SEMINAR SERIES and COLLOQUIA

Social science is vital for understanding how people perceive, respond, and cope with hazardous weather and climate change impacts. In the Pacific island country of Tuvalu, my 2006 field based research examines how environmental changes are perceived and livelihood responses formulated. For example, freshwater resources are dependent on precipitation, constrained by available technology, and mediated through social practices. An analysis of local observations of environmental change indicates that climate effects cannot be meaningfully separated from a continuum of hydro-meteorological phenomena and the social contexts in which they are experienced.

Now, a new initiative at the National Weather Center, Social Science Woven into Meteorology (SSWIM), integrates the fields of meteorology and climatology with social science. SSWIM, funded by NOAA and the University of Oklahoma, promotes collaborative research and applications that enhance societal relevance and reduce risks from atmospheric and other hazards.

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