Weather, Climate, and Society

Catalog description

Successful science communication is critical to all aspects of meteorology, including research, operations, broadcast, and private industry, though scientific literature reveals the wide range of challenges to successful science communication. In this course, students learn primary modes of communication employed by atmospheric scientists, with emphasis on deterministic and probabilistic weather forecasts, global and regional climate projections, and examine their effectiveness. The course builds on this foundation to evaluate the institutional, social, behavioral, political, economic barriers to successful atmospheric science communication and quantify the impact of these challenges on scientific advancements and public responsiveness. Students will learn fundamentals in cognitive versus emotional empathy, communicative responsiveness, prosocial behavior, apply these concepts to the atmospheric sciences, and make inferences about how an individual's or society's perspective impacts decision making behavior.