NEDIM SLADIĆ, TANJA PORJA
KEYWORDS : Public speaking, meteorology and climatology terms, reference period, climate change, colour-coded schemes
Abstract :
Broadcasting meteorology is the part of meteorology which deals with communicating the data and information to the public. Nowadays it has gained momentum in parallel with the rise of extreme weather conditions, providing the beneficial opportunity to inform and educate the public. This implies breaking down abstract terminology and using the most advanced visual aids to simplify the complex language. However, the extreme weather perception is skewed due to climatic and meteorological illiteracy, the inability to comprehend the importance of the planetary energy budget and the overall contribution of greenhouse gases to the climate system. One of the greatest challenges for the broadcast meteorologists is the short lifespan of the forecasts – they may be verified in a few minutes, hours or days. Annually, it is not a rare occurrence that a frontal system is delayed or a convective storm degrades faster or changes the trajectory for which the broadcast meteorologist is crucified by the public. Therefore, narrow space and time references are often the biggest enemies. Another very recent issue is the colour bar scheme choice as the red and pink shades are to be the most fearmongering for the public and often used to be compared with past events. In July 2022, the conspiracy theories skyrocketed when the Met Office announced its first 40 °C in the UK, with the accusation of meteorologists being “harbingers of doom.” However, this was not an isolated case, as in April 2023, due to an exceptional heatwave for the time of the year, meteorologists at AEMET (Spanish Hydrometeorological Service) faced life threats, severely raising the pressure and affecting their contribution to society. Moreover, the probabilistic approach pours the confusion in the traditional weather reports and applications to the end users, often which cannot be perceived by the public to decide whether they will need an umbrella if the rain is expected, or not to stay dry. These issues remain the challenges for the foreseeable future, raising the concerns of presenting factual information, seeking alternative solutions for the numerical values in presenting the data to the public and the role of a broadcast meteorologist.