Usable Science Research Articles

The climate change adaptation readiness of co‐operative housing in Nova Scotia, Canada

AbstractClimate adaptation policy in Canada is emerging in the context of another major challenge: the diminishing availability of affordable housing. Housing is a well‐known driver of social vulnerability to environmental risks, so as governments respond to these challenges, it will be essential to understand how housing is being situated within adaptation, particularly with respect to differences in housing tenure and how decisions around equity and social vulnerability are factored into planning and policy processes. This research examines how adaptation plans and policies in Nova Scotia are addressing the needs of the non‐profit co‐operative housing sector and assesses the adaptation readiness of housing co‐operatives in the province. Two methods are employed: a systematic content analysis of municipal and provincial climate policy documents, and interviews with key informants across the co‐operative housing sector and government agencies. Using a modified adaptation readiness framework, we consider the potential for co‐operative adaptation and complimentary public policy to address vulnerability at the intersection of housing and climate change. Findings indicate that non‐market forms of tenure have been largely neglected by adaptation planners and state policymakers. Several barriers which contribute to a low level of adaptation readiness for co‐ops are highlighted, notably a lack of usable science and funding to facilitate adaptation. Characteristics such as affordability and a propensity for collective action position housing co‐ops to be agents of equitable and systemic adaptation, but this potential will only be realized in Canada if key barriers are overcome through targeted governmental rt for non‐profit housing organizations.

Enabling usable science takes a community: Using our roles as funders to catalyze change.

Calls to support co-designed and usable science to inform management of natural resources are growing. Making the shift will require diverse collaborations between those who hold, share, and use knowledge.

Does it work and can we do it? Hybrid research that answers both questions.

The perceived disconnect between research and clinic contexts may thus result in frontline clinicians and administrators questioning the approachability and applicability of science to their day-to-day work with patients and families in integrated care. Science grinds along so painstakingly slowly that even within the research community, some thought leaders have called for a moratorium on RCTs in favor of approaches that will yield more immediate public health impact (Kessler & Glasgow, 2011). The aim of this editorial is to describe a both/and research approach called "hybrid studies" and to discuss achievable strategies for doing this kind of work on the front lines. Sure, you can get a multimillion-dollar grant and do a formal research study, but real people on the frontlines can do this type of work too! Hybrid studies have the capacity to answer the two essential questions in healthcare science concurrently and advance the progress of science translation (usable science). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Grant-Making Criteria for Developing Useful and Usable Marine Science: A Philanthropic Perspective

Decades of scholarship and practice highlight the need for scientific research that informs individuals on the front lines of decision-making. Funding organizations can play an important role in supporting useful and usable research by discussing the criteria and processes they use to guide the development and review of funded projects. However, practical examples of how funders can engage with grantees on the design of research efforts are not widely available. In this article, we respond to calls for more information in this area by presenting one example of evaluation criteria and guidance questions used by a philanthropic grant-making program that is focused on user-driven research. We describe this process through the lens of a funded research project that was designed to inform improvements in coastal habitat restoration. We hope that a closer look at an example of how to evaluate project ideas for their potential to provide critical information to decision-makers can be useful for other funders and researchers trying to produce useful and usable science.

Climate services in Brazil: Past, present, and future perspectives

From the devastating effects of the 1877–1879 Great Drought in the Northeast region to the creation of the Center for Weather Forecast and Climate Studies (CPTEC) at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in the early 1990 s, Brazil went from a total absence of meteorological expertise to becoming a member of a select group of nations with the infrastructure and technical expertise to build and run a global general circulation model. This article reviews the most critical moments in the development of climate services in Brazil, addressing the evolution of its infrastructure for observation, monitoring, modeling, and prediction, the still incipient efforts in systematically understanding users’ perspectives and needs, and the work required to incorporate the usable science and co-production paradigms into the main centers of production of climate information. Advances and challenges are analyzed, and actions for strengthening the climate services framework are proposed.

Toward usable predictive climate information at decadal timescales

Toward usable predictive climate information at decadal timescales

Global cloud property models for real-time triage on board visible–shortwave infrared spectrometers

Abstract. New methods for optimizing data storage and transmission are required as orbital imaging spectrometers collect ever-larger data volumes due to increases in optical efficiency and resolution. In Earth surface investigations, storage and downlink volumes are the most important bottleneck in the mission's total data yield. Excising cloud-contaminated data on board, during acquisition, can increase the value of downlinked data and significantly improve the overall science performance of the mission. Threshold-based screening algorithms can operate at the acquisition rate of the instrument but require accurate and comprehensive predictions of cloud and surface brightness. To date, the community lacks a comprehensive analysis of global data to provide appropriate thresholds for screening clouds or to predict performance. Moreover, prior cloud-screening studies have used universal screening criteria that do not account for the unique surface and cloud properties at different locations. To address this gap, we analyzed the Hyperion imaging spectrometer's historical archive of global Earth reflectance data. We selected a diverse subset spanning space (with tropical, midlatitude, Arctic, and Antarctic latitudes), time (2005–2017), and wavelength (400–2500 nm) to assure that the distributions of cloud data are representative of all cases. We fit models of cloud reflectance properties gathered from the subset to predict locally and globally applicable thresholds. The distributions relate cloud reflectance properties to various surface types (land, water, and snow) and latitudinal zones. We find that taking location into account can significantly improve the efficiency of onboard cloud-screening methods. Models based on this dataset will be used to screen clouds on board orbital imaging spectrometers, effectively doubling the volume of usable science data per downlink. Models based on this dataset will be used to screen clouds on board NASA's forthcoming mission, the Earth Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT).

Induced X-ray fluorescence background for high-voltage space based detectors

A sounding rocket utilizing Gaseous Electron Multiplier detectors experienced a strong source of unexpected signal during flight which prevented the acquisition of usable science data. We find that the flight data is well-matched with a simple fluorescence model corresponding to K- and L-emission lines of the materials present inside the payload. Illuminating the payload with a laboratory electron source produces a similar spectrum. The signal appears to be caused by the presence of ionospheric electrons inside the payload being accelerated by our high-voltage X-ray detectors to energies that can cause fluorescence of the payload interior. Future space based missions utilizing high-voltage detectors should consider the dangers of high-altitude electrons as a potential source of background signal. Missions utilizing Gaseous Electron Multiplier detectors may be at particular risk.

Usable Science for Managing the Risks of Sea-Level Rise.

Sea‐level rise sits at the frontier of usable climate climate change research, because it involves natural and human systems with long lags, irreversible losses, and deep uncertainty. For example, many of the measures to adapt to sea‐level rise involve infrastructure and land‐use decisions, which can have multigenerational lifetimes and will further influence responses in both natural and human systems. Thus, sea‐level science has increasingly grappled with the implications of (1) deep uncertainty in future climate system projections, particularly of human emissions and ice sheet dynamics; (2) the overlay of slow trends and high‐frequency variability (e.g., tides and storms) that give rise to many of the most relevant impacts; (3) the effects of changing sea level on the physical exposure and vulnerability of ecological and socioeconomic systems; and (4) the challenges of engaging stakeholder communities with the scientific process in a way that genuinely increases the utility of the science for adaptation decision making. Much fundamental climate system research remains to be done, but many of the most critical issues sit at the intersection of natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, decision science, and political economy. Addressing these issues demands a better understanding of the coupled interactions of mean and extreme sea levels, coastal geomorphology, economics, and migration; decision‐first approaches that identify and focus research upon those scientific uncertainties most relevant to concrete adaptation choices; and a political economy that allows usable science to become used science.

The Critical Role of Communities of Practice and Peer Learning in Scaling Hydroclimatic Information Adoption

Abstract Significant effort has been put into advancing the use and usability of information products to support adaptation to drought and climate variability, particularly for the water supply sector. Evidence and experience show that advancing the usability of information through processes such as coproduction is time consuming for both providers and users of information. One challenge for boundary organizations and researchers interested in enhancing the usability of their information is how such processes might “scale” to all the potential organizations and individual managers that might possibly be able to benefit from improved climate information. This paper examines information use preferences and practices specifically among managers of small water systems in the Upper Colorado River basin, with an eye toward identifying new opportunities to effectively scale information usability and uptake among all water managers—regardless of location or capacity—in a resource-constrained world. We find that boundary organizations and other usable science efforts would benefit from capitalizing on the communities of practice that bind water managers together. Specifically, strategic engagement with larger, well-respected water systems as early adopters, supporting dissemination of successes and experiences with new information products among a broader community of water managers, and increasing well-respected water systems’ capacity to engage directly with rural systems may all serve as useful strategies to promote widespread distribution, access, and adoption of information.

Knowledge Co-production in Contested Spaces: An Evaluation of the North Slope Borough – Shell Baseline Studies Program

Supporting the development of trusted and usable science remains a key challenge in contested spaces. This paper evaluates a collaborative research agreement between the North Slope Borough of Alaska and Shell Exploration and Production Company—an agreement that was designed to improve collection of information and management of issues associated with the potential impacts of oil and gas development in the Arctic. The evaluation is based on six categories of knowledge co-production indicators: external factors, inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. Two sources of data were used to assess the indicators: interviews with steering committee members and external science managers (n = 16) and a review of steering committee minutes. Interpretation of the output and outcome indicators suggests that the Baseline Studies Program supported a broad range of research, though there were differences in how groups perceived the relevance and legitimacy of project outcomes. Several input, process, and external variables enabled the co-production of trusted science in an emergent boundary organization and contested space; these variables included governance arrangements, leveraged capacities, and the inclusion of traditional knowledge. Challenges to knowledge co-production on the North Slope include logistics, differences in cultures and decision contexts, and balancing trade-offs among perceived credibility, legitimacy, and relevance. Reinforced lessons learned included providing time to foster trust, developing adaptive governance approaches, and building capacity among scientists to translate community concerns into research questions.

Sustainability of culturally important teepee poles on Mescalero Apache Tribal Lands: Characteristics and climate change effects

Integrating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with western science and modeling tools can enhance not only the delivery of culturally important species, but also community support and overall effectiveness of management. This paper presents a case study of co-producing usable science integrating TEK on a culturally important species with a modeling tool, Climate-Forest Vegetation Simulator (C-FVS). The Mescalero Apache tribe (southwestern USA) conduct a coming of age ceremony for young women who follow a traditional way of life. In order to conduct this ceremony, tall, thin teepee poles made from Douglas-fir trees are needed. Douglas-fir trees capable of producing teepee poles are a culturally important resource for the Mescalero Apache tribe. We interacted with medicine people, tribal members, and forest managers to gain insight on characteristics of teepee pole stands. We established thirty, 400 m2 circular plots with nested 100 m2 regeneration plots in teepee pole producing stands to characterize composition, structure, age, growth rates, and fuels. Teepee pole producing stands occupy an elevation range from 2012 to 2561 m, slopes of 3–43%, and aspects from NW to NE. The stands consist of dense, relatively old trees dominated by Douglas-fir, with other species of trees usually present as a minor component. Douglas-firs in teepee pole producing stands averaged 1255 ± 99 trees per ha (TPH), basal area 31.7 ± 1.5 m2/ha, and 18.5 ± 0.5 cm quadratic mean diameters (QMD). Douglas-fir trees in teepee pole producing stands were most commonly 75–100 years old with diameters at breast height (DBH) ranging from 5.1 to 25.4 cm. In order to assess future trajectories of teepee pole stands, we applied C-FVS which incorporates the effects of climate change scenarios over the next 100 years. We compared three standard scenarios ranging from moderate to severe climate change: Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5. Simulated future forests at the current plot locations even under the most mild climate change scenario (RCP 4.5) did not contain Douglas-fir after a century of modeling. Complete forest mortality was predicted under RCP 6.0 and RCP 8.5. Comparing bioclimatic niche modeling of Douglas-fir with downscaled future climate scenarios indicated that the species would have to be planted at least 305 m higher to maintain 21st century viability under RCP 4.5 and 6.0, or at least 610 m higher under RCP 8.0. The characterization of current teepee pole producing stands and simulations of future effects of climate change provide useful information to the Mescalero Apache Tribe to support management decisions on how they would like to preserve this cultural important resource.

Co‐producing simulation models to inform resource management: a case study from southwest South Dakota

AbstractSimulation models can represent complexities of the real world and serve as virtual laboratories for asking “what if…?” questions about how systems might respond to different scenarios. However, simulation models have limited relevance to real‐world applications when designed without input from people who could use the simulated scenarios to inform their decisions. Here, we report on a state‐and‐transition simulation model of vegetation dynamics that was coupled to a scenario planning process and co‐produced by researchers, resource managers, local subject‐matter experts, and climate change adaptation specialists to explore potential effects of climate scenarios and management alternatives on key resources in southwest South Dakota. Input from management partners and local experts was critical for representing key vegetation types, bison and cattle grazing, exotic plants, fire, and the effects of climate change and management on rangeland productivity and composition given the paucity of published data on many of these topics. By simulating multiple land management jurisdictions, climate scenarios, and management alternatives, the model highlighted important tradeoffs between grazer density and vegetation composition, as well as between the short‐ and long‐term costs of invasive species management. It also pointed to impactful uncertainties related to the effects of fire and grazing on vegetation. More broadly, a scenario‐based approach to model co‐production bracketed the uncertainty associated with climate change and ensured that the most important (and impactful) uncertainties related to resource management were addressed. This cooperative study demonstrates six opportunities for scientists to engage users throughout the modeling process to improve model utility and relevance: (1) identifying focal dynamics and variables, (2) developing conceptual model(s), (3) parameterizing the simulation, (4) identifying relevant climate scenarios and management alternatives, (5) evaluating and refining the simulation, and (6) interpreting the results. We also reflect on lessons learned and offer several recommendations for future co‐production efforts, with the aim of advancing the pursuit of usable science.

Surveying managers to inform a regionally relevant invasive Phragmites australis control research program

Managers of invasive species consider the peer-reviewed literature only moderately helpful for guiding their management programs. Though this “knowing-doing gap” has been well-described, there have been few efforts to guide scientists in how to develop useful and usable science. Here we demonstrate how a comprehensive survey of managers (representing 42 wetland management units across the Great Salt Lake watershed) can highlight management practices and challenges (here for the widespread invasive plant, Phragmites australis, a recent and aggressive invader in this region) to ultimately inform a research program. The diversity of surveyed organizations had wide-ranging amounts of Phragmites which led to different goals and approaches including more aggressive control targets and a wider array of control tools for smaller, private organizations compared to larger government-run properties. We found that nearly all managers (97%) used herbicide as their primary Phragmites control tool, while burning (65%), livestock grazing (49%), and mowing (43%) were also frequently used. Managers expressed uncertainties regarding the timing of herbicide application and type of herbicide for effective control. Trade-offs between different Phragmites treatments were driven by budgetary concerns, as well as environmental conditions like water levels and social constraints like permitting issues. Managers had specific ideas about the plant communities they desired following Phragmites control, yet revegetation of native species was rarely attempted. The results of this survey informed the development of large-scale, multi-year Phragmites control and native plant revegetation experiments to address management uncertainties regarding herbicide type and timing. The survey also facilitated initial scientist-manager communication, which led to collaborations and knowledge co-production between managers and researchers. An important outcome of the survey was that experimental results were more pertinent to manager needs and trusted by managers. Such an approach that integrates manager surveys to inform management experiments could be adapted to any developing research program seeking to be relevant to management audiences.

Public Interest in Microclimate Data in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

New technologies can sense urban environmental conditions at finer scales than previously possible. This has paved the way for monitoring microclimates between and within neighborhoods. Equally vital, though much less studied, is stakeholder engagement in understanding and using such data. This study examines interests and preferences for accessing neighborhood-scale microclimate data among residents of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Data are from randomly sampled phone surveys (N = 200) and purposively sampled focus group participants (N = 25). Survey participants expressed high interest in neighborhood air quality, temperature, and rainfall. Focus groups revealed four themes for designing smartphone applications or websites for neighborhood-scale data: easy access to integrated data, clear and intuitive design, information for everyday living and healthy behavior, and tools for civic engagement. Results support the value of creating meaningful, usable science interfaces with which the public can readily engage.

A Workshop on Future Directions of Usable Science for Rangeland Sustainability

On the Ground As funding for rangeland research becomes more difficult to secure, researchers and funding organizations must ensure that the information needs of public and private land managers are met. Usable science that involves the intended end users throughout the scientific enterprise and gives rise to improved outcomes and informed management on the ground should be emphasized. The SRR workshop on Future Directions of Usable Science for Rangeland Sustainability brought together university and agency researchers, public and private land managers and producers, non-governmental organizations, and representatives of funding agencies and organizations to initiate the process of charting a research agenda for future directions of usable science for rangeland sustainability. Workshop outcomes address issues and research questions for soil health, water, vegetation (plants), animals, and socio-economic aspects of rangeland sustainability.

Usable Science for Sustainable Rangelands: Conclusions

On the Ground Producers and users of scientific knowledge working together can identify future research directions that will produce usable science to address the challenges of managing for sustainable rangelands. Matching the scale of science to the scale of management and ecological and physical processes was a prominent theme identified. Similar activities in other regions with participants from the energy sector, wildlife organizations, and recreation enthusiasts can provide additional research directions for sustainable rangelands.

Future Directions of Usable Science for Sustainable Rangelands: Water

On the Ground Usable science takes on a completely new meaning when you are looking to science to literally save your livelihood. The challenge for rangeland professionals, including research scientists, is accurately predicting the consequences to water of land-use change, climate change, and increasing competition for water while also providing socially acceptable science-based solutions. The good news for rangeland professionals and research scientists is that because water is indeed essential for life, our knowledge and skills will be essential for addressing these issues.

Usable Science for Managing Animals and Rangeland Sustainability

On the Ground: Animals are critical components of rangeland ecosystems, and domestic livestock provide an extremely important management tool on rangelands. Decades of research have yielded much valuable information to support sustainable and effective grazing management, but increased complexity resulting in part from expanding environmental, economic, and societal pressures demands future investments in usable science focused on rangeland animals. Three priorities for usable science are recommended: Proactive drought planning Better matching livestock production systems to rangeland resources Comprehensive synthesis of and effective communication concerning environmental impacts (positive, negative, and neutral) of livestock on rangelands.

Usable Science: Soil Health

On the Ground Healthy soils are fundamental to sustainable rangelands, but soils function in obscurity. This is reflected in the belowground black-box mentality often attributed to soils. Transformational changes get the attention of land managers and the public for example, soil erosion associated with the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. This provides benchmarks for the context of importance in maintaining healthy soils for the productive capacity of rangelands. Benefits of soil health include enhanced soil waterholding capacity and appropriate nutrient cycling, which increases rangelands resilience to weather variability and predicted climate change. Future directions of usable science for soil health include: 1) characterization of soil health indicators for sensitivity levels that affect transitions/thresholds of state-and-transition models, 2) influences of management practices, predicted climate change, and extreme events, and 3) impact of prescribed fire and wildfires on soil health.