A word cloud is a visual representation of a piece of text that scales the color and/or size of words according to the frequency they are used (i.e. the larger the word, the more frequently it is used). After an interesting GLACIER seminar discussion, I was inspired to create word clouds using the policy summary or other synthesis report for the 1995, 2001 and 2007 IPCC reports. It is interesting to observe how frequently used words in these reports has changed over time.
Below, please find links to a powerpoint containing all three word clouds, as well as pdfs of the original reports and the word cloud images.
IPCC Through the Years: A Word Cloud Comparison
1995: 2nd Assessment
1995 Word Cloud
2001: Summary for Policymakers
2001 Word Cloud
2007: Synthesis Report
2007 Word Cloud
All word clouds were created using Wordle (http://www.wordle.net/), a free and easy-to-use web tool.
