Monitoring and Modelling Climate Change in Water, Energy and Carbon Cycles in the Pan-Third Pole Environment (CLIMATE-Pan-TPE)
The Third Pole Environment centred on the Tibetan plateau and the Himalayas feeds Asia’s largest rivers which provide water to 1.5 billion people across ten countries. Due to its high elevation, TPE plays a significant role in global atmospheric circulation and is highly sensitive to climate change. Intensive exchanges of water and energy fluxes take place between the Asian monsoon, the plateau land surface (lakes, glaciers, snow and permafrost) and the plateau atmosphere at various temporal and spatial scales, but a fundamental understanding of the details of the coupling is lacking especially at the climate scale. Expanding westward from the Third Pole, the Pan-Third Pole region covers 20 million km2, encompassing the Tibetan Plateau, Pamir, Hindu Kush, Iran Plateau, the Caucasians, the Carpathians, and is home to over 3 billion people. Climate change is expected to dramatically impact the water and energy as well as carbon cycles in the Pan-TPE area and consequently alter the water resources, food security, energy transition and ecosystems as well as other related societal challenges. Monitoring and modelling climate change in Pan-TPE reflect key societal issues and contribute to the science component to other international initiatives, e.g. UN sustainable development goals (SDG), GEO societal benefit areas and the ESA EO science for society strategy.
Objectives
- Improve process understanding of the interactions between the Asian monsoon, plateau surface and atmosphere (in terms of water, energy and carbon budgets);
- Assess and monitor changes in cryosphere and hydrosphere;
- Model and predict climate change impacts on water resources and ecosystems in the Pan-Third Pole Environment.
Work Plan
Figure 2 Monitoring and modelling Water and Energy Cycles at Climate Scale in the Third Pole Environment (CLIMATE-TPE)
- WP1: Observation and modelling of microwave scattering and emission under complex terrains with permafrost and freeze-thawing conditions. (supported by researches from the MINERVA project)
- WP2: Advancement of physical understanding and quantification changes in water and energy budgets in Pan-TPE.
- WP3: Advancement of quantifying changes in surface characteristics and monsoon interactions.
- WP4: Modelling and predicting climate change impacts on water resources and ecosystems in the Pan-Third Pole Environment.
Partners
