Michael White
@MWClimateSci
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Climate science editor for @nature . Views my own. Climate podcasts at . Baker, cyclist, recovering academic.
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Joined December 2013
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I just finished reading
@nature
’s special issue content on racism in science. I found it powerful, depressing, uplifting, fascinating, and inspirational. In the hopes that I can tempt you to check out the wide content, here’s a quick🧵on all the content.
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I’ve handled the review of > 1000 papers at
@nature
. Over time, you notice aspects of presentation on which reviewers tend to comment. In the interests of minimizing hassles during review, I offer the following suggestions (a bit targeted to climate papers).
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Avoid subjective wording: reviewers will often object to words/phrases like “unprecedented”, “paradigm shift”, “amazing”, “dramatic”, and “remarkable”. Best to present your results, and let the readers make up their minds about the magnitude of the advance.
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I know that many of these suggestions must seem blindingly obvious and I hope not to have come across as condescending (particularly as I failed to implement many of these practices when I was an academic). Hopefully at least some will prove useful!
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Avoid using “significant” to mean “big” or “major”: too easily confused with the results of a statistical text. Even if you are reporting the results of a statistical test, it’s better to report the numerical results instead. In fact, best to avoid "significantly" entirely.
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Consider accessibility: try to use colors in a way that won’t create problems for the many readers with some form of color blindness (for a good discussion and design suggestions see ).
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Avoid words like “influence”: instead, state the direction of the effect you’re describing. So, instead of hypothetically writing “Precipitation influences net primary production” write “Precipitation increases net primary production”. Better yet, use numbers.
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Avoid acronyms: a rule of thumb might be to use an acronym if the term is used at least five times. Do use common acronyms, like SST, CDW, NPP, AMOC. Avoid, if at all possible, inventing acronyms that are unique to your paper.
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Thread. I go to a lot of meetings where I have only a modest level of knowledge about the field. Which is great, because then I learn a lot. But I don’t understand the main point of many talks.
#DarkConfessions
#scicomm
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Avoid rainbow color schemes: see
#endrainbow
for discussion, much of it from
@ed_hawkins
. For more, and palettes:
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Define uncertainties: probably half of initial submissions do not fully define the meaning of error bars and/or uncertainties. 95% confidence intervals, ranges, 2 sigma? Is the box plot showing the interquartile range, or something else? Tell us, in the figure legend.
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Use a declarative title: reviewers (and editors) will often recommend a declarative title. Instead of a hypothetical title like “Trends in groundwater storage” try “A doubling of groundwater loss since 2010”.
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Double space: make it easy on the reader (and editor) by double spacing the entire text, including references and figure legends.
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Use continuous line numbers: reviewers like to refer to specific line numbers and frequently comment on their absence.
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For several years I've been asking authors of
@nature
climate papers to make their underlying data publicly available. As of today, the policy is formalized and we are mandating (with some exceptions) that data be uploaded to community repositories.
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Use big fonts: again, make the paper easy to read. Tracking 30 words across one line in a tiny font is hard, especially if you are reading for hours at a time. Instead, use a font that provides about 12-15 words per line of text.
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Use divergent colors when appropriate: in an anomaly graph, it’s often helpful to set zero as white and then ramp up to two colors. For example, panel f in Extended Data figure 6 in Cody Routson’s recent
@nature
paper .
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Ever wonder about the scope of climate research published in
@nature
? Here are the papers published in 2021 I handled as climate science editor. Two threads. Here's part 2 on modern+future.
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Provide inline figures and legends: at least for the purposes of review at
@nature
, it’s fine to provide figures and legends as part of a single PDF, with the figures placed at an appropriate location in the text.
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Provide short titles for figure legends: sometimes this can be descriptive, like “Study area”. But if possible, make the title declarative, like “Habitat fragmentation increases cloud condensation nuclei” (hypothetical!).
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Thread.
@nature
has a huge amount of content. Confused about what our various categories mean? You’re not alone! Sure we have a guide to authors, but it is, ahem, a bit formal. Here’s a blast through our various categories.
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Simplify figures: we often see maps with colors and contours used to display the same data. This can be confusing, as the reader may think that different datasets are being displayed on the same map. Normally, one or the other is sufficient.
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Thread.
@nature
encourages authors to recommend and exclude reviewers. My personal views on the strategies that are likely to increase/decrease the chances of your recommendations being taken up ...
#peerreview
#scicomm
#climatetwitter
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Thread: today in
@nature
we republished a retracted paper, likely for the first time in our history. The original paper, showing that water supply from glaciers in High Mountain Asia are societally important, esp during drought years: .
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Ever wonder about the scope of climate research published in
@nature
? Here are the papers published in 2021 I handled as climate science editor. Two threads. Here's part 1 on paleoclimate.
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Today is a day unlike any other in my ten years at
@nature
. We have an absolute avalanche/blizzard/insert-horrible-pun-here of content on Antarctica, timed to appear just before the
#SCAR
Open Science Meeting at
#POLAR2018
in Davos.
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I think many believe that
@nature
editors are looking for reasons to reject papers. Speaking for myself, I am instead looking for reasons to accept papers! I just accepted one and have 10 more pending accepts 🤯🤯🤯Probably going to be my all time record for accepts in a week.
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Thought experiment. 1 ppm CO2 = 2.1 Gt C. If CDR is $500/t, removing 1 ppm = ~ $1 trillion. So the opportunity cost of sequestering 1 ppm is about equal to funding the entire US military for a year. Gulp.
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@Weather_West
I know you're under incredible stress and are facing endless requests for time and information. I just want to say thank you. You're doing an amazing job and are bringing a hugely valuable science-based perspective to fire discussions.
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Being the climate science editor for
@nature
usually means publishing a great deal of really bad news. But not today:
@meinshausen
and colleagues show that the implementation of COP26 pledges could keep us below 2 C of global warming.
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Most of
@nature
is now working from home. But work is proceeding, and I am still sending out invitations to review. It feels completely boorish not to acknowledge COVID-19, so I'm including the below wording. Does this strike you as appropriate wording? Suggestions?
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1/ Today in
@nature
: reconstruction and modeling of high southern latitude climate about 90 Myr ago, by Johann Klages & co.
@AWI_Media
. Short answer: temperate rainforest!
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So, following on from my earlier thread about papers (since published in
@NatureCareers
) I have some suggestions for presentations.
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I asked if there were climate scientists who could review
#covid19
papers. Many responded 😍. Now I reach out to
#EconTwitter
. Specifically, if you are available to *quickly* review econometrics/epidemiology research please let me know via DM or m.white
@us
.nature.com. Please RT!
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Authors: if you are going to recommend ten reviewers, could at least one of them be a woman?
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In todays'
@nature
@BenBronselaer
and
@laurezanna
use a coupling between ocean heat and carbon uptake to show that patterns of ocean warming were driven by circulation variability in the past but will be dominated by heat uptake in the future.
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From a series of interactions like this over many years and many meetings, I now think that a vast chunk of scientific presentations do not communicate a clear, main conclusion – even to fellow specialists.
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... consider presenting less to accomplish more. Talks often present too much information at the expense of communicating an idea or main conclusion. Too many graphs, tables, numbers, words, equations, and slides. Here are 10 suggestions on how to clarify your message.
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As of February 1
@nature
is using a transparent peer review system. Here's the explanatory text sent to reviewers. FAQ discusses other details.
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I'm beginning work on a talk revisiting the grand challenges of climate science from ~ 50-70 years ago. Which are solved? Which remain? Historians of science: any top picks, especially of Rossby/Scandinavia origin? Please RT!
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Thanks to
@PaleoForams
I remembered that I'd compiled a map of recommended restaurants for
#AGU2019
.
@theAGU
. Here it is!
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Our annual "ten people who shaped science" special is out in
@nature
. 7 of 10 are *not* white men, 1 is a climate scientist (
@FrediOtto
), and the cover is fantastic.
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After years of thinking about it I did the 120 mile out and back ride to the
#PointReyesLighthouse
. Now paying the price!
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Today in
@nature
: our first special issue devoted to racism in science. Includes a moving and disturbing piece by geoscientist
@seis_matters
.
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A major part of my job at
@nature
is outreach to the climate community. It's harder during pandemic times, but we can still meet remotely. Could be a one-on-one to discuss a submission, drop-in to lab meeting, or a 'publishing with nature' talk. Feel free to DM if interested!
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I am going to start asking
@nature
climate science authors to replace bar charts with a depiction of the underlying data. Is this paper in PLOS Biology the best reference?
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Interested in the method behind today's
@nature
paper by Romain Huggonet & co. showing accelerated glacial mass loss? Extended Data figure 1 gives you some idea of the mind-bending amount of work.
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1) Tell the audience the main conclusion at the beginning of the talk. In doing so, avoid jargon. Make at least this one part comprehensible to anyone with a scientific background.
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My earlier thread on suggestions for paper writing/presentation is now out, somewhat modified, in
@nature
's Career Column. Flagging for
@TheRealColmRyan
@Daniel_R_Marsh
@aandrewdjones
, who'd asked about a more findable location for the suggestions.
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To maximize odds a reviewer will accept your rebuttal I'd recommend "we did not explain well" instead of the "the reviewer misunderstood".
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Thread. I once went six months without accepting a single paper for
@nature
. I recently went through another drought, although not as long. Most if not all editors experience similar cycles in their fields. Finally today I can report that we have new climate content!
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Will a minimal presentation make you look weak/non-quantitative/unintelligent/grandiose/unaware of caveats? No. Done right, a simple presentation will allow your audience to actually understand what you've found.
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Job!
@NatureGeosci
is hiring an editor to cover modern climate. Great opportunity for those interested in a stimulating, non-academic career. Likely based in London or Berlin, but other offices are possible (New York, Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai). Please RT!
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Recommend women and candidates from underrepresented groups. It is depressingly common to receive a lengthy list of senior/white/male reviewers. A more diverse reviewing pool is out there. I am trying to find it. If you can help, please do.
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Job: interested in a career in editing, and building the portfolio of economics research at
@nature
? We are, at last, hiring an economist! Closing October 4.
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Here's one great pandemic project. My wife
@twobadants
and a friend sewed masks for every student and teacher in our elementary school.
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8) Confuse non-specialists. For a while. Think of a talk like an accordion. Begin expansively, at a level anyone could grasp. In the middle, squeeze down to highlight the nuts and bolts that will excite specialists. At the end, broaden to bring back the rest of the audience.
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Stunningly awesome that climate scientists Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann are sharing in this year's Nobel Prize in Physics! Here's a
@NaturePortfolio
collection of work published and inspired by the winners.
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The number of papers I've accepted over my time as climate science editor for
@nature
(2008 was a partial year, same for 2020 obv). Lots of variability. Average 27/year.
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For the first time since graduating from college in 1992, I am
#CarFree
. Sold the 2006 VW for $2500, which covered the cost of Craigslist electric cargo bike for
#FamilyBiking
and town bike. Bay Area tweeps: for when we do need to drive, any tips on the many car share options?
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Are you already pumped for
#AGU19
? Me too! I'm revising my restaurant recommendations, this time with a map. Early version:
AGU restaurants -
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This is what it looks like to make cycling a priority. And this is only a small part of the massive bike parking area at
@UtrechtUni
.
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Today in
@nature
: a rare-for-us theoretical climatology paper by
@takes_by_jakes
and Robin Wordsworth. Headline conclusion: precipitation in a hothouse climate oscillates between massive deluges and drought. Read only PDF
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Anyway, I began to confess my lack of understanding to other audience members, and ask them for an explanation. Turns out, many of them also did not understand the talks. At all.
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@seis_matters
: institutional racism is alive and well in the ivory tower. The infuriating struggle to fight and change the system, and the hate you’ll get along the way. Upshot: a great scientist chose to leave academia.
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Thread. Lots of climate content in today's
@nature
! Ching-Yao Lai from .
@LamontEarth
and colleagues combine remote sensing, modeling, and machine learning to quantify the vulnerability of Antarctica's ice shelves to hydrofracture.
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We have published an Editor's Note regarding the
@nature
Resplandy et al. paper on ocean heat content, available under the "Change history" section.
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Forecast has come to an end (at least for now), but I wanted to keep the interviews available. Same address, different host and a simpler layout. Still the same 77 long-format interviews with amazing climate scientists.
#climatechange
#WomenInSTEM
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1/ Yesterday in
@nature
: Wenju Cai and colleagues assess models to show that ENSO variability in one period - set by a chaotic sensitivity to initial conditions - influences variability a century later.
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Job:
@NatureComms
is hiring an editor! It's a pretty broad net, in terms of desired expertise: geomorphology, sedimentology, cryosphere, hydrology, pollution or paleoclimate. Based in New York, London, or Berlin. Please RT!
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4) Use one graph per slide. It can be crazy-hard to grasp the meaning of even one graph, much less the eight or more you’ll see on many slides. Instead of blasting the audience with a dizzying array of information, explain one graph thoroughly. Explain units and colors.
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The most ridiculous question I've been asked in a long time: "Are you having tart for breakfast?". Uh, yes!
#stressbaking
almond and cherry tart.
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For most of the past 150 years
@nature
did not publish much in social sciences, much less economics. That's changed, massively, across our family of
@nresearchnews
journals. For an overview of recent content have a look at our new collection.
#EconTwitter
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Some of the papers I'm working on today: agriculture, tornadoes, martian climate, internal waves, tropical cyclones, extreme precipitation, and the last interglacial. Diversity! One of the many reasons I like being an editor for
@nature
.
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In today's
@nature
, Doug Smith from the .
@metoffice
& colleagues show that models have strong skill in predicting decadal variability of North Atlantic climate. But extracting the skill is not terribly straightforward and requires careful post-processing.
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Today in
@nature
:
@LauraRevellNZ
and colleagues show that airborne microplastics are likely generating a detectable radiative forcing on climate. Read only PDF .
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Rode through Tilden/Wildcat/Richmond/Point Pinole. Some really stunning terrain. Also I flatted three times. Which might be annoying, but all I could think was that I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to have such bad luck.
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Martha Gilmore: notorious under-representation of minority groups in geoscience. A personal view on the sort of racism – subtle, frequent, exhausting, dispiriting, isolating – that can play a role.
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Interested in a broad perspective on machine and deep learning/artificial intelligence for Earth system science? One of the main points in
@Reichstein_BGC
& co's recent
@nature
paper is that there is still a need for physical insight and reasoning.
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1/ First the good news ... I have a new podcast episode for you, with Peter Bauer from the ECMWF. Thanks to Peter for his great insights on numerical weather prediction!
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3) Limit words. Consider how many words you’ve put on a slide. Do you really expect the audience to read all of that, while paying attention to you? Probably not. Instead, aim for just a few key words to amplify, not repeat, what you’re saying.
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End-of-year thank you: to the authors and reviewers with whom I've had the privilege of working; to the scientists I've visited remotely; to the groups who hosted my rare in-person visits; to my great
@nature
colleagues; to friends and family for general awesomeness.
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As excited as I am about the last week's
@nature
papers by
@flimsin
,
@nick_golledge
and colleagues ... I am almost as excited by
@flimsin
's choice to use
@CodeOceanHQ
to share her code. I'd love to hear what others make of the approach!
#opencode
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