Preaching to different choirs: How to motivate dismissive,uncommitted, and alarmed audiences to adapt to climate change?

People vary considerably in terms of their knowledge, beliefs, and concern about climate change. Thus, an important challenge for climate change communicators is how to most effectively engage different types of audiences. This study aimed to identify distinct audience segments that vary in terms of their values, beliefs, and responses to climate change and determine for each segment which specific message attributes increased motivation to engage in climate adaptation. A sample of 1031 Australian residents (aged 18–66 years) completed an online survey assessing their values, beliefs, and behaviors related to climate change, and recording their responses to a broad range of climate change adaptation messages. Latent profile analysis identified three distinct audience segments: alarmed (34.4%), uncommitted (45.2%), and dismissive (20.3%). Sixty climate change adaptation messages were coded in terms of the presence/absence of six attributes: explicit reference to climate change, providing specific adaptation advice, strong negative emotive content, emphasis on collective responsibility, highlighting local impacts, and underscoring financial impacts. Participants viewed a random sample of six messages and rated the extent to which each message motivated them to seek out more information and immediately respond to the climate change threat portrayed in the message. Multilevel modeling indicated messages that included strong negative emotive content or provided specific adaptation advice increased adaptation intentions in all three audience segments. Omitting any mention of climate change and emphasizing local impacts increased adaptation intentions in dismissive audiences. Implications for tailoring and targeting climate change adaptation messages are discussed.     

Modelling complex systems of heterogeneous agents to better design sustainability transitions policy

This article proposes a fundamental methodological shift in the modelling of policy interventions for sustainability transitions in order to account for complexity (e.g. self-reinforcing mechanisms, such as technology lock-ins, arising from multi-agent interactions) and agent heterogeneity (e.g. differences in consumer and investment behaviour arising from income stratification). We first characterise the uncertainty faced by climate policy-makers and its implications for investment decision-makers. We then identify five shortcomings in the equilibrium and optimisation-based approaches most frequently used to inform sustainability policy: (i) their normative, optimisation-based nature, (ii) their unrealistic reliance on the full-rationality of agents, (iii) their inability to account for mutual influences among agents (multi-agent interactions) and capture related self-reinforcing (positive feedback) processes, (iv) their inability to represent multiple solutions and path-dependency, and (v) their inability to properly account for agent heterogeneity. The aim of this article is to introduce an alternative modelling approach based on complexity dynamics and agent heterogeneity, and explore its use in four key areas of sustainability policy, namely (1) technology adoption and diffusion, (2) macroeconomic impacts of low-carbon policies, (3) interactions between the socio-economic system and the natural environment, and (4) the anticipation of policy outcomes. The practical relevance of the proposed methodology is subsequently discussed by reference to four specific applications relating to each of the above areas: the diffusion of transport technology, the impact of low-carbon investment on income and employment, the management of cascading uncertainties, and the cross-sectoral impact of biofuels policies. In conclusion, the article calls for a fundamental methodological shift aligning the modelling of the socio-economic system with that of the climatic system, for a combined and realistic understanding of the impact of sustainability policies.     

Text-mining the signals of climate change doubt

Climate scientists overwhelmingly agree that the Earth is getting warmer and that the rise in average global temperature is predominantly due to human activity. Yet a significant proportion of the American public, as well as a considerable number of legislators in the U.S. Congress, continue to reject the “consensus view.” While the source of the disagreement is varied, one prominent explanation centres on the activities of a coordinated and well-funded countermovement of climate sceptics. This study contributes to the literature on organized climate scepticism by providing the first systematic overview of conservative think tank sceptical discourse in nearly 15 years. Specifically, we (1) compile the largest corpus of contrarian literature to date, collecting over 16,000 documents from 19 organizations over the period 1998–2013; (2) introduce a methodology to measure key themes in the corpus which scales to the substantial increase in content generated by conservative think tanks over the past decade; and (3) leverage this new methodology to shed light on the relative prevalence of science- and policy-related discussion among conservative think tanks. We find little support for the claim that “the era of science denial is over”—instead, discussion of climate science has generally increased over the sample period.     

Measuring and modeling Russian newspaper coverage of climate change

As a significant emitter of greenhouse gases and a country rich in fossil fuels, Russia plays a crucial role in achieving a comprehensive solution to climate-related challenges. Yet, Russia's official position on climate change has varied considerably since the beginning of global negotiations, with the country playing everything from policy leader to laggard. While there are a number factors that shape domestic policy positions, this study offers a comprehensive investigation of newspaper coverage on climate change in Russia. How have Russian newspapers discussed the issue since the Yeltsin era? We approach this question by compiling the largest data set of Russian newspaper coverage to date, which includes 11,131 climate-related articles from 65 papers over a roughly 35 year period. After introducing a “computer assisted” approach to measure the core themes running through climate change coverage, we statistically evaluate the national- and newspaper-level factors associated with how coverage is framed, focusing attention on 23 high circulation papers over the period from 2000 to 2014. We find that national-level predictors—particularly economic conditions—are highly influential in determining whether climate change is covered and how the issue is framed, while paper-level factors such as the presence of an energy interest and ownership structure also have notable effects. Overall, this study offers a rich data set and useful methods to better understand the drivers of climate communication in Russia.     

自动气象观测数据的质量控制

精细化气候变化分析及气候预测服务亟待发展,对高分辨率优质量的气候资料需求不断增长。本文利用缺测率、对比差值、空间一致性、粗差率、一致率5个指标对2009—2014年浙江省2 209个自动站温度数据进行评估分析,运用开放式可调整的评分标准,选取数据质量稳定可靠的站点,满足气候研究与业务的发展需求。共取得91个一级可用站,499个二级可用站,363个三级可用站,一级站主要分布于宁波和嘉兴地区,二级和三级站在各地都有较均匀的分布。在全省气候统计分析中,可以根据需求利用可用站。此外,有可用自动站参与的温度分布图完美呈现了地形对温度的影响,也使城市化发展突显出来,精细化的气候分析能更有效的为高山地区耕种制度及城市建设与规划提供科学依据。     

中国大陆降水时空变异规律——Ⅲ. 趋势变化原因

中国大陆现代降水表现出若干长期变化特征,对现代降水趋势性变化的原因,目前还没有很好了解。结合多种资料分析以及前人研究成果,对中国大陆近几十年降水变化趋势的原因进行了探讨,得到以下初步认识:① 现代降水量变化趋势具有明显的地域性差异,全国平均没有表现出显著增加或减少的长期变化,但强降水事件频率和降水量出现明显增多,而小雨事件特别是痕量降水事件显著减少。② 再分析资料表明,最近几十年全国水汽净收支量在一定程度上增加了,实际观测资料显示近地面和对流层中下层空气比湿或大气可降水量出现较明显上升趋势。③ 代用资料序列分析显示,全国大部地区近几十年降水变化仍处于晚近历史时期正常自然波动范围内;近百年观测的降水量序列也表明,黄淮海地区降水具有多重时间尺度相互叠加作用特点,低频自然气候变异的影响信号有清晰表现。④ 人类活动引起的大气中温室气体浓度增加对全国或东部季风区现代降水变化影响的信号,目前仍难以识别;区域性近地面风速减弱导致的雨量观测系统偏差以及大范围气溶胶浓度增加,可能是东部季风区大多数台站观测到的强降水事件频率增加和小雨频率显著减少的两个重要原因。⑤ 主要与城市化影响相关的地面观测资料系统偏差,可以部分解释现有分析表明的短历时强降水事件频率和累计降水量增加现象,同时也很可能是城市台站小雨和痕量降水事件频率明显下降的另一重要原因。     

Review on Montane Forest Eco-hydrology in Arid Area

Since the forest eco-hydrology of arid area shows a well sensitivity of the global climate change, the relationship between forest and water and the hydrological function has attracted the attention of academic communites and management departments. This paper expounds the research progress in arid mountain forest eco-hydrology, and analyses the formation and stable mechanism of forest patch pattern, the relationship between forest and water yield and the response of forest eco-hydrology to climate change from three aspects: Forest spatial pattern, hydrological process and its response to climate change. In addition, combined with the current research progress, the research emphases in the future are put forward: Strengthening the research on the coupling of vegetation pattern and hydrological process; solving the scale problem by using remote sensing technique and model; enhancing the understanding towards the hydrological function of forest; determining the suitable forest scale which can balance the relationship of ecology and hydrological effect.     

Differentiation in reproductive traits of geminate mangrove crabs of the genus Aratus (Decapoda: Brachyura) across the Central American Isthmus

The mangrove crab Aratus pisonii was considered to have an amphi‐American distribution; however, a recent study revealed that the Eastern Tropical Pacific populations were genetically distinct, thus representing a new species: Aratus pacificus. These species separated by the Isthmus of Panama have diverged under different environmental conditions that may have influenced their reproductive biology. As the available information about this genus concerns almost exclusively the Caribbean species, the aim of the present study was to analyse and compare reproductive aspects of A. pacificus and A. pisonii obtained from both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Costa Rica. Females were collected from April 2011 to April 2012, and reproductive features such as breeding season, size distribution of ovigerous females, fecundity, reproductive output, embryo volume and embryo water content were assessed. Both species produced embryos during the entire sampled period. Most females of A. pacificus carrying embryos close to hatching were found during the rainy season. Ovigerous females of A. pisonii were substantially larger and reached sexual maturity at a larger size than females of A. pacificus. Embryo production started in A. pacificus at a smaller female size than in A. pisonii. As fecundity increased with female size, the average fecundity was lower in A. pacificus. Females of A. pisonii produced larger embryos, which might be related to lower food availability: higher energy content in the embryo enhances the chances of larval survival. These data regarding reproductive features of the Pacific and Caribbean species support the conclusion to separate A. pacificus from A. pisonii.     

中国近海以及邻近海域海洋再分析产品(CORA)中季节内变化的评估

A regional reanalysis product—China Ocean Reanalysis(CORA)—has been developed for the China's seas and the adjacent areas. In this study, the intraseasonal variabilities(ISVs) in CORA are assessed by comparing with observations and two other reanalysis products(ECCO2 and SODA). CORA shows a better performance in capturing the intraseasonal sea surface temperatures(SSTs) and the intraseasonal sea surface heights(SSHs) than ECCO2 and SODA do, probably due to its high resolution, stronger response to the intraseasonal forcing in the atmosphere(especially the Madden-Julian Oscillation), and more available regional data for assimilation. But at the subsurface, the ISVs in CORA are likely to be weaker than reality, which is probably attributed to rare observational data for assimilation and weak diapycnal eddy diffusivity in the CORA model. According to the comparison results, CORA is a good choice for the study related to variabilities at the surface, but cares have to be taken for the study focusing on the subsurface processes.     

A statistical analysis of mesoscale eddies in the Bay of Bengal from 22–year altimetry data

本文使用一种基于SLA数据的涡旋识别方法,通过22年的AVISO高度计测高数据对孟加拉湾的中尺度涡特征进行了研究。本文主要分析了孟加拉湾涡旋的地理分布、涡旋极性、涡旋生命周期和传播距离、涡旋产生和消失位置、涡旋传播方向和移动轨迹、涡旋运动特征、涡旋属性的演化以及涡旋活动的季节和年际变化等特性。涡旋主要分布在孟加拉湾西部海域,并且大部分涡旋向西移动。涡旋极性分布显示气旋涡更经常出现在湾的西北部和南部,而反气旋涡主要出现在湾的东部。在22年间,共追踪探测到生命周期超过30天的气旋涡565个、反气旋涡389个;对所有生命周期和传播距离而言都是气旋涡数量居多。所有观测到的涡旋的运动属性分析显示气旋涡的涡旋平均振幅大于反气旋涡;对平均半径和平均移动速度而言,气旋涡和反气旋涡相差不大。而且,涡旋属性演化显示生命周期超过90天的涡旋具有明显的双阶段演化特征,包括一个前50天的涡旋成长阶段和一个50天之后的涡旋消亡阶段。针对涡旋活动的季节变化,气旋涡在春季居多而反气旋涡在夏季较多;长生命周期的涡旋季节分布显示在孟加拉湾涡旋活动具有明显的季节分布特征。涡旋数量的年际变化与EKE变化有一个明显的负相关。