Weather and Society Toward Integrated Approaches

About this book

Weather and Society: Toward Integrated Approaches provides the first interdisciplinary approach to the subject of weather and society. This guide to the evolving set of problem-solving approaches to weather's societal issues successfully integrates social science's techniques, concepts and methodologies into meteorological research and practice. Drawing especially on the work of the WAS*IS workshops (Weather and Society * Integrated Studies), this important reference offers a framework for starting to understand how the consideration of societal impacts can enhance the scientific disciplines that address the scope and impacts of weather, particularly meteorology.

Filled with tools, concepts, case studies and helpful exercises, this resource:
- Lays the groundwork for conducting interdisciplinary work by learning new strategies and addressing typical challenges
- Identifies leaders of the movement to integrate social science and meteorology and highlights their contributions
- Includes discussion of such tools as Geographic Information Systems, survey design, focus groups, participatory research and interviewing techniques and concepts
- Reveals effective integrated research and applications though real-world examples in a global context
- Helps to identify ways to pursue research, application, and educational opportunities for integrated weather-society work

Weather and Society is a hands-on guide for academics, students and professionals that offers a new approach to the successful integration of social science concepts and methodologies into the fabric of meteorological research and practice.

Contents

Acknowledgments x
Preface xii

1 The Need for Integrated Approaches to Weather and Society 1
2 History of the Movement to Integrate Social Science Into Atmospheric Science 29
3 Social Science Partners and the Weather/Society Work They Do 59
4 Thirteen Profiles of Leaders in Weather and Social Science 105
5 Moving Toward Integrated Weather and Society Research and Practice—A New Paradigm 134
6 Ways to Be Part of the Transformation to Integrated Weather Studies 156

Appendices
Appendix A: List of Acronyms 194
Appendix B: Blogs and Websites that Integrate Weather and Society 196
Appendix C: Other Relevant Web Resources 199
Addendum 200
Index 203

Customer Reviews

Biography

Dr. Eve Gruntfest is a geographer who has devoted her career to breaking down the barriers that separate social science and atmospheric science. She is Professor Emerita from University of Colorado at Colorado Springs where she taught for 27 years. She has published widely and is an expert in the areas of warning systems and flash flood mitigation. During her career, she served on five National Academy of Science committees. She directed Social Science Woven into Meteorology (SSWIM) and is co-founder of the Weather and Society * Integrated Studies (WAS*IS) movement. She was a program officer in the Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Division at National Science Foundation and a member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Science Advisory Board.