Skip to main content

  • HOME
  • CURRENT CONTENT
  • ALL CONTENT
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
    • Journal
    • Editorial
  • INFO FOR
    • Librarians
    • Authors
    • Reprints and Permissions
    • Subscriptions and Single Issues
  • MORE
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us

  • Login

  • Advanced search

  • Login
Advanced Search
  • HOME
  • CURRENT CONTENT
  • ALL CONTENT
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
    • Journal
    • Editorial
  • INFO FOR
    • Librarians
    • Authors
    • Reprints and Permissions
    • Subscriptions and Single Issues
  • MORE
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us
Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences
Computing the Climate
When Models Became Political
Janet Martin-Nielsen
HIST STUD NAT SCI, Vol. 48 No. 2, April 2018; (pp. 223-245) DOI: 10.1525/hsns.2018.48.2.223
Janet Martin-Nielsen
Centre for Science Studies, Aarhus University; janet.nielsen@utoronto.ca
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • View author's works on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
PreviousNext
Loading

Abstract

This paper traces the development of numerical climate models in the United Kingdom from 1963, when the U.K.’s Meteorological Office first took up climate modelling, to the mid-to-late 1970s, when climate change became politicized in the United Kingdom. The central question posed is how U.K. climate modellers developed rhetoric, managed expectations, and weighed their professional and political responsibilities in the face of growing political interest in climate change. Whilst the modellers were reluctant to allow the modelling results to be used for political ends, U.K. civil servants saw climate modelling as a modern tool for a new problem. As scientific and political agendas diverged, the director of the Meteorological Office, John Mason, found himself caught between his position as a government employee in a service organization and his responsibility as a gatekeeper between climate models and their potential uses. Ultimately, as Mason and his modellers were forced to admit, their climate models became cultural and political as well as scientific objects.

Key Words:
  • climate
  • climate change
  • modelling
  • prediction
  • politicization of climate
  • Meteorological Office
  • © 2018 by the Regents of the University of California

Log in using your username and password

Enter your Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences username.
Enter the password that accompanies your username.
Forgot your user name or password?

Log in through your institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your library if you do not have a username and password.
If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

PreviousNext
Back to top

Vol. 48 No. 2, April 2018

Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences: 48 (2)
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Cover (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Front Matter (PDF)
eTOC Alert

RSSRSS Icon

Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Computing the Climate
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences web site.
Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Computing the Climate
When Models Became Political
Janet Martin-Nielsen
HIST STUD NAT SCI, Vol. 48 No. 2, April 2018; (pp. 223-245) DOI: 10.1525/hsns.2018.48.2.223
Janet Martin-Nielsen
Centre for Science Studies, Aarhus University; janet.nielsen@utoronto.ca
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • View author's works on this site

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Request Permissions
Share
Computing the Climate
When Models Became Political
Janet Martin-Nielsen
HIST STUD NAT SCI, Vol. 48 No. 2, April 2018; (pp. 223-245) DOI: 10.1525/hsns.2018.48.2.223
Janet Martin-Nielsen
Centre for Science Studies, Aarhus University; janet.nielsen@utoronto.ca
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Search for this author on this site
  • View author's works on this site
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Technorati logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
View Full Page PDF
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
  • Top
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

Cited By...

Similar Articles

FIND US Facebook Account LinkRSS Feeds LinkTwitter Account LinkLinkedin Account LinkYoutube Account LinkEmail Link

Customer Service

  • Reprints and Permissions
  • Contact

UC Press

  • About UC Press

Navigate

  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • Editorial
  • Contact

Content

  • Current Issue
  • All Content

Info For

  • Librarians
  • Authors
  • Subscriptions and Single Issues

Copyright © 2019 by the Regents of the University of California  Privacy   Accessibility