Title: The El Niño Southern Oscillation, Forecasting, and Situated Knowledge
Speaker: Dr George Adamson
Date and Time: April 4th, 12-1:30 pm
Venue: LH 212
Abstract:
The El Niño Southern Oscillation is often given as a key explanatory factor for extreme or unexpected weather across the tropics, including India. The declaration of an El Niño event can provoke disaster managers to prepare mitigation in advance of expected hazards, and can release international aid money through forecast-based-financing. Yet the phenomenon is more difficult to define than is often presented, and there have been notable forecasting failures. Moreover, the definition of El Niño that is commonly used is in fact a national definition produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US, and is not always suitable for El Niño-related impacts elsewhere in the world. This presentation will outline the history of the discovery of the phenomenon and its codification through forecasts and indices. Using theories from Science and Technology Studies I will argue that there are in fact multiple El Niños, and that the production of knowledge around the phenomenon should be considered as being situated in specific contexts. Appreciating this is vital for policymaking.
Bio:
George is a Reader in Climate & Society at King's College London. Coming from a multidisciplinary background, his research examines how climate knowledge is constructed through science, governing institutions and culture, and how these different understandings of climate interrelate. His work is primarily based in India and the UK, with a particular focus on the El Niño Southern Oscillation.