Discoveries

Weather and Society * Integrated Studies (WAS*IS)

	An atmospheric scientist and social science researcher working together in NCAR's COMET classroom to address new tools and concepts during the July 2006 WAS*IS workshop. A PDF of the WAS*IS website is available here.

A visiting scientist in ISSE and geographer from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs envisioned the WAS*IS concept during FY2006. Inspired by the number of people she met throughout her career who realized the value of an integrated weather and social science enterprise, she enlisted the help of an atmospheric scientist to create a series of workshops to effect change within the weather enterprise by fully integrating social science into meteorological research. The mission of WAS*IS is to empower practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders to forge new relationships and use new tools and concepts for more effective socioeconomic applications and evaluations of weather information and products.

Between July 2005 and August 2006, WAS*IS held three workshops, two in Boulder and one in Norman, Oklahoma, with a total of over 85 invited participants. By emphasizing the importance of learning social science tools and concepts, the idea is to change the culture from what WAS to what IS the future of integrated weather studies.

WAS*IS furthers NCAR's strategic goals in numerous ways, with an emphasis on building a life-long community of stakeholders dedicated to building an interdisciplinary integration of meteorology and social science. WAS*IS also increases societal resilience to weather, climate, and other atmospheric phenomena by exploring public perception and understanding of forecast and uncertainty information, risk perception and response to forecast and warning information, and social verification of forecast and warning information. In addition to the three national workshops already held, a workshop in Melbourne, Australia will be held in January-February 2007. WAS*IS is supported by the National Science Foundation, NCAR's Societal Impacts Program, the Visiting Scientist Program, and the US Weather Research Program.

IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4)

The IPCC was established by the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) and UNEP (UN Environment Programme) during the 1990s to assess scientific, technical and socioeconomic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts, and options for adaptation and mitigation. It is open to all Members of the UN and of the WMO. Three assessments have been released, the latest one in 2001. The Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) is due to be completed in mid-2007.

	This graphic from the Third Assessment Report shows both anticipatory and reactive methods that natural and human systems employ when adapting to climate change. Courtesy of the IPCC presentations and graphics page from www.ipcc.ch

SERE scientists were recruited during FY2006 to contribute to the IPCC's AR4. The AR4 consists of three Working Groups. These Working Groups (WGs) will assess material from different disciplines and will cover a diversity of approaches to uncertainty, reflecting differences in the underlying literature. WG I focuses on the natural sciences, WG III on the social sciences, and WG II covers both. One researcher in SERE is the Coordinating Lead Author of the chapter on "Industry, Settlement and Society," and as member of the team in charge of the WGs II and III on "Cross-cutting Themes of Adaptation, Mitigation, and Sustainable Development." Another SERE researcher is a Lead Author in WG II, "New Assessment Methodologies and the Characterization of Future Conditions," and Lead Author in WG I, "Regional Climate Projections." Several other SERE Lab scientists are contributing to the assessment in various important roles, from lead authorship to review editors.

The IPCC agreed that the AR4 will be completed in 2007, that the Working Group reports would be sequenced such that the Working Group I report would be finalized during the first quarter of 2007, Working Group II and Working Group III reports in mid-2007, and that the AR4 Synthesis Report would be finalized during the last quarter of 2007. Therefore, SERE researchers will continue to be involved with this project throughout FY2007.

This research contributes to several of the NCAR Strategic Goals. Several of the NCAR Laboratories have Coordinating Lead Authors as well as Lead Authors contributing to the AR4. SERE's involvement is funded by the National Science Foundation.