For people in Britain, it is images of flooding which determine their perceptions of the risks involved with climate change.
A survey disclosed that people now think that heat waves, hot summers and droughts strong enough to empty reservoirs are less common events in their lifetimes, but that flooding and coastal erosion had become more frequent.
The study’s co-author said the most striking finding of the work was “the strength of the relationship between the perceived change in the frequency of flooding and heavy rainfall and concern about climate change”.
Previous research into public perception in other countries showed that people’s perceptions of climate change were associated with real and perceived periods of high temperatures.
The author pointed out that heat-related impacts are projected for many temperate areas of the world, but that the study looked also at the relationship between other types of weather events and people’s beliefs about climate change.
The survey was conducted in late January and early February 2013, shortly after a period of cold weather. The preceding year there had been several floods, particularly in November 2012.
The team reported: "The findings highlight the importance of salient weather-related events and experiences in the formation of beliefs about climate change."
They said the results suggested that warnings about future impacts may not be heeded if they only focused on heat.
