Communicating Climate Change: Closing the Science-Action Gap. Susanne C. Moser and Lisa Dilling. ... more Communicating Climate Change: Closing the Science-Action Gap. Susanne C. Moser and Lisa Dilling. Introduction. The first decade of the 21 st century was a big one for climate science and policy. Climate change steadily rose ...
Consumption and assi~mlation rates of marine zooplankton feeding on large, abundant aggregates, k... more Consumption and assi~mlation rates of marine zooplankton feeding on large, abundant aggregates, known as marine snow, were measured for the first time. Two common zooplankton species, the euphausiid Euphausia pacifica and the copepod Calanuspacificus, consumed diverse types of field-collected marine snow, including diatom flocs, abandoned larvacean houses, and dinoflagellate aggregates, regardless of their composition, C:N ratio, age, or the availability of alternate dispersed food. Ingest~on rates of aggregates by E. pacifica increased with Increasing marine snow concentration, although in situ concentrations of aggregates were not sufficient to elic~t a maximum ingestion rate Ingestion rates of aggregates by E. pacifica at higher aggregate concentrations were from 9 to 15 pg C euphausiid-' h-'. Assimilation efficiencies of euphausiids grazing on marine snow were 83 % (dinoflagellate snow) and 64 to 75% (diatom/larvacean house snow) These results indicate that marine snow can be an ~mportant food source for marine zooplankton and that consumption of large aggregates 1s likely to play a role in the cycling of carbon and the structure of food webs In the pelagic zone of the ocean.
Many geoengineering projects have been proposed to address climate change, including both solar r... more Many geoengineering projects have been proposed to address climate change, including both solar radiation management and carbon removal techniques. Some of these methods would introduce additional compounds into the atmosphere or the ocean. This poses a difficult conundrum: Is it permissible to remediate one pollutant by introducing a second pollutant into a system that has already been damaged, threatened, or altered? We frame this conundrum as the ''Problem of Permissible Pollution.'' In this paper, we explore this problem by taking up ocean fertilization and advancing an argument that rests on three moral claims. We first observe that pollution is, in many respects, a context-dependent matter. This observation leads us to argue for a ''justifiability criterion.'' Second, we suggest that remediating actions must take into account the antecedent conditions that have given rise to their consideration. We call this second observation the ''antecedent conditions criterion.'' Finally, we observe that ocean fertilization, and other related geoengineering technologies, propose not strictly to clean up carbon emissions, but actually to move the universe to some future, unknown state. Given the introduced criteria, we impose Downloaded from a ''future-state constraint''. We conclude that ocean fertilization is not an acceptable solution for mitigating climate change. In attempting to shift the universe to a future state (a) geoengineering sidelines consideration of the antecedent conditions that have given rise to it -conditions, we note, that in many cases involve unjustified carbon emissions -and (b) it must appeal to an impossibly large set of affected parties.
For the past ten years, the role of seasonal climate forecasting (SCF) in decreasing the vulnerab... more For the past ten years, the role of seasonal climate forecasting (SCF) in decreasing the vulnerability of poor populations in many countries to climate variability and change has been discussed in the scholarly literature and policy circles. This paper reviews the literature on climate forecasting information and explores three main equity implications of SCF use. First, while investment in SCF as a decisionsupport tool has been justified in social terms, many examples of application show that the most vulnerable are unable to benefit from SCF information and may be harmed by it. Second, the usability of SCF as a decision-making tool has been constrained by accessibility and communication issues. Third, there may be opportunity costs in the sense that focus on SCF displaces political, human and financial capital from other more effective alternatives for decreasing the vulnerability to disaster among the poor. This review argues that, without attention to specific mechanisms to counter pre-existing inequities, the distribution and use of SCF is not likely to ameliorate the conditions of those most in need.
The high abundance of chaetognaths and the relatively large size of their fecal pellets suggest t... more The high abundance of chaetognaths and the relatively large size of their fecal pellets suggest that these planktonic predators might make a substantial contribution to vertical carbon flux in some regions. Although fecal pellets of the epipelagic species Parasagitta euneritica and the mesopelagic species Solidosagitta zetesios and Pseudosagitfa maxima had high sinking speeds, 27 to 1313 m d-', they sank 5 to 10 times more slowly than comparably sized herbivore fecal pellets. Chaetognath fecal pellets had densities around 1.035 g cm-3 Estimates using published pellet production rates and animal abundances, and measured pellet carbon content show that chaetognath fecal pellets could contribute modestly (4 to 6 %) to carbon flux in the euphotic zone and substantially (6 to 60 %) at depth.
Aggregates of biogenic origin >0.5 mm, known as marine snow, represent a concentrated potential s... more Aggregates of biogenic origin >0.5 mm, known as marine snow, represent a concentrated potential source of food for zooplankton. Little is known, however, about whether aggregates are commonly grazed by zooplankton in the field. While previous laboratory studies have shown that the euphausiid Euphausia pacifica, and the copepod, Calanus pacificus, common crustacean zooplankters, consume marine snow if it is the only food source available, it is not known if euphausiids will select marine snow in the presence of edible dispersed cells, as readily occurs in nature. To examine this question, we offered E. pacifica the diatom, Nitzschia angularis in aggregated and dispersed form as prey simultaneously. Aggregates and dispersed food contained identical cell types so that differing prey quality, taste or motility would not be a factor. A new method was developed to track food sources by labeling the frustules of aggregated cells with different naturally occurring, but rare, stable isotopes of silicon, 30 Si and 29 Si. Food selection was then estimated by measuring the isotopic composition of silica within fecal pellets produced by animals feeding on mixtures of the two labeled foods. Results indicate that E. pacifica consumed both aggregates and dispersed cells, even when more cells were made available in dispersed form than in aggregated form. This suggests that aggregates may indeed be a food source in the field, even when dispersed cells are relatively abundant. The method of labeling diatom cells with stable isotopes of silica may prove useful for future grazing experiments to distinguish identical cell types.
Research on geoengineeringdeliberate management of the Earth's climate systemis being increasingl... more Research on geoengineeringdeliberate management of the Earth's climate systemis being increasingly discussed within the science and policy communities. While justified as necessary in order to expand the range of options available to policy makers in the future, geoengineering research has already engendered public controversy. Proposed projects have been protested or cancelled, and calls for a governance framework abound. In this paper, we consider the reasons why geoengineering research might be subject to additional governance and suggest mechanisms that might be usefully applied in developing such a framework. We consider criteria for governance as raised by a review of the growing literature on geoengineering and other controversial scientific topics. We suggest three families of concern that any governance research framework must respond to: the direct physical risks of the research; the transparency and responsibility in decision making for the research; and the larger societal meanings of the research. We review what mechanisms might be available to respond to these three families of concern, and consider how these might apply to geoengineering research.
Despite hazard mitigation efforts and scientific and technological advances, extreme weather even... more Despite hazard mitigation efforts and scientific and technological advances, extreme weather events continue to cause substantial losses. The impacts of extreme weather result from complex interactions among physical and human systems across spatial and temporal scales. This article synthesizes current interdisciplinary knowledge about extreme weather, including temperature extremes (heat and cold waves), precipitation extremes (including floods and droughts), and storms and severe weather (including tropical cyclones). We discuss hydrometeorological aspects of extreme weather; projections of changes in extremes with anthropogenic climate change; and how social vulnerability, coping, and adaptation shape the societal impacts of extreme weather. We find four critical gaps where work is needed to improve outcomes of extreme weather: (a) reducing vulnerability; (b) enhancing adaptive capacity, including decision-making flexibility; (c) improving the usability of scientific information in decision making, and (d ) understanding and addressing local causes of harm through participatory, community-based efforts formulated within the larger policy context. 1
Cities are key sites of action for adaptation to climate change. However, there are a wide variet... more Cities are key sites of action for adaptation to climate change. However, there are a wide variety of responses to hazards at the municipal level. Why do communities take adaptive action in the face of weather-and climate-related risk? We studied what cities are doing in response to existing natural hazards, such as floods, droughts, and blizzards as an analog for understanding the drivers of adaptive behavior toward climate change risks. We conducted a survey of 60 U.S. municipalities followed by six in-depth case studies in the intermountain west states of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah that regularly experience weather and climate extreme events. Our analysis shows that perception of risk and external factors such as planning requirements and availability of funding stand out as important drivers. Nevertheless, political action is rarely driven by a single factor or event. Overall, our results suggest that multiple factors interact or act in combination to produce an enabling environment for action in the face of weather-and climate-related risk.
Communicating Climate Change: Closing the Science-Action Gap. Susanne C. Moser and Lisa Dilling. ... more Communicating Climate Change: Closing the Science-Action Gap. Susanne C. Moser and Lisa Dilling. Introduction. The first decade of the 21 st century was a big one for climate science and policy. Climate change steadily rose ...
Consumption and assi~mlation rates of marine zooplankton feeding on large, abundant aggregates, k... more Consumption and assi~mlation rates of marine zooplankton feeding on large, abundant aggregates, known as marine snow, were measured for the first time. Two common zooplankton species, the euphausiid Euphausia pacifica and the copepod Calanuspacificus, consumed diverse types of field-collected marine snow, including diatom flocs, abandoned larvacean houses, and dinoflagellate aggregates, regardless of their composition, C:N ratio, age, or the availability of alternate dispersed food. Ingest~on rates of aggregates by E. pacifica increased with Increasing marine snow concentration, although in situ concentrations of aggregates were not sufficient to elic~t a maximum ingestion rate Ingestion rates of aggregates by E. pacifica at higher aggregate concentrations were from 9 to 15 pg C euphausiid-' h-'. Assimilation efficiencies of euphausiids grazing on marine snow were 83 % (dinoflagellate snow) and 64 to 75% (diatom/larvacean house snow) These results indicate that marine snow can be an ~mportant food source for marine zooplankton and that consumption of large aggregates 1s likely to play a role in the cycling of carbon and the structure of food webs In the pelagic zone of the ocean.
Many geoengineering projects have been proposed to address climate change, including both solar r... more Many geoengineering projects have been proposed to address climate change, including both solar radiation management and carbon removal techniques. Some of these methods would introduce additional compounds into the atmosphere or the ocean. This poses a difficult conundrum: Is it permissible to remediate one pollutant by introducing a second pollutant into a system that has already been damaged, threatened, or altered? We frame this conundrum as the ''Problem of Permissible Pollution.'' In this paper, we explore this problem by taking up ocean fertilization and advancing an argument that rests on three moral claims. We first observe that pollution is, in many respects, a context-dependent matter. This observation leads us to argue for a ''justifiability criterion.'' Second, we suggest that remediating actions must take into account the antecedent conditions that have given rise to their consideration. We call this second observation the ''antecedent conditions criterion.'' Finally, we observe that ocean fertilization, and other related geoengineering technologies, propose not strictly to clean up carbon emissions, but actually to move the universe to some future, unknown state. Given the introduced criteria, we impose Downloaded from a ''future-state constraint''. We conclude that ocean fertilization is not an acceptable solution for mitigating climate change. In attempting to shift the universe to a future state (a) geoengineering sidelines consideration of the antecedent conditions that have given rise to it -conditions, we note, that in many cases involve unjustified carbon emissions -and (b) it must appeal to an impossibly large set of affected parties.
For the past ten years, the role of seasonal climate forecasting (SCF) in decreasing the vulnerab... more For the past ten years, the role of seasonal climate forecasting (SCF) in decreasing the vulnerability of poor populations in many countries to climate variability and change has been discussed in the scholarly literature and policy circles. This paper reviews the literature on climate forecasting information and explores three main equity implications of SCF use. First, while investment in SCF as a decisionsupport tool has been justified in social terms, many examples of application show that the most vulnerable are unable to benefit from SCF information and may be harmed by it. Second, the usability of SCF as a decision-making tool has been constrained by accessibility and communication issues. Third, there may be opportunity costs in the sense that focus on SCF displaces political, human and financial capital from other more effective alternatives for decreasing the vulnerability to disaster among the poor. This review argues that, without attention to specific mechanisms to counter pre-existing inequities, the distribution and use of SCF is not likely to ameliorate the conditions of those most in need.
The high abundance of chaetognaths and the relatively large size of their fecal pellets suggest t... more The high abundance of chaetognaths and the relatively large size of their fecal pellets suggest that these planktonic predators might make a substantial contribution to vertical carbon flux in some regions. Although fecal pellets of the epipelagic species Parasagitta euneritica and the mesopelagic species Solidosagitta zetesios and Pseudosagitfa maxima had high sinking speeds, 27 to 1313 m d-', they sank 5 to 10 times more slowly than comparably sized herbivore fecal pellets. Chaetognath fecal pellets had densities around 1.035 g cm-3 Estimates using published pellet production rates and animal abundances, and measured pellet carbon content show that chaetognath fecal pellets could contribute modestly (4 to 6 %) to carbon flux in the euphotic zone and substantially (6 to 60 %) at depth.
Aggregates of biogenic origin >0.5 mm, known as marine snow, represent a concentrated potential s... more Aggregates of biogenic origin >0.5 mm, known as marine snow, represent a concentrated potential source of food for zooplankton. Little is known, however, about whether aggregates are commonly grazed by zooplankton in the field. While previous laboratory studies have shown that the euphausiid Euphausia pacifica, and the copepod, Calanus pacificus, common crustacean zooplankters, consume marine snow if it is the only food source available, it is not known if euphausiids will select marine snow in the presence of edible dispersed cells, as readily occurs in nature. To examine this question, we offered E. pacifica the diatom, Nitzschia angularis in aggregated and dispersed form as prey simultaneously. Aggregates and dispersed food contained identical cell types so that differing prey quality, taste or motility would not be a factor. A new method was developed to track food sources by labeling the frustules of aggregated cells with different naturally occurring, but rare, stable isotopes of silicon, 30 Si and 29 Si. Food selection was then estimated by measuring the isotopic composition of silica within fecal pellets produced by animals feeding on mixtures of the two labeled foods. Results indicate that E. pacifica consumed both aggregates and dispersed cells, even when more cells were made available in dispersed form than in aggregated form. This suggests that aggregates may indeed be a food source in the field, even when dispersed cells are relatively abundant. The method of labeling diatom cells with stable isotopes of silica may prove useful for future grazing experiments to distinguish identical cell types.
Research on geoengineeringdeliberate management of the Earth's climate systemis being increasingl... more Research on geoengineeringdeliberate management of the Earth's climate systemis being increasingly discussed within the science and policy communities. While justified as necessary in order to expand the range of options available to policy makers in the future, geoengineering research has already engendered public controversy. Proposed projects have been protested or cancelled, and calls for a governance framework abound. In this paper, we consider the reasons why geoengineering research might be subject to additional governance and suggest mechanisms that might be usefully applied in developing such a framework. We consider criteria for governance as raised by a review of the growing literature on geoengineering and other controversial scientific topics. We suggest three families of concern that any governance research framework must respond to: the direct physical risks of the research; the transparency and responsibility in decision making for the research; and the larger societal meanings of the research. We review what mechanisms might be available to respond to these three families of concern, and consider how these might apply to geoengineering research.
Despite hazard mitigation efforts and scientific and technological advances, extreme weather even... more Despite hazard mitigation efforts and scientific and technological advances, extreme weather events continue to cause substantial losses. The impacts of extreme weather result from complex interactions among physical and human systems across spatial and temporal scales. This article synthesizes current interdisciplinary knowledge about extreme weather, including temperature extremes (heat and cold waves), precipitation extremes (including floods and droughts), and storms and severe weather (including tropical cyclones). We discuss hydrometeorological aspects of extreme weather; projections of changes in extremes with anthropogenic climate change; and how social vulnerability, coping, and adaptation shape the societal impacts of extreme weather. We find four critical gaps where work is needed to improve outcomes of extreme weather: (a) reducing vulnerability; (b) enhancing adaptive capacity, including decision-making flexibility; (c) improving the usability of scientific information in decision making, and (d ) understanding and addressing local causes of harm through participatory, community-based efforts formulated within the larger policy context. 1
Cities are key sites of action for adaptation to climate change. However, there are a wide variet... more Cities are key sites of action for adaptation to climate change. However, there are a wide variety of responses to hazards at the municipal level. Why do communities take adaptive action in the face of weather-and climate-related risk? We studied what cities are doing in response to existing natural hazards, such as floods, droughts, and blizzards as an analog for understanding the drivers of adaptive behavior toward climate change risks. We conducted a survey of 60 U.S. municipalities followed by six in-depth case studies in the intermountain west states of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah that regularly experience weather and climate extreme events. Our analysis shows that perception of risk and external factors such as planning requirements and availability of funding stand out as important drivers. Nevertheless, political action is rarely driven by a single factor or event. Overall, our results suggest that multiple factors interact or act in combination to produce an enabling environment for action in the face of weather-and climate-related risk.
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