red shading compared to each year from 1979 to 2022 using shades of purple to white for each line. 2023 is annotated in yellow, which was a record low in the boreal summer months. There is substantial interannual and daily variability. Seasonal cycles are visible. A disclaimer is shown, which states: Trends/variability in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice are affected by very different atmospheric/oceanic processes and opposite seasonality!

Global: Sea-Ice Concentration/Extent/Thickness

NOTE: Trends and variability in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice are affected by very different atmospheric/oceanic/ice processes and are in opposite seasons! Caution is advised for assessing any stati…
Zachary Labe

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in reply to Zack Labe

bearsong
bearsong
• •

hi @ZLabe

thank you for sharing more important data with us all.
awareness of state is crucial in all this.

a nerd-detail question, if i may?

how did you (or another?) make this graphic.
the subtle depth dimension of the lines on the graph, with current clearly foreground, whilst all data is also clearly on the two axes, is really neat, and adds impact to the information presentation.

thanks again

@Zack Labe
in reply to bearsong

Zack Labe
Zack Labe
• •
@bearsong Thank you! I write a bit more about my process here: zacklabe.com/methods-and-open-…. Collectively, it takes quite a bit of time to be honest πŸ˜…

Methods and Open Software

As a climate scientist working with climate model data and tools like machine learning, the majority of my day is spent on the computer. Thankfully, there are an amazing set of computational and vi…
Zachary Labe
@bearsong

bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002…
#malaria
#science
#documentary
#who
#bbc

The Battle to Beat Malaria

In medical science, there’s been no longer harder fight than against malaria. This is the inside story of a historic new vaccine - from the Oxford lab behind the Covid jab. Part of the Horizon strand.
BBC iPlayer
#science #WHO #documentary #bbc #Malaria

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