# Ned Nikolov Back to [[Expanding Earth and Plate Tectonics]] · X: [[Users/@nikolovscience/nikolovscience-x-profile|@NikolovScience]] **Role:** author of the post. Full name Nedialko Nikolov. ## Credentials - **Education:** B.S. (1985) and M.S. (1986) in Forestry, Higher Institute of Forestry, Bulgaria; **Ph.D. in Forest Ecology, Colorado State University, 1997** ([USDA FS page](https://research.fs.usda.gov/about/people/nedialko.nikolov)). - **Career:** Physical Scientist, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins. The USDA lists him as a "Former Employee". CSU/CIRA lists him as Project Manager of the Rocky Mountain Center for fire-weather, "(Retired)" ([RMC team page](https://fireweather.cira.colostate.edu/info/rmc_contacts.htm)). - **Published work in his field:** ozone, CO₂ and water flux modeling (with Karl Zeller); the RAWS weather-station review (2003); national wildfire-ignition and lightning forecast models (2022, 2024). - **No geology, geophysics or tectonics training or publications found.** His X bio calls him a "Ph.D. Physical Scientist" with interests in "climate, cosmology, astrophysics, nutrition, archaeology etc." ## Climate work and controversy - With [[People/Karl Zeller|Karl Zeller]], he argues that atmospheric pressure, not greenhouse gases, sets planetary surface temperature, and that recent warming comes from falling albedo. Latest paper: Nikolov & Zeller (2024), *Geomatics* 4(3):17, [doi:10.3390/geomatics4030017](https://doi.org/10.3390/geomatics4030017) (MDPI). An earlier 2017 paper in an OMICS journal ⚠️ was not checked. - **Pseudonym episode:** - They published as "Den Volokin & Lark ReLlez", their names spelled backward. - Papers: *SpringerPlus* 3:723 (2014), [doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-723](https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-3-723); and *Advances in Space Research* (2015), [doi:10.1016/j.asr.2015.08.006](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2015.08.006). - In 2016 the SpringerPlus paper got an **erratum** disclosing the real names ([doi:10.1186/s40064-016-3755-3](https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-016-3755-3)). It says Nikolov "had been instructed by his employer not to engage in climate research during government work hours." - The ASR paper was **withdrawn** over the authorship issue, which the notice said was "not related to the scientific merit." - Gavin Schmidt (NASA GISS) flagged the pseudonyms ([Retraction Watch, Sep 13, 2016](https://retractionwatch.com/2016/09/13/u-s-govt-researchers-withdraw-climate-paper-after-using-pseudonyms/)). ## On this topic - Oct 2026 posts promote Expanding Earth (via [[People/James Maxlow|Maxlow]]), "paleogravity" (via [[People/Stephen Hurrell|Hurrell]]), the claim that "plate tectonics is also nonsensical", and lower past sea level from Monterey Canyon. - On Oct 17 he argued that plate tectonics was accepted before the sea-floor age map existed, and that Charon's expansion supports mass gain. ## Assessment He has real scientific training and publications in forest-atmosphere modeling. His geology posts are outside that field and repeat Expanding Earth claims without engaging with the geodetic or paleomagnetic tests.