Assistant Professor of Sociology Publishes Article on Weather, Climate Change, and Social Impacts in Alaska's Bering Sea

August 19, 2021
Zeke Baker
A boat in the Bering Sea
Zeke Baker
A boat in the Bering Sea

Zeke Baker, Assistant Professor of Sociology, has published an article, titled "Anticipatory Culture: Weather, Climate, and Temporal Dissonance in the Bering Sea" in the journal Weather, Climate & Society. The article is based on research he conducted in the Bering Sea region of Western Alaska. Dr. Baker's study demonstrates how climate change alters how people anticipate the long-term future. For mariners and coastal communities in the Bering Sea region, this situation is acute. Although researchers and weather services have responded by generating predictive information, it is unclear how communities incorporate formal information in their everyday lives and decision-making. Dr. Baker's study, therefore, draws upon interviews and qualitative fieldwork, finding situations of what he labels 'temporal dissonance' ”marked by unanticipated circumstances” at the generational, seasonal, and everyday time scales. He concludes that meteorology and weather services can improve their social impact by moving beyond a paradigm of formal prediction to incorporate a deeper understanding of community-level social processes.

Citation:

Baker, Zeke. 2021. "Anticipatory Culture: Weather, Climate, and Temporal Dissonance in the Bering Sea." Weather, Climate & Society 13 (783-795). https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-21-0066.1

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