25 March 2024… Climate Communication Workshop: Learn How To Make Your Research Matter (Keynote Presentation): Using accessible data to communicate global climate change, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

1. Using accessible data
to communicate
global climate change
Zachary Labe, PhD
Climate Scientist at NOAA GFDL & Princeton University
Temple University Libraries: Climate Communication Workshop
Learn how to make your research matter – 25 March 2024

3. Climate Scientist at Princeton University & NOAA GFDL
https://zacklabe.com/
ZACK LABE
RESEARCHER
Climate signal vs. weather noise
@ZLabe
COMMUNICATOR
RESEARCHER
Arctic climate change
STORYTELLER
Simple, bold data visualization

4. The signal (climate change)
The noise (weather)
…To tell data-driven climate stories…

7. MY ROLE AS A SCIENTIST:
Identify a problem, topic of interest
and/or scientific hypothesis
Interpret
results
Gather data
and methods
Perform initial
experiments

8. MY ROLE AS A SCIENTIST:
Identify a problem, topic of interest
and/or scientific hypothesis
Perform initial
experiments
Interpret
results
Gather data
and methods
Home Laptop – 2,000,000,000 instructions per second
Supercomputer – 5,000,000,000,000,000 instructions per second
https://www.ornl.gov/news/ornl-noaa-launch-new-supercomputer-climate-science-research

9. MY ROLE AS A SCIENTIST:
Identify a problem, topic of interest
and/or scientific hypothesis
Interpret
results
Perform initial
experiments
Gather data
and methods
Find observations/models
Identify statistical,
data science approach
JULY TO AUGUST 2022

10. MY ROLE AS A SCIENTIST:
Identify a problem, topic of interest
and/or scientific hypothesis
Interpret
results
Perform initial
experiments
Gather data
and methods
Identify statistical,
data science approach
Find observations/models

11. MY ROLE AS A SCIENTIST:
Identify a problem, topic of interest
and/or scientific hypothesis
Interpret
results
Gather data
and methods
Perform initial
experiments
Run climate model experiments
Write code for analysis,
like machine learning
SEPTEMBER 2022 TO JANUARY 2023

12. MY ROLE AS A SCIENTIST:
Identify a problem, topic of interest
and/or scientific hypothesis
Interpret
results
Gather data
and methods
Perform initial
experiments
Run climate model experiments
Write code for analysis,
like machine learning

13. MY ROLE AS A SCIENTIST:
Identify a problem, topic of interest
and/or scientific hypothesis
Gather data
and methods
Perform initial
experiments
Interpret
results
Create graphs, write paper
JANUARY TO JUNE 2023

14. MY ROLE AS A SCIENTIST:
Identify a problem, topic of interest
and/or scientific hypothesis
Gather data
and methods
Perform initial
experiments
Interpret
results
Create graphs, write paper

15. MY ROLE AS A SCIENTIST:
Identify a problem, topic of interest
and/or scientific hypothesis
Gather data
and methods
Perform initial
experiments
Interpret
results
Peer-Review
Process
JULY 2023 TO JANUARY 2024

16. MY ROLE AS A SCIENTIST:
Identify a problem, topic of interest
and/or scientific hypothesis
Gather data
and methods
Perform initial
experiments
Interpret
results
Peer-Review
Process

17. MY ROLE AS A SCIENTIST:
Identify a problem, topic of interest
and/or scientific hypothesis
Perform initial
experiments
Interpret
results
Gather data
and methods
COMMUNICATE?

18. July 2022
February 2024
2023
Each line
is one year
of monthly data
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE – TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES BY MONTH

19. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/heat-september-extreme-warmth-climate-rcna118401

20. The Arctic is warming more than 3 times
faster than the global average!

21. Manabe, S., & Stouffer, R. J. (1980). Sensitivity of a global climate model to an
increase of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 85(C10), 5529-5554.

22. The Arctic is warming more
than 3 times faster than
the global average!

26. NOW
Start of
satellite-era

27. DATA VISUALIZATION
IS STORY-TELLING.
Arctic temperature anomalies from 1979 to 2023

28. DON’T BE
SUCH A
SCIENTIST
WE ARE
DATA
SCIENTISTS
ART BY JILL PELTO

29. Landscape of Change uses data
about sea level rise, glacier volume
decline, increasing global
temperatures, and the increasing use
of fossil fuels. These data lines
compose a landscape shaped by
the changing climate, a world in
which we are now living.
Jill Pelto|http://www.jillpelto.com/landscape-of-change
“
”

31. 5-year
statistical smoothing
Yearly Mean
Temperature

32. NASA/GISS/GISTEMPv4
1880 2020

33. PLOT BY ED HAWKINS

34. 2016 RIO OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY

35. HAWKINS ET AL. 2019

37. SCHNEIDER
AND
NOCKE,
2017

38. SCHNEIDER
AND
NOCKE,
2017

39. SCHNEIDER
AND
NOCKE,
2017

40. SCHNEIDER
AND
NOCKE,
2017

41. SCHNEIDER
AND
NOCKE,
2017

42. THE CLIMATE IS
CHANGING
IN REAL-TIME.
Considering a global view of
temperatures relative to
average – placing weather in
the context of climate
Sep. 2023

43. THE ARCTIC IS
CHANGING
IN REAL-TIME.
Daily Arctic temperature in
2018 (red) compared to
every year since 1958 in the
month of February. Average
is shown by the white line.

44. THIS IS AN
OPPORTUNITY
TO COMMUNICATE.

46. 2016
Average

47. THIS IS AN
OPPORTUNITY
TO SHARE STORIES.

49. START A
CONVERSATION.

50. [International
Arctic
Research
Center
[IARC;
University
of
Alaska,
Fairbanks]
Start a conversation!

51. NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE – PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA USA

52. COULD I DO
SOMETHING
SIMILAR?

54. A CLIMATE DASHBOARD

55. MY
DASHBOARD

56. AN ARCTIC DASHBOARD

57. https://zacklabe.com/climate-viz-of-the-month/

59. Raw
Data

60. WHY?
Transparency
Trust
Accessibility
Open Science
Innovation
Building
relationships
to solve
big challenges
Bringing your
audience
along on your
scientific journey
A renewed focus
on improving
inclusivity
Climate change
information
needs this
Slow to gain,
but quick to lose

61. PLOT BY ED HAWKINS
DON’T BE
SUCH A
SCIENTIST
WE ARE
DATA
SCIENTISTS

62. PLOT BY ED HAWKINS

64. https://showyourstripes.info/

65. Sharing climate change and extreme events in real-time.
Supporting climate resilience and environmental justice.
Identifying climate impacts with data-driven visualizations.
Considering a diversity of trusted voices to communicate.
Questions!
Zachary Labe | March 2024| zachary.labe@noaa.gov
@ZLabe
https://zacklabe.com/
https://www.slideshare.net/ZacharyLabe/presentations