Tag: decision-making

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

~ Lindsey Middleton ~ Leave a comment

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

Visualizing uncertainty

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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 … Continue reading Visualizing uncertainty

The Complex World of Drought Management on Ranches

~ Toni Klemm ~ Leave a comment

OCT 30, 2017     TONI KLEMM Photo: Toni Klemm For the last two years I have been studying decision making in winter wheat farming in the Southern Great Plains. I want to help forecasters provide seasonal climate forecasts that do a better job of warning farmers of upcoming bad conditions, such as drought, extreme rainfall, or heat. … Continue reading The Complex World of Drought Management on Ranches

Using Climate Projections in the (Almost) Real World

~ Adrienne Wootten ~ Leave a comment

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. … Continue reading Using Climate Projections in the (Almost) Real World

Confessions of a Conservative Climatologist

~ Adrienne Wootten ~ Leave a comment

MAY 1, 2017     ADRIENNE WOOTTEN Looking back over the last ~10 years, it’s been a joy to be a scientist. I get to explore questions of interest to me and help climate science be useable.  Scientific communities are critical to society, so it’s important that they be trusted. It’s an interesting time to be involved in … Continue reading Confessions of a Conservative Climatologist

We have these climate projections – now how do we use them?

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JAN 8, 2017     RYAN BOYLES On getting climate model projections in the hand of managers.  In the past several decades, climate scientists have developed robust models that simulate past climate conditions and provide meaningful projections for the future. In the past several years, researchers have developed downscaled climate projections that provide the kind of local guidance … Continue reading We have these climate projections – now how do we use them?

Communicating your research – A mental obstacle course

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AUG 29, 2016     TONI LYN MORELLI I recently had an experience that felt like the mental equivalent of a hot, muddy, exhausting, physically scarring, and obstacle-filled endurance Bone Frog Challenge race that I ran a couple years ago. Only this time I was comfortably seated in an auditorium. Toni Lyn with Paula Poundstone. I was at … Continue reading Communicating your research – A mental obstacle course

The Importance of Philosophy in Responding to Climate Change

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 FEB 16, 2016     JESSICA BLACKBAND Photo: Jessica Blackband When I tell people that my undergraduate majors were environmental studies and philosophy, they usually respond with a confused look and a comment like, “Hmm, those are very different topics!” Of course, science and philosophy are fundamentally different in the questions they ask and in how they answer … Continue reading The Importance of Philosophy in Responding to Climate Change

From Paris to the Class Room

~ Toni Klemm ~ Leave a comment

 FEB 8, 2016     TONI KLEMM Climate negotiations, like last December in Paris, are complex, complicated, and not always fruitful. Last year, an innovative class for undergraduates at the University of Oklahoma gave students hands-on experience of how climate policy is made. This fall the class will go online for everyone around the world to participate. Here … Continue reading From Paris to the Class Room

Understanding Climate Projections: Guidance for Climate Change Adaptation Planning

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 JUL 30, 2015     ALEX BRYAN Example output generated from the Regional Climate Model (RegCM) developed by the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). Climate change threatens our lands and seas, our wildlife, and our natural and cultural resources. To conserve our natural environment, managers rely on climate model projections to determine where to take action, what … Continue reading Understanding Climate Projections: Guidance for Climate Change Adaptation Planning