HR: 0830h
AN: ED51C-1203    [PDF]
TI: Partnering With Scientists To Increase the Visibility and Use of Published Global Climate Change Data
AU: * McCaffrey, M S
EM: mark.mccaffrey@noaa.gov
AF: CIRES, 216 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309 United States
AU: Anderson, D M
EM: David.M.Anderson@noaa.gov
AF: NOAA Paleoclimatology, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305 United States
AU: Eakin, C M
EM: Mark.Eakin@noaa.gov
AF: NOAA Paleoclimatology, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305 United States
AB: Scientific journal articles are notoriously difficult for non-scientists or scientists outside a specialty to comprehend. Yet in societally relevant fields such as global climate change, there is an urgent need to make the published results of scientific research more accessible and useable to a broad audience. NOAA's World Data for Paleoclimatology attempts to meet this need using the Internet to distribute raw data and information products from scientific publications. The Data Center creates "What's New" pages highlighting data from recent publications, along with descriptions and ancillary information such as photographs. The Data Center also authors a "Climate TimeLine", online slide sets and photo gallery, and "Paleo Perspectives" web pages that describe the broader significance of scientific research, and how the data are used to improve our understanding of global warming, drought, and climate change. With the goal to inform and engage, the Climate Time Line provides interactive activities, and information that can be integrated into the classroom. The approach benefits a diverse audience by demystifying climate science and making it more accessible, and benefits scientists by increasing the visibility and use of scientists' published data. The success of the approach can be seen in web site user statistics and comments, and numerous awards for providing valuable information via the Internet. To solve the challenge of simplifying complex scientific problems while maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scientific information, the World Data Center works closely with scientists who contribute the data. Underlying the effort are the hundreds of scientists who have contributed their data to the World Data Center, and reviewed and edited the online extensions of their research.
UR: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo
DE: 1560 Time variations--secular and long term
DE: 1620 Climate dynamics (3309)
DE: 1699 General or miscellaneous
DE: 6605 Education
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting