Fire progression maps (FPMs) provide information regarding wildland fire spread (progress) through time to broad audiences. However, information regarding the best use of color to denote fire progression via maps is limited. This can potentially limit a map's ability to effectively communicate information by creating inconsistent messaging and accessibility challenges. Here, I provide color map recommendations to open a discussion towards consistent and accessible fire progression mapping.

Public perception of climate change impacts on environmental systems is primarily driven by exposure to different forms of media. Here, we inspect the ever-growing public discourse around climate change over the last 30 years and assess perceptions gained from the largest media franchise worldwide, Pokémon. We highlight the growth of the acknowledgement of anthropogenic change, keeping track with the step-by-step increases in public exposure to climate change.

To allow for more effective use of climate science, this work proposes and evaluates an open-access R code that deploys a measure of how natural hazards (e.g. extreme wind and flooding) co-occur, is obtainable from scientific research and is usable in practice without restricted data (climate or risk) being exposed. The approach can be applied to hazards in various sectors (e.g. road, rail and telecommunications).

Climate change can often seem rather remote, especially when the discussion is about global averages which appear to have little relevance to local experiences. But those global changes are already affecting people, even if they do not fully realise it, and effective communication of this issue is critical. We use long observations and well-understood physical principles to visually highlight how global emissions influence local flood risk in one river basin in the UK.

The Nuestro Rio project (2021–22) developed a digital app to collect local perspectives on water quality in the Santa River basin, Peru. Here we share four key lessons from the project, discussing the importance and challenges of engaging local participants, the use of technology for data collection, and the need to integrate local perspectives with scientific observations. This article provides insights for researchers considering developing similar technological tools for environmental issues.

The world is facing a critical issue of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, despite efforts to address it. While positive steps are being taken in the adoption of comprehensive conservation policies, more effective science-for-policy approaches are necessary to foster connectivity, engage communities, and promote transformative change. This study outlines how scientists can drive impactful change within and beyond their communities to contribute to meeting global biodiversity targets.

We used 3D-printed building blocks (TotBlocks) in an undergraduate optical mineralogy lab session to illustrate the links between crystal structures and the properties of minerals. Students built mica, pyroxene, and amphibole structures. We observed an improved understanding of cleavage (how minerals break) and pleochroism (how light interacts with minerals), but understanding did not improve with more abstract concepts. TotBlocks hold potential as a teaching tool in mineralogy classrooms.

We explored two art–geoscience case studies to provide experience-based advice for successful partnerships that aim to diversify and enhance inclusive engagement of the geosciences. Our case study approach revealed the importance of stakeholder relationship building, reflective practice, and the value of sharing art–geoscience partnerships in varied settings. These findings offer examples and preliminary advice on enabling conditions for enacting productive art–geoscience collaborations.

There has also been a stark loss of wildlife since 1970, yet climate change receives far greater attention. The warming stripes have shown how simple graphics can engage broad audiences. The nature stripes show how the loss of wildlife and biodiversity can also be presented in a similar way for positive effects.

In this manifesto, we offer six points of reflection that higher education geoscience educators can act upon to recognise and unlearn their biases and diversify the geosciences in higher education, complementing current calls for institutional and organisational change. This serves as a starting point to gather momentum to establish community-built opportunities for implementing and strengthening diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice holistically in geoscience education.

Participants answered four questions concerning their experience writing a haiku based on a geoscience extract. Data were categorised as being part of the Task Process or Task Meaning. The themes involved in the Task Process were Identification of significant information, Distillation of information and Metamorphosis of text, while the themes related to Task Meaning were made up of Enjoyable, Challenging (which has sub-themes Frustrating and Restricted) and Valuable.

Educational research highlights that improved careers education is needed to increase participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Current UK careers resources in the space sector, however, are found to perhaps not best reflect the diversity of roles present and may in fact perpetuate misconceptions about the usefulness of science. We, therefore, compile a more diverse set of space-related jobs, which will be used in the development of a new space careers resource.

Rainbow and red–green colour schemes are widely used in scientific publications despite being known to be problematic, particularly to people with colour blindness. This study investigates to what extent such colour schemes are used in geoscience publications. Based on a desk survey of over 2500 papers from six journals between 2005 and 2020, it is found that over half of the published papers have maps or graphs with colour issues that are therefore potentially misleading to readers.

It is an aspiration to infer flow conditions from bedform morphology (e.g. riverbed ripples) where sedimentary structures preserve the geological past or in inaccessible environments (e.g. Mars). This study was motivated by the idea of better designing an AI (artificial intelligence) algorithm to do this by using lessons from non-AI (i.e. human) abilities, investigated using a geoscience communication activity. A survey and an artificial neural network are used in a successful proof of concept.