[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 49 (Friday, March 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12514-12517]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-6446]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Data Collection: Meteorologists' and Public's Views and Comments
on Weather and Climate Issues
The National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency, is
interested in obtaining the public's views and attitudes toward weather
and climate issues.
Specifically, we're seeking input and comments from all interested
persons on their views of the value of weather reporting and climate
research in their lives, and their familiarity with weather and
climate-related issues that have an effect on them now or will in the
future.
In addition to the general public, we are especially interested in
receiving comments from informed professionals and followers of science
and engineering research and education.
In an effort to obtain the public's input and useful information,
the National Science Foundation has developed the questions that
follow. Responses from the public will be used only in the aggregate,
and only to help the NSF in its efforts to better explain itself and
its activities to the American public.
[[Page 12515]]
We hope you will provide us with your thoughts on the following
questions. Detailed comments are also welcome and greatly appreciated.
Responses and comments can be mailed to Public Attitudes About
Weather and Climate, c/o Office of Legislative and Public Affairs,
National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Room 1245, Arlington,
VA 22230. Comments can also be sent via email to [email protected], or faxed
to (703) 306-0157.
All comments should be received by Monday, April 20, 1998.
Dated: March 4, 1998.
Julia Moore,
Director, Office of Legislative and Public Affairs.
Yankelovich Partners, Inc.
101 Merritt 7 Corporate Park, Norwalk CT 06851
Job #35351
March 1998.
Meteorologist Survey
Identification: Complete at End of Interview
Name-------------------------------------------------------------------
Title:-----------------------------------------------------------------
Company:---------------------------------------------------------------
Address:---------------------------------------------------------------
Telephone:-------------------------------------------------------------
City:------------------------------------------------------------------
State:-----------------------------------------------------------------
Zip Code:--------------------------------------------------------------
Interviewer:-----------------------------------------------------------
Date:------------------------------------------------------------------
Elapsed Time:----------------------------------------------------------
Hello, I'm-----------------------------------------------------------
calling from Yankelovich Partners, a national public opinion
research firm.
May I please speak to?-------------------------------------------------
When Individual From List is on the Telephone: This is
Yankelovich Partners, a national public research firm, and we are
conducting a survey among American Meteorological Society members to
ask their opinion about a number of issues related to climate and
the field of meteorology. This is your opportunity to express your
ideas and opinions. Please be assured that your answers are
confidential and anonymous, and that we are interested in your
opinion.
The results of this survey will be summarized, and we will send
all participants a copy of the final report. Our questions will take
no more than 10 minutes of your time. May we ask you a few
questions: [If interested but cannot interview now, please arrange
callback.]
A. First, are you currently a member of the American Meteorological
Society?
a. Yes continue
b. No Thank and Terminate
B. And, are you: (Read List. Enter One Response.)
a. A meteorologist
b. An oceanographer
c. A hydrologist
d. Other (please specify)--------------------------------------------
1.a. Do you feel that public interest in weather and climate have
increased or decreased over the past few years? (Enter One Response)
a. IncreasedGo To Q.1.b.
b. DecreasedGo To Q.2.
c. Don't know/Not sure
1.b. (If answered ``Increased'' to Q.1.a, ask:) To what do you
attribute the increased interest? (Record response verbatim)
2. How strongly do you agree or disagree that advances in science
and technology have substantially lessened the impact of natural
weather disasters? (Read List. Enter One Response)
a. Strongly agree
b. Somewhat agree
c. Somewhat disagree
d. Strongly disagree
e. Don't know/Not sure (Volunteered)
3.a. Are you aware of any advances in science and technology, or
emerging technologies which are likely to improve predictions of the
weather in your area?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Don't know/Not sure
3.b. (If answered ``Yes'' to Q.3.a, ask:) Does a particular example
come to mind? (Record response verbatim)
4. Weather and climate affect many things, yet there are many facts
about weather and climate which are unknown to most people. I'm
going to name several weather and climate phenomena. As I name each
one, please tell me whether you feel that people will benefit very
much, somewhat, not very much, or not at all from learning more
about the phenomena. The first is: (Read List. Enter One Response
for Each.) [Rotate]
[1=Very much; 2=Somewhat; 3=Not very much; 4=Not at all; 5=DK]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 4 5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a. El Nino and the Southern Oscillation........ 1 2 3 4 5
b. Global Warming.............................. 1 2 3 4 5
c. North Atlantic Oscillation.................. 1 2 3 4 5
d. Ozone Depletion............................. 1 2 3 4 5
e. North Atlantic Conveyer Belt................ 1 2 3 4 5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. And, of the weather and climate phenomena mentioned above, which
two do you feel people will most benefit from learning more about?
Is it: (Read List. Enter One Response.) [Rotate]
a. El Nino and the Southern Oscillation
b. Global Warming
c. North Atlantic Oscillation
d. Ozone Depletion
e. North Atlantic Conveyer Belt
6. I'm going to read you several statements about climate change.
For each statement, please tell me whether you strongly agree,
somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree. The first
statement is: (Read Each Statement. Enter One Response for Each.)
[1=Strongly agree; 2=Somewhat agree; 3=Somewhat disagree; 4=Strongly disagree; 5=DK]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 4 5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a. The greenhouse effect has existed throughout
most of the earth's history................... 1 2 3 4 5
b. The greenhouse effect is now being amplified
by increased concentrations of certain gases
in the atmosphere as a result of human
emissions..................................... 1 2 3 4 5
[[Page 12516]]
c. If humans collectively reduced their
emissions of greenhouse gases to a level of
10% below the world's emissions in 1990, the
earth's average surface temperature would
return to its 1990 level within 10 years and
not continue to increase thereafter........... 1 2 3 4 5
d. Carbon dioxide is the most important gas
related to greenhouse warming................. 1 2 3 4 5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
El Nino, has received a great deal of attention recently. I'd
like to ask you a few questions about El Nino.
7. In your opinion, how critical a role have advances in science and
technology played in predictions concerning the length and severity
of the current El Nino? Has their role been: (Read List. Enter One
Response.)
a. Very critical
b. Somewhat critical
c. Not very critical
d. Not at all critical
e. Don't know/Not sure (Volunteered)
8. Based on what you know about the current El Nino, do you agree or
disagree with recent predictions that the current El Nino will
weaken and not have an impact on weather in the United States this
summer? (Enter One Response.)
a. Agree
b. Disagree
c. Don't know/Not sure
9. In your opinion, how likely is it that global warming contributes
to more frequent and more severe El Nino events? Is it: (Read List.
Enter One Response.)
a. Very likely
b. Somewhat likely
c. Somewhat unlikely
d. Very unlikely
e. Don't know/Not sure (Volunteered)
Global warming has received a great deal of attention. I'd like
to ask you a few questions about global warming.
10. In your opinion, which of the following are affected by human
activity? (Read List. Enter All Mentions.)
a. Antarctic ozone hole
b. Deforestation
c. Atmospheric concentrations of CO2
d. Increase in atmospheric concentrations of small particles
called aerosols
e. El Ninos
11. And, in your opinion, which of the following cause potential
global warming? (Read List. Enter all Mentions.)
a. Antarctic ozone hole
b. Deforestation
c. Atmospheric concentrations of CO2.
d. Increase in atmospheric concentrations of small particles
called aerosols
e. El Ninos
12. In your opinion, how likely is it that the earth's average
surface temperature will rise by 1 to 3.5 degrees Celsius over the
next 100 years as a result of human activities? Is it: (Read List.
Enter One Response.)
a. Extremely likely
b. Very likely
c. Somewhat likely
d. Not very likely
e. Not at all likely
f. Don't know/Not sure
13. Some scientists have suggested that global warming could trigger
an abrupt cooling in two ways--by increasing rainfall on the
northern oceans or by melting Greenland's ice. Either of these could
put enough fresh water into the ocean to cause a ``flushing
failure'' which would weaken the North Atlantic Conveyer Belt.
Considering this scenario, how likely a contributor is global
warming to a possible return to ice-age temperatures? Is it: (Read
List. Enter One Response.)
a. Very likely
b. Somewhat likely
c. Somewhat unlikely
d. Very unlikely
e. Don't know/Not sure (Volunteered)
14. Overall, given recent scientific realizations that the earth's
climate undergoes dramatic temperature changes every few thousand
years, how likely is it, in your opinion, that the earth could
return to ice-age temperatures within the next 50 years? Is it:
(Read List. Enter One Response.)
a. Very likely
b. Some what likely
c. Somewhat unlikely
d. Very unlikely
e. Don't know/Not sure (Volunteered)
Let's talk about a particular region of the world--the polar
regions, that is, the Arctic and Antarctic.
15. Of the following aspects of polar research, which two of the
following do you believe to be most valuable? (Read List. Enter One
Response.)
a. Examination of ice cores
b. Documentation of deep ocean currents
c. Measurements of ice caps
d. Marine sedimentation records
e. Tree ring analyses
16. In your opinion, how critical is polar research, including
examination of ice cores, to understanding changes in climate, such
as global warming and the possibility of a sudden cooling? Is it:
(Read List. Enter One Response.)
a. Very critical
b. Some what critical
c. Not very critical
d. Not at all critical
e. Don't know/Not sure (Volunteered)
17. To the best of your knowledge, how much of an impact do Arctic
climate conditions have on climate in your area? Do they have a:
(Read List. Enter One Response.)
a. Very important impact
b. Somewhat important impact
c. Somewhat unimportant impact
d. Very unimportant impact
e. Don't know/Not sure (Volunteered)
18. To the best of your knowledge, how much of an impact do
Antarctic climate conditions have on climate in your area? Do they
have a: (Read List. Enter One Response.)
a. Very important impact
b. Somewhat important impact
c. Somewhat unimportant impact
d. Very unimportant impact
e. Don't know/Not sure (Volunteered)
Our last few questions are for demographic purposes.
19. What state do you live in?-----------------------------------------
How long have you been working in the atmospheric, oceanic or
hydrologic sciences? (Enter One Response)
a. Less than one year
b. 1-2 years
c. 3-5 years
d. 6-10 years
e. 10 years or more
f. Refused
21. In which of the following settings do you currently work: (Read
List Enter All Mentions)
a. At a university or college
b. For the government
c. For the media, in the private sector
d. In the private sector
e. Other (please specify)--------------------------------------------
SEX (Record)
a. Male
b. Female
Thank you very much for your cooperation. So that we may send
you a copy of the survey report, we will need your name and address.
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Meteorologist Survey
The next few questions are about the weather.
1. Of the following, which are the two most important reasons you
listen to the weather? (Read List. Enter One Response.)
a. Temperature
b. Driving conditions
c. Storm/Bad weather alert
d. Planning outdoor recreation or travel
[[Page 12517]]
e. Proper weather attire
f. To be entertained
g. Other (please specify)--------------------------------------------
h. Don't know/Not sure (Volunteered)
2. And, of the following people who report the weather, which one is
your favorite weather person? (Read List. Enter One Response)
a. Al Roker (NBC)
b. Spencer Christian (ABC)
c. Craig Allen (CBS)
d. Valerie Voss (CNN)
e. Jack Williams (USA Today)
f. Other (please specify)--------------------------------------------
3. In your opinion, how likely is it that global warming contributes
to more frequent and more severe El Nino events? Is it: (Read List.
Enter One Response.)
a. Very likely
b. Somewhat likely
c. Somewhat unlikely
d. Very unlikely
e. Don't know/Not sure (Volunteered)
4. In your opinion, which of the following are affected by human
activity? (Read List. Enter All Mentions.)
a. Antarctic ozone hole
b. Deforestation
c. Burning of fossil fuels
d. Increase in atmospheric concentrations of small particles
called aerosols
e. El Ninos
5. And, in your opinion, which of the following cause potential
global warming? (Read List. Enter All Mentions.)
a. Antarctic ozone hole
b. Deforestation
c. Burning of fossil fuels
d. Increase in atmospheric concentrations of small particles
called aerosols
e. El Ninos
[FR Doc. 98-6446 Filed 3-12-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M