@eniiler

Science/climate writer recently @NYT and @WSJ. Bylines @latimes, @WIRED, @NatGeo and others. Have a good story? [email protected].

 Washington, DC
nytimes.com/by/eric-niiler
Joined June 2008
  • Tweets5.2K
  • Following1.3K
  • Followers2.2K
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Exclusive from @nytimes this morning: some (but not all) of the Ocean Observatories Initiative buoys and gliders are headed back to OR/WA coast today. @NSF says they don't have enough money to put back ones in NC and AK. My report here: nytimes.com/2026/10/03/clima…

After Outcry, Monitors the Trump Administration Tried to Scrap Return to Sea

Under pressure from Congress, a network of ocean monitors that provides vital data to meteorologists, climate scientists, oceanographers and the fishing industry is being restored.

nytimes.com
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UCI@UCI_cyclingSep 27
🌈🇺🇸 BRANDON MCNULTY 🇺🇸🌈 Unbelievable scenes as the American claims the 2026 Men Elite UCI Road World Championships title 🤯 Just WOW! 👏 #Montréal2026
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Anna Silman
@annaesilmanSep 24
new from me and @DJMatthewDalton: wsj.com/arts-culture/books/o…

His Debut Novel Was a Literary Sensation. Was It Actually Written by AI?

The author of “C’était ça ou Mourir” (“It Was Either That or Die”) has defended his writing style in the face of accusations that he wrote the book using artificial intelligence.

wsj.com
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Eric Niiler retweeted
Scientific American
@sciamSep 22
As the new Roman Space Telescope opens its eye on the sky, its home base on Earth is spiraling. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center built Roman, but workers there say deep cuts threaten Goddard’s ability to handle future big space science projects. spklr.io/6012ET0qs

NASA Goddard’s shrinking workforce could stifle future space missions, experts say

2025 was a brutal year of budget cuts and workforce attrition at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the home base for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Experts worry Goddard—and NASA’s space...

scientificamerican.com
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As the Roman space telescope prepares to capture the universe, changes at @NASAGoddard mean uncertainty for future science missions. @sciam scientificamerican.com/artic…

NASA Goddard’s shrinking workforce could stifle future space missions, experts say

2025 was a brutal year of budget cuts and workforce attrition at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the home base for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Experts worry Goddard—and NASA’s space...

scientificamerican.com
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The sci-writing biz is looking bad after Scientific American was sold (half the staff gone, salaries cut) in June, following layoffs of science/environment writers at Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio and CBS News... (NiemanLab) niemanlab.org/2026/09/is-sci…

Is science journalism dying? Comparing a “science crash” 40 years ago to today

"That three of the oldest and best-known publications — Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic — have all faced cutbacks in recent years surely points to something deeper...

niemanlab.org
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Water experts warn that the Colorado River’s flow may soon fall below a critical threshold at Lee’s Ferry, a bellwether river bend in Arizona that the 1922 Colorado River Compact says tells if there's enuf water, triggering Supreme Court lawsuits... (CPR) cpr.org/2026/09/09/colorado-…

If Colorado River compact heads to Supreme Court, 'everybody loses,' experts say

Widespread cuts and uncertainty could await cities, farms and ranches if a dispute heads to the Supreme Court

cpr.org
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Eric Niiler retweeted
Andrew Freedman@afreedmaSep 8
El Niño is leading to a sudden increase in sea level along the California coast, by up to a foot. This dramatically increases the state's vulnerability to flooding, esp. when winter storms hit. cnn.com/climate/el-nino-cali… (Img shows the coastal Kelvin wave)
Image showing how Kelvin waves moved across the Pacific and then up from South America to North America between April 16 and September 10, increasing ocean levels as they went. Red represents higher-than-normal sea surface heights. Some data for September is based on forecasts. Courtesy Dillon Amaya.

ALT Image showing how Kelvin waves moved across the Pacific and then up from South America to North America between April 16 and September 10, increasing ocean levels as they went. Red represents higher-than-normal sea surface heights. Some data for September is based on forecasts. Courtesy Dillon Amaya.

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Thoughtful look at new evidence, and uncertainty, about whether climate change is supercharging this year's El Niño by @whereishayley ihttps://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-09-04/research-suggests-global-warming-has-increased-super-el-ninos-punch
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Check out this deep dive by @SMeichtry and Ed Ballard into how Europe's hottest summer transformed French vineyards, English gardens, and scorched the continent's economy. wsj.com/world/europe/the-sum…

The Summer That Scorched French Grapes, English Gardens—and Europe’s Economy

Record heat withered crops, strained businesses and upended everyday life. The changes happened faster than anyone expected.

wsj.com
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wsj.com/economy/global/the-s…

The Strongest El Niño in a Generation Is Wreaking Havoc on Global Economy

The weather phenomenon is already roiling industries, from shipping to copper to fish feed.

wsj.com
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Bigger, hotter forest fires are transforming conifer forests into shrubland across a large area of the Western U.S. Here's a look at one such forest in California's central Sierras @nytimes nytimes.com/2026/08/23/clima…

Bigger, Hotter Fires Are Slowly Erasing America’s Great Forests (Gift Article)

Towering woodlands in the West are being permanently replaced by tracts of spiky shrubs. Conditions “just aren’t normal anymore,” one researcher said.

nytimes.com
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Rocky Kistner
@therockyfilesAug 23
In parts of the west, record heat and fires mean the end of forests: "Recent studies estimate that as much as 40 percent of Western conifer forests will turn into shrubland by 2100 as a result." @eniiler @nytimes nytimes.com/2026/08/23/clima…

Bigger, Hotter Fires Are Slowly Erasing America’s Great Forests

Towering woodlands in the West are being permanently replaced by tracts of spiky shrubs. Conditions “just aren’t normal anymore,” one researcher said.

nytimes.com
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Eric Niiler retweeted
PBS News
@NewsHourAug 22
An investigation revealed that glyphosate is being sprayed in California forests at record levels by timber companies and the U.S. Forest Service. to.pbs.org/4xgOgN6

U.S. Forest Service, timber companies spraying record amounts of glyphosate in California

An investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting has revealed that glyphosate is being sprayed in California forests at record levels by timber companies and the U.S. Forest Service....

pbs.org
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Here’s a look at Dragonfly, the last big planetary mission in NASA’s pipeline. It’s a nuclear-powered copter built to search for signs of life on Titan: ‘A lot’s riding on it’ latimes.com/science/story/20…

NASA’s nuclear Dragonfly copter to search for signs of life on Titan: 'A lot's riding on it'

As the agency pivots to putting astronauts on the moon, this $3-billion space-copter is the agency’s last large-scale mission to explore the solar system.

latimes.com
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Former colleague @scottmcalvert with another banger of a story, this one from the Chesapeake Bay: wsj.com/lifestyle/how-to-doc…

How to Dock a Boat in 20 Seconds Without Taking Out a Tiki Bar

At extreme boat-docking contests around the Chesapeake Bay, crusty watermen and young prodigies compete for trophies and bragging rights.

wsj.com
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Eric Niiler retweeted
Dr. Robert Rohde@RARohdeAug 21
The forecast for the annual average temperature in 2026 has been driven up by the forecast of a record-breaking El Niño at the end of the year. This now puts the chance of a new record annual average in 2026 at 69%. 1/
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No good. Also troubling: "Vandenberg Space Force Base is experiencing an Increased number of unauthorized entry attempts."
Dan Lamothe
@DanLamotheAug 20
Replying to @DanLamothe
Invited Members of the Media Held at Gunpoint by Vandenberg’s 30th Security Forces Squadron keyt.com/vandenberg-space-ba…

Invited Members of the Media Held at Gunpoint by Vandenberg's 30th Security Forces Squadron

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (KEYT) - The Public Affairs Office at Vandenberg Space Force Base is on damage control following yesterday's

keyt.com
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On August 20 every year, Dr. Bill Gray would ring a bell denoting the start of the climatologically most active portion of the Atlantic #hurricane season. Historically, about 2/3 of all Atlantic hurricane activity occurs between August 20 - October 10.
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The New York Times
@nytimesAug 18
Breaking News: Trump officials are moving to open nearly 45 million acres of wilderness in national forests to new roads and logging, removing protections that had been in place since 2001. nyti.ms/4x9EoVt

Trump Administration Moves to Allow Logging in Pristine National Forests

The move to repeal the ‘roadless rule’ would pave the way for road construction and logging in nearly 45 million acres of untouched back country.

nytimes.com
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