the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
| 24 Apr 2025
Including Cultural Context Improves Communication Outcomes for Quaternary Geoheritage: Evidence from Southeast Arabia
Abstract. Effective science communication plays a crucial role in enhancing public understanding of Quaternary science. One potential strategy for advancing public engagement involves highlighting the interconnectedness of Quaternary sites, archaeology, and human culture. Despite the recent increased focus on science communication within the geosciences, the significance and effectiveness of emphasising such geocultural connections in communicating about Quaternary geoheritage sites have rarely been explored in experimental settings.
This study investigates the efficacy of educational videos in communicating the significance of Quaternary geoheritage sites in southeast Arabia. Specifically, it examines the impact of including geocultural context information. An online experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of videos produced with input from academics, museum professionals, and heritage administrators from the region. The study compares the impact of two different 9-minute videos—one emphasising the geocultural context, and the other focusing solely on Quaternary science—on participants' knowledge, interest, and perception of Quaternary geoheritage sites.
Both videos were found to be effective overall in enhancing participants’ self-reported knowledge of Quaternary geoheritage sites and increasing their overall interest. However, the inclusion of geocultural information resulted in improved long-term retention of information and heightened levels of interest, particularly among respondents without a specialist background in this field. Moreover, although the geocultural video was less effective as an immediate teaching tool compared to the Quaternary science-focused video, participants exposed to it reported better memory in the 3-months-after survey and demonstrated a stronger sense of the need to protect Quaternary geoheritage sites.
Although the result of this study as its participant profile is limited to highly educated people with pro-nature attitudes, this study advances our understanding of the role of geocultural connections in communicating the importance of Quaternary science and raising awareness of Quaternary geoheritage. By demonstrating the benefits of incorporating information on cultural relevance into communication strategies, the study illustrates how Quaternary scientists and geoheritage practitioners can enhance audience engagement, deepen understanding, and inspire lasting changes in attitudes. These positive findings underscore the necessity for future research to explore the applicability of this concept in various social, cultural, and/or geographical settings.
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Status: final response (author comments only)
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RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-1235', Anonymous Referee #1, 14 May 2025
The study investigates the effectiveness of incorporating geocultural context in the production of short videos to communicate about Quaternary geoheritage. This topic is highly relevant, contemporary and suitable for the readership of ‘Geoscience Communication’. The study area and the type of heritage are relatively underrepresented in the scientific literature, thereby adding further interest to the research.
The overall methodological approach is appropriate for addressing the research question posed in the article. By conducting pre-test, post-test and follow-up surveys, the study has the necessary data to asses potential changes in participants’ knowledge and attitudes resulting from exposure to the videos. However, the study has significant shortcomings in how the methodology and results are described, in the terminology used, and in the validity of comparisons made.
The article is excessively lengthy, resembling a master's thesis or report. A substantial amount of information in the initial sections lacks direct relevance to the problem framing, methodological approach, or discussion of the results. The introduction needs a critical rewriting and shortening focused on what really matters to the article’s readers. For example, the aims of the study (page 5) could be stated in one or two sentences, the regional setting has too many details (page 5).
The methodology outlined in Section 3 needs refinement to improve clarity and accuracy, especially Section 3.3. For instance, in the first sentence of Section 3.3, it is stated that “An online experiment was conducted using the videos produced in the second phase of the study,” which is incorrect. The study started in Phase 1 with a focus group—independent of an online format (or was it?). Details such as the number of participants in the focus groups, as well as in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up surveys, should be explicitly included in this section (methods). I strongly recommend that the authors consult peer-reviewed scientific articles where similar analyses are conducted, to learn how to conduct and describe such studies. Just as an example, terminology such as “a wave” to describe the timing of surveys is inappropriate.
A critical concern is the reason for requesting participants to specify their names in the questionnaires. If the aim is to track individual opinion evolution, participants should be assigned anonymised codes. Furthermore, asking for extensive personal information—such as email addresses, WhatsApp contacts, and study institution—is unnecessary and raises ethical considerations.
Another important limitation is that the sample is not representative of the wider population. The assumption underlying the sampling method (as outlined in...) pertains to random sampling within a homogeneous population. However, the sampling was non-random and based on convenience. Consequently, the results are only applicable to a highly educated subgroup within a specific locale.
To reliably analyse the three survey timings, it is essential to work with the same sample across all phases; employing different samples for each phase is methodologically inappropriate. Variations in sample sizes among the timings means that they constitute different groups, which could account for some of the unexpected results observed in the data displayed on the manuscript figures. Only the data from participants who completed all three surveys (n=82) should be used for the longitudinal analysis. Additionally, information regarding the expected duration of the questionnaire would have been valuable — obtained from a pilot test with a small sample (this was done?).
Despite these more specific issues, it is evident that the manuscript requires a major revision and thorough rewriting before a detailed critique of all points can be carried out effectively.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1235-RC1 -
RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-1235', Anonymous Referee #2, 21 May 2025
Communicating the value of heritage sites worldwide and engaging the public with geosciences is crucial to addressing the climate crisis and the lack of interest in the topic. As such, this study provides important insights into how to connect with the public effectively and communicate the value of preserving geoheritage. However, in its present form, the study lacks a lot of structure and provides few details, making it difficult to follow for communicators interested in replicating this experiment.
I agree with all the comments posted by Reviewer 1, particularly with how little information about the experimental design is provided. I also share concerns regarding the collection of personal data, such as contact details. However, I provide additional commentary on the structure of the paper here, based on the fact that the information is not clearly stated. This does not mean the study needs to be repeated, that can be judged once this information is provided.
- There is insufficient information on how the focus group was performed and how this informed the video. I was expecting much more regarding the criteria to include the Examples in the two videos. Is it because these sites could be candidates for becoming UNESCO Global Geoparks? Or is it because these sites have some well-documented archaeological research attached? Are they critically endangered? This could have been described in the regional setting.
- There is insufficient information on how the focus group informed the video's script. Did they provide the examples, or were they discussed from a short list of candidates? Did they provide examples of the religious texts to be discussed and how they should have been?
- Regarding the influence of the focus groups: did they know what the audience targeted for the videos was? Were the videos intended to be screened in museums or universities? Attached to a special exhibition? Currently, both videos have a lot of specialised content that is not explained. Worth mentioning are the following: a) the video does not explain what a facies is, but it is used as an important plot line to say these quaternary geosites are important to understand climate changes; b) the video moves too fast in temporal scale, by including information regarding the 4.56 billion years of geological record but without really explaining much of this geology in southeast Arabia; c) the cultural aspect is glossed over and it is not readily clear if they four sites represent the same ages in the Quaternary or if they are all from different sections. It seems that most participants were very familiar with the jargon and chronologies to understand much of the video, but it is not aimed at outreach to the public; d) non-specialised public is introduced to too many topics in 9 minutes, namely deep-time, several geological scales, archaeological evidence, sedimentation and depositional environments, types of erosion, and names of geomorphological structures. Nevertheless, my comments come from assuming that the video is addressed to the general public. I can see how that long video could be more informative if these topics were explained in an exhibition at a site museum or a geopark.
- How was the survey translated into Arabic? Was the difference between the responses given in Arabic and English relevant?
- How was the quiz compiled? Can the quiz be included as a supplement as well? Currently, it only reports identifying the photos of potential quaternary geoheritage sites. What was the question? How was it produced? Did the focus group also discuss the nature of the quiz? What about questions regarding the archaeological findings?
Also missing is a breakdown of the survey answers. This would enable us to understand the demographics of the respondents and the difference between different groupings (non-nationals v nationals, specialists v non-specialists, geoscientists v others, among other combinations). I think all this information could replace most of what is given in the introduction and methods, and many statistical results could be summarised to expand on these details. Breaking it down by groups may yield interesting results. However, I disagree with the current conclusions that suggest this study is representative of the populations, mostly since I do not think the wider public would be interested in videos relying so much on previous knowledge.
I recommend restructuring the paper to focus more on the experimental design, adding more details on the focus group phase and the production of the videos, and reporting an overview of the survey answers.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1235-RC2 -
RC3: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-1235', Anonymous Referee #3, 02 Jun 2025
Being the third to express an opinion on the submitted paper, I have less to add than my predecessors and upon reflection, I agree with most of their comments. In particular, I would also expect more detailed information about the production of the videos and the design of quizzes. I also have to admit that I did not watch these videos simply because the links did not work when I was going to see them (maybe just today?).
My general impression is that the paper is overlong in the Results sections and the results of different tests are better presented in a synthetic form, with the aid of one composite graph and table rather than split into many. As it is now, it offers a monotonous, not very engaging reading.
The second impression is that not all aims of the study formulated in L227-232 have been finally addressed. This mainly regards the aim #2. This paper does not really offer any recommendations "how effectively the connections between Quaternary geoheritage sites and local culture (i.e. history and archaeology) can be communicated to the public in this region". Perhaps this intended aim can be simply removed.
Third, two limitations are listed in the penultimate paragraph (L1013-1017), but the third important factor is the nature of Quaternary geoheritage itself which varies from one environment to another (as well as its geocultural dimension). In arid lands such as Oman and UAE the sedimentary and landform record of the Quaternary is well visible; it is not so in humid, vegetated environments, where we only have occasional insights. Further, landforms such as dunes or cave speleothems are much more captivating than many other types of relief, equally important to understand the Quaternary. I guess that even non-specialists in Arabia are familiar with dunes, whereas the vast majority of general public in central and western Europe is likely unaware of the existence of large dune fields, now under vegetation.
Another issue is that while the paper as a whole is quite extensively referenced, there is very little conceptual background provided about the linkages between geoheritage and cultural heritage, which is now explored in different papers from different geomorphological and cultural settings. Multiple themes are addressed within this broader framework (a few review-type papers and book chapters have been published in the recent years) and it would be interesting to have an overview which ones can be developed in Oman/UAE and which ones have been included into the video for the treatment group.
There are also some terminological issues to solve:
1. L79 It is incorrect to identify a 'geomorphosite' through solely its aesthetic attributes. I fear that Reynard et al. (2009) was misunderstood. Please see his chapter "Geomorphosites: definition and characteristics" (available from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266021163_The_assessment_of_geomorphosites) for the thorough discussion of the concept. Another useful reference source is Coratza and Hobléa (2018), The Specificities of Geomorphological Heritage, included into "Geoheritage" book by Elsevier.
2. L97-98 This suggests that Quaternary sites are synonyms of geomorphosites. They are not. Some geomorphosites show landform elements which have roots in the more distant past and were subject to minimal change during the Quaternary, while some Quaternary sites are not really geomorphological sites (e.g., lake sediments).
3. L243 How is the difference between "alluvium and gravel" and "fluvial" understood? Alluvium is a fluvial (waterlaid) deposit, whereas adding "gravel" is unnecessary and confusing, as it introduces a component of lithology missing in other categories.
Finally, I think that in L280, L386 and L407 the correct phrasing should be "focus group MEETINGS (were designed)", whereas in L842 it should be "Relationship between Quaternary Geology and Archaeology" (not "Quaternary geoheritage sites" again). A purely technical comment is that section 1.5 is missing (1.6 should become 1.5).
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1235-RC3
Video supplement
Control Video Kenta Sayama https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:e14384cb-68fa-45f1-914d-3204e05bb3ea
Treatment Video Kenta Sayama https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:ee8c3f2a-1888-4967-a104-b5799ba68d8d
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