Inter-disciplinary, multi-scale science to support society to adapt under global change
Karlie S. McDonald
A C , Alistair J. Hobday A and Juan Diego Gaitán-Espitia A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.
B The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, 518000, PR China.
C Corresponding author. Email: karlie.mcdonald@csiro.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 70(1) 1-7 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF18355
Submitted: 14 September 2018 Accepted: 30 September 2018 Published: 10 December 2018
Abstract
Factualised storytelling narratives may assist scientists to communicate inter-disciplinary, multi-scale climate change research with stakeholders and non-expert members of the community. Scientists are increasingly required to balance scientific rigour with storytelling narratives that can facilitate climate change mitigation and adaptation as new communication technologies evolve. In this editorial to the research front, ‘Climate impacts on marine system structure and function: molecules to ecosystems’, a review of climate change coverage in the media since 1980 showed that climate change science had a substantial voice globally and, in particular, in countries with carbon-dependent economies. However, the effective communication of multi-scale climate change research in the media can be complicated by the complex messages, the lack of training scientists receive in communication, and the traditionally distant relationship that the scientific community has with the media and, more so, with the broader community. Considerable scientific effort is being made to overcome these challenges as additional responsibility is placed on the scientific community to produce newsworthy scientific outputs. However, the integration of inter-disciplinary, multi-scale information, such as outlined in this research front, can result in more holistic climate change stories that scientists can effectively communicate with stakeholders and the broader community.
References
Alexander, K. A., Hobday, A. J., Cvitanovic, C., Ogier, E., Nash, K. L., Cottrell, R. S., Fleming, A., Fudge, M., Fulton, E. A., Frusher, S., Kelly, R., MacLeod, C. K., Pecl, G. T., van Putten, I., Vince, J., and Watson, R. A. (2019). Progress in integrating natural and social science in marine ecosystem-based management research. Marine and Freshwater Research 70, 71–83.| Progress in integrating natural and social science in marine ecosystem-based management research.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Arlt, D., Hoppe, I., and Wolling, J. (2011). Climate change and media usage: effects on problem awareness and behavioural intentions. The International Communication Gazette 73, 45–63.
| Climate change and media usage: effects on problem awareness and behavioural intentions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Baker, M. R., and Hollowed, A. B. (2014). Delineating ecological regions in marine systems: Integrating physical structure and community composition to inform spatial management in the eastern Bering Sea. Deep-sea Research – II. Topical Studies in Oceanography 109, 215–240.
| Delineating ecological regions in marine systems: Integrating physical structure and community composition to inform spatial management in the eastern Bering Sea.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bolsen, T., and Shapiro, M. A. (2018). The US news media, polarization on climate change, and pathways to effective communication. Environmental Communication 12, 149–163.
| The US news media, polarization on climate change, and pathways to effective communication.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Brüggemann, M., and Engesser, S. (2017). Beyond false balance: how interpretive journalism shapes media coverage of climate change. Global Environmental Change 42, 58–67.
| Beyond false balance: how interpretive journalism shapes media coverage of climate change.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Champion, C., Hobday, A. J., Zhang, X., Pecl, G. T., and Tracey, S. R. (2019). Changing windows of opportunity: past and future climate-driven shifts in temporal persistence of kingfish (Seriola lalandi) oceanographic habitat within south-eastern Australian bioregions. Marine and Freshwater Research 70, 33–42.
| Changing windows of opportunity: past and future climate-driven shifts in temporal persistence of kingfish (Seriola lalandi) oceanographic habitat within south-eastern Australian bioregions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Corbett, J. B. (2015). Media power and climate change. Nature Climate Change 5, 288–290.
| Media power and climate change.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Corner, A., and Groves, C. (2014). Breaking the climate change communication deadlock. Nature Climate Change 4, 743–745.
| Breaking the climate change communication deadlock.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Côté, I. M., and Darling, E. S. (2018). Scientists on Twitter: preaching to the choir or singing from the rooftops? Facets 3, 682–694.
| Scientists on Twitter: preaching to the choir or singing from the rooftops?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cvitanovic, C., Hobday, A. J., van Kerkoff, L., Wilson, S. K., Dobbs, K., and Marshall, N. A. (2015). Improving knowledge exchange among scientists and decision-makers to facilitate the adaptive governance of marine resources: a review of knowledge and research needs. Ocean and Coastal Management 112, 25–35.
| Improving knowledge exchange among scientists and decision-makers to facilitate the adaptive governance of marine resources: a review of knowledge and research needs.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Dahlstrom, M. F. (2014). Storytelling in science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 111, 13614–13620.
| Storytelling in science.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Devloo-Delva, F., Huerlimann, R., Chua, G., Matley, J. K., Heupel, M. R., Simpfendorfer, C. A., and Maes, G. E. (2019). How does marker choice affect your diet analysis: comparing genetic markers and digestion levels for diet metabarcoding of tropical-reef piscivores. Marine and Freshwater Research 70, 8–18.
| How does marker choice affect your diet analysis: comparing genetic markers and digestion levels for diet metabarcoding of tropical-reef piscivores.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ford, J. D., and King, D. (2015). Coverage and framing of climate change adaptation in the media: a review of influential North American newspapers during 1993–2013. Environmental Science & Policy 48, 137–146.
| Coverage and framing of climate change adaptation in the media: a review of influential North American newspapers during 1993–2013.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Harley, C. D. G., Hughes, A. R., Hultgren, K., Miner, B. G., Sorte, C. J. B., Thornber, C. S., Rodriguez, L. F., Tomanek, L., and Williams, S. L. (2006). The impacts of climate change in coastal marine systems. Ecology Letters 9, 228–241.
| The impacts of climate change in coastal marine systems.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hauser, D. D. W., Tobin, E. D., Feifel, K. M., Shah, V., and Pietri, D. M. (2016). Disciplinary reporting affects the interpretation of climate change impacts in global oceans. Global Change Biology 22, 25–43.
| Disciplinary reporting affects the interpretation of climate change impacts in global oceans.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hobday, A. J., and Cvitanovic, C. (2017). Preparing Australian fisheries for the critical decade: insights from the past 25 years. Marine and Freshwater Research 68, 1779–1787.
| Preparing Australian fisheries for the critical decade: insights from the past 25 years.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Howarth, C., and Black, R. (2015). Local science and media engagement on climate change. Nature Climate Change 5, 506–508.
| Local science and media engagement on climate change.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hughes, T. P., Anderson, K. D., Connolly, S. R., Heron, S. F., Kerry, J. T., Lough, J. M., Baird, A. H., Baum, J. K., Berumen, M. L., Bridge, T. C., Claar, D. C., Eakin, C. M., Gilmour, J. P., Graham, N. A. J., Harrison, H., Hobbs, J.-P. A., Hoey, A. S., Hoogenboom, M., Lowe, R. J., McCulloch, M. T., Pandolfi, J. M., Pratchett, M., Schoepf, V., Torda, G., and Wilson, S. K. (2018). Spatial and temporal patterns of mass bleaching of corals in the Anthropocene. Science 359, 80–83.
| Spatial and temporal patterns of mass bleaching of corals in the Anthropocene.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hulme, M. (2007). Newspaper scare headlines can be counter-productive. Nature 445, 818.
| Newspaper scare headlines can be counter-productive.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kerski, J. (2015). Geo-awareness, geo-enablement, geotechnologies, citizen science, and storytelling: geography on the world stage. Geography Compass 9, 14–26.
| Geo-awareness, geo-enablement, geotechnologies, citizen science, and storytelling: geography on the world stage.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lee, N. M., VanDyke, M. S., and Cummins, R. G. (2018). A missed opportunity? NOAA’s use of social media to communicate climate science. Environmental Communication 12, 274–283.
| A missed opportunity? NOAA’s use of social media to communicate climate science.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Legagneux, P., Casajus, N., Cazelles, K., Chevallier, C., Chevrinais, M., Guéry, L., Jacquet, C., Jaffré, M., Naud, M., Noisette, F., Ropars, P., Vissault, S., Archambault, P., Bêty, J., Berteaux, D., and Gravel, D. (2018). Our house is burning: discrepancy in climate change vs. biodiversity coverage in the media as compared to scientific literature. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 5, 175.
| Our house is burning: discrepancy in climate change vs. biodiversity coverage in the media as compared to scientific literature.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ling, S. D., and Hobday, A. J. (2019). National research planning accelerates relevance and immediacy of climate-adaptation science. Marine and Freshwater Research 70, 62–70.
| National research planning accelerates relevance and immediacy of climate-adaptation science.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Linklater, M., Jordan, A. R., Carroll, A. G., Neilson, J., Gudge, S., Brooke, B. P., Nichol, S. L., Hamylton, S. M., and Woodroffe, C. D. (2019). Mesophotic corals on the subtropical shelves of Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid, south-western Pacific Ocean. Marine and Freshwater Research 70, 43–61.
| Mesophotic corals on the subtropical shelves of Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid, south-western Pacific Ocean.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Martinez-Conde, S., and Macknik, S. L. (2017). Enhancing science communication with storytelling. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 114, 8127–8129.
| Enhancing science communication with storytelling.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McDonald, K. S., Hobday, A. J., Fulton, E. A., and Thompson, P. A. (2018). Inter-disciplinary knowledge exchange across scales in a globally changing marine environment. Global Change Biology 24, 3039–3054.
| Inter-disciplinary knowledge exchange across scales in a globally changing marine environment.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Munck af Rosenschöld, J., Rozema, J. G., and Frye‐Levine, L. A. (2014). Institutional inertia and climate change: a review of the new institutionalist literature. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 5, 639–648.
| Institutional inertia and climate change: a review of the new institutionalist literature.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
O’Neill, S., and Nicholson-Cole, S. (2009). ‘Fear won’t do it’: promoting positive engagement with climate change through visual and iconic representations. Science Communication 30, 355–379.
| ‘Fear won’t do it’: promoting positive engagement with climate change through visual and iconic representations.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Owen, K., Jenner, K. C. S., Jenner, M.-N. M., McCauley, R. D., and Andrews, R. D. (2019). Water temperature correlates with baleen whale foraging behaviour at multiple scales in the Antarctic. Marine and Freshwater Research 70, 19–32.
| Water temperature correlates with baleen whale foraging behaviour at multiple scales in the Antarctic.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Pecl, G. T., Araújo, M. B., Bell, J. D., Blanchard, J., Bonebrake, T. C., Chen, I.-C., Clark, T. D., Colwell, R. K., Danielsen, F., Evengård, B., Falconi, L., Ferrier, S., Frusher, S., Garcia, R. A., Griffis, R. B., Hobday, A. J., Janion-Scheepers, C., Jarzyna, M. A., Jennings, S., Lenoir, J., Linnetved, H. I., Martin, V. Y., McCormack, P. C., McDonald, J., Mitchell, N. J., Mustonen, T., Pandolfi, J. M., Pettorelli, N., Popova, E., Robinson, S. A., Scheffers, B. R., Shaw, J. D., Sorte, C. J. B., Strugnell, J. M., Sunday, J. M., Tuanmu, M.-N., Vergés, A., Villanueva, C., Wernberg, T., Wapstra, E., and Williams, S. E. (2017). The universal impacts of species on the move. Science 355, eaa19214.
Rose, D. C. (2015). The case for policy-relevant conservation science. Conservation Biology 29, 748–754.
| The case for policy-relevant conservation science.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Schäfer, M. S., Ivanova, A., and Schmidt, A. (2014). What drives media attention for climate change? Explaining issue attention in Australian, German and Indian print media from 1996 to 2010. The International Communication Gazette 76, 152–176.
| What drives media attention for climate change? Explaining issue attention in Australian, German and Indian print media from 1996 to 2010.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Schmidt, A., Ivanova, A., and Schäfer, M. S. (2013). Media attention for climate change around the world: a comparative analysis of newspaper coverage in 27 countries. Global Environmental Change 23, 1233–1248.
| Media attention for climate change around the world: a comparative analysis of newspaper coverage in 27 countries.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Stokes, B., Wike, R., and Carle, J. (2015). Global concern about climate change, broad support for limiting emissions: US, China less worried; partisan divides in key countries. In Global Attitudes & Trends, 5 November 2015. (Pew Research Center: Washington, DC, USA.) Available at http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/11/05/global-concern-about-climate-change-broad-support-for-limiting-emissions/ [Verified 4 September 2018].
