What do climate models tell us about the future of ridges over the pacific northwest?

Graham Taylor In mid-June of 2021, weather forecasters in the Pacific Northwest saw an extraordinary area of high pressure build in the upper atmosphere weeks out in weather models. Given the decaying accuracy of weather models more than a week or so in the future, this potentially record breaking feature was assumed to be part …

But do we understand each other? – Applying a communication model to science co-production

A team of coffee farmers in South America know climate change will affect timing, water use, and yields, but they’re not sure how to make adjustments for their particular crops based on the latest science. Water basin managers in the Rockies are making long-term water supply plans but they need more localized climate projections and …

The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season in Perspective

NOV. 5, 2020 by CLAY TUCKER and JILL TREPANIER “It was over in less than two and a half hours,” our neighbor Bob explained about his experience with Hurricane Zeta on October 28, 2020. Bob is a rarity: a permanent resident in the small unincorporated coastal town of Cocodrie, Louisiana. Though the nearest post office …

Recording Science at Home

OCT. 8, 2020 by ADRIENNE WOOTTEN Image courtesy of epiphan.com Let's face it, the current pandemic has changed a lot for how most scientists work. We're teleworking more than before, doing webinars, and having virtual meetings in place of in-person meetings. One thing I do frequently is climate modeling 101 presentations and webinars. Back in …

Visualizing uncertainty

JUN 4, 2018     ELSITA KIEKEBUSCH Photo: Elsita Kiekebusch “Science is so, so visual!” – Neil McCoy Many of us in the early-career phase have trained long and hard in the skills necessary to “do science”.  We’ve practiced experimental design, statistical analysis, and manuscript writing. But we haven’t been formally trained to communicate our science outside of …

Consensus, Understanding, and Integrity

DEC 4, 2017     ADRIENNE WOOTTEN Photo credit: Union of Concerned Scientists In my ECCF post in May, I discussed my concern about the politicization of scientists and the perception of that amongst conservatives and the general public. Recent papers add to my concern that the perception of scientists has become politicized, and will continue to be so, …

The winds of change? Extreme weather events and public opinion on climate change

SEP 18, 2017     MEAGHAN GUCKIAN Photo: NOAA-NASA GOES Project World renowned climate scientist, Michael E. Mann, recently co-authored a Washington Post article titled, ‘Harvey and Irma should kill any doubt that climate change is real.’ This is a sentiment likely shared amongst those most familiar with the influence of rising sea and air temperatures on extreme …

Using Climate Projections in the (Almost) Real World

SEP 5, 2017     ADRIENNE WOOTTEN AND JESSICA BLACKBAND In recent years, numerous climate projections (such as MACA or LOCA) have been made available for use in impact assessments and adaptation planning. However, the breadth of available projections presents a daunting challenge to managers and scientists who are trying to determine which projections are appropriate for a particular decision context. …

Talking climate change to middle-schoolers

JUN 26, 2017    by TONI KLEMM 7th-graders learning about climate change. Photo: Toni Klemm We’ve all heard the phrase that science should be explained on the level of sixth- to eighth-graders to be understandable for a general audience, right? But who has ever tried to explain science to actual sixth- to eighth-graders? I can now proudly say …

SciComm: No One Expects the Game of Twenty Questions!

APR 3, 2017     CAITLIN ROTTLER Photo: Cait Rottler Hi, I’m Cait Rottler, scientist and asker-of-(too)-many-questions. I like to know as much as I can about as many things as I can, because the more you know, the less likely you’ll get stuck in a position where you know nothing. Right now, my official title is a …