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PUBLICATIONID : 50743
PUBLICATIONTYPE : 1
TYPE : Article
TITLE : Effective media reporting of sea level rise projections: 1989-2009
ORIG_TITLE : Effective media reporting of sea level rise projections: 1989-2009
AUTHOR : Rick, U.K., M.T. Boykoff, and R.A. Pielke, Jr.
FIRST_AUTHOR : Rick, U.K., M.T. Boykoff, and R.A. Pielke, Jr.
AUTHOR_COUNT : 1
ADDRESS : [Rick, U. K.; Boykoff, M. T.; Pielke, R. A., Jr.] Univ Colorado, Ctr Sci & Technol Policy Res, Cooperat Inst Res Environm Sci, Boulder, CO 80309 USA
FIRSTAUTHOREMPLOYER : 1
ABBREV_JOURNAL : Environ. Res. Lett.
ART_NO : 14004
VOLUME : 6
ISSUE : 1
PUBLISH_DATE : JAN-MAR
YEAR : 2011
URL : http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/admin/publication_files/2011.03.pdf
REFEREED : 1
CREATE_TIME : 1351871187
RESOURCE : WOS:000289263600005
DEPT : CSTPR
LAST_UPDATED : 2012-11-15 12:22:03
ISSN : 1748-9326
IDS : 746RE
DOI : 10.1088/1748-9326/6/1/014004
ABSTRACT : In the mass media, sea level rise is commonly associated with the impacts of climate change due to increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases. As this issue garners ongoing international policy attention, segments of the scientific community have expressed unease about how this has been covered by mass media. Therefore, this study examines how sea level rise projections-in IPCC Assessment Reports and a sample of the scientific literature-have been represented in seven prominent United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) newspapers over the past two decades. The research found that-with few exceptions-journalists have accurately portrayed scientific research on sea level rise projections to 2100. Moreover, while coverage has predictably increased in the past 20 years, journalists have paid particular attention to the issue in years when an IPCC report is released or when major international negotiations take place, rather than when direct research is completed and specific projections are published. We reason that the combination of these factors has contributed to a perceived problem in the sea level rise reporting by the scientific community, although systematic empirical research shows none. In this contemporary high-stakes, high-profile and highly politicized arena of climate science and policy interactions, such results mark a particular bright spot in media representations of climate change. These findings can also contribute to more measured considerations of climate impacts and policy action at a critical juncture of international negotiations and everyday decision-making associated with the causes and consequences of climate change.
KEYWORDS : media studies; sea level rise; communication; climate change; science policy GREENLAND ICE-SHEET; CLIMATE-CHANGE; MASS-BALANCE; VOLUME CHANGES; MODEL; 21ST-CENTURY; TEMPERATURE; GLACIERS GREENLAND ICE-SHEET; CLIMATE-CHANGE; MASS-BALANCE; VOLUME CHANGES; MODEL; 21ST-CENTURY; TEMPERATURE; GLACIERS
KEYWORD_PLUS : GREENLAND ICE-SHEET; CLIMATE-CHANGE; MASS-BALANCE; VOLUME CHANGES; MODEL; 21ST-CENTURY; TEMPERATURE; GLACIERS
AREA : Environmental Sciences & Ecology; Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
FIRST_AUTHOR_EMAIL : Ursula.Rick@Colorado.edu
PUBLICATION : ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
PLACE : BRISTOL
LANGUAGE : English
SERIAL : 50743
APPROVED : yes
ONLINE_PUBLICATION : no
VERSION : 1
FIRST_AUTHOR_ADDRESS : Rick, UK (reprint author), Univ Colorado, Ctr Sci & Technol Policy Res, Cooperat Inst Res Environm Sci, UCB 488, Boulder, CO 80309 USA
AUTHOR_OTHER_FORM : Rick, U. K.; Boykoff, M. T.; Pielke, R. A., Jr.
FUNDING : NSF DMUU[SES 0345604]
FUNDING_ACKNOWLEDGEMENT : This work was supported by NSF DMUU Grant SES 0345604.
REFERENCES_NUM : 45
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PUBLISHER_ADDRESS : TEMPLE CIRCUS, TEMPLE WAY, BRISTOL BS1 6BE, ENGLAND
COUNT : 1
Entered by : Roger Pielke Jr.
Entered by : Maxwell Boykoff