International Workshop on the Northern Eurasia Mountain Ecosystems


Abstracts


V. Aizen, E. Aizen, A. Surazakov. Dynamics and feedbacks of changes in climate and surface water resources.

Despite of a great concentration of seasonal snow and glacier ice Central Asian mountains, the last several decades CA suffered from lack of water for fast growing population and expanded agriculture (since 1900s the population of CA increased in 10 times). Melt water from seasonal snow and glacier ice supply more than 70% of the total river runoff.

However, CA glaciers disappearing rapidly due to recent climate change. Tien Shan and Pamir glaciers have lost 14% their surface area since the 1970s and the rate of glacier area loss has tripled. The intensified ice melt from glaciers has increased annual discharge of rivers up to 6% in the heavily glacierized basins, while runoff from glacier-free basins has dropped by 2%.

Although the area of the largest CA glaciers has shrunk less than 4%, the river runoff has increased due to intensified glacier melt at higher elevations. Current acceleration of glacier melt, while initially may be considered as a positive factor that increases the river flow, in the long term will decrease the runoff. In the river basins with small glacierized areas, the decrease in glacier covered areas and the disappearance of small glaciers has already led to a decline in river discharge, strongly affecting downstream agriculture and settlements. The diminishing natural water stores (seasonal snow cover and glaciers) significantly affect river runoff at peripheral, low elevation watersheds.

The climate of last 100 years in CA is still not favorable for the glacier existence. The absolute values of precipitation over the whole CA were negative for the last 30 years. An increase in total amount of annual precipitation, mainly over the Aral-Caspian and Taklimakan deserts is negligible. Significant decrease of precipitation observed over the Tien Shan high mountains notably above 3000m, while the western Pamir area represents an increase of annual precipitation over all altitudinal zones. The most significant decrease of precipitation observed in summer season with an exception in Taklimakan desert.

The annual air temperature increased over all CA during the last 30 years: 0.65C positive difference between two thirty-year periods (1942-1972 and 1973-2003). The air temperature increases mainly in summer and over CA prairies and deserts, up to 0.9C for the last 30 years. The lowest difference in air temperature between two periods is observed in high Tien Shan mountains (0.21C). Maximum annual acceleration in air temperature observed at the northern regions of CA, i.e. in Mongolia and Altai, and maximum summer acceleration observed in Tien Shan.

Z Akhmadiyeva. To an estimation of the modern state environment of the Kazakh part Mountain Altay.

The space centre "Baikoniyr" (Kazakhstan) has had substantial affects on the environment. During the past several decades as a result of the launching of carrier rockets, such as "Proton" that use as fuel the asymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (ASDH), more well-known as "heptyl", the unique mountain landscapes in Eastern Kazakhstan have been subjected to pollution. In 2004, RSE "Kazakh research Institute of Ecology and Climate" carried out the complex geochemical and radiation researches in East Kazakhstan that is an impact area of second stages of carrier rockets. Such detailed examinations of this area were conducted for the first time because the Eastern Kazakhstan Mountains are difficult for human access. The landscape-geochemical research over the natural landscapes covered the ridge, low, and middle mountains with fir forests.

The research results have shown the presence of heptyl in the samples of the soil, plants, and rivers’ bottom sediments. The findings of the influence of space activity on environment of the Kazakhstan part of the Altai Mountains confirm and complement the Russian scientific research results over the territory of the neighbouring Altai Krai. Though the heptyl pollution in the investigated region is of a local nature and highly spatially inhomogeneous, nevertheless, this anthropogenic effect intensifying from year to year increases the load on the natural ecosystems. In particular, it strengthens the desertification process of mountain regions of East Kazakhstan.

M. Arynova. NCCR North-South in Central Asia. Introduction and overview of activities

The NCCR North-South is one of twenty National Centres of Competence in Research implemented by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Created in the understanding that development research and cooperation are of primary concern to Switzerland, it currently comprises a network of about 400 researchers worldwide.

The programme’s vision is to contribute to mitigating syndromes of global change by carrying out research, providing education and promoting societal empowerment in partnership with individuals and institutions in developing and transition countries, and through a Swiss network of excellence in research on sustainable development.

Research within NCCR North-South in JACS Central Asia (CAS) focuses on institutional and livelihood aspects in natural resource management. Among the themes dealt with are water resource management and agriculture, pasture management and livestock systems, and livelihoods and institutional development. All efforts aim at contributing towards sustainable development in the very dynamic setting of Central Asia. As a contribution towards the strengthening of research capacities in Central Asia, the NCCR North-South in CAS provides the possibility to complete PhD and MSc theses in the frame of one of the research projects. In addition the Regional Coordination Office in CAS provides support to PhD students in elaboration of joint peer reviewed international scientific articles and in dissemination of the peer-reviewed articles produced through translation into Russian and placing on the website.

The practical application of research results relevant for development is tested through Partnership Actions for Mitigating Syndromes (PAMS). Each project is designed to implement activities designed and developed jointly by researchers and local stakeholders. Based on a transdisciplinary approach to development research, PAMS are an ideal medium for mutual learning and knowledge-sharing between academic and non-academic partners in view of contributing to a sustainable development.

The NCCR North-South JACS CAS pays special attention to collaborate with a variety of partners from different backgrounds such as academic, public administration, private sector, politics, NGOs, and especially local communities and authorities. This transdisciplinary approach is considered of paramount importance to secure the relevance, validation and subsequent application of research findings.

T. Bolch, J. Peters, M. F. Buchroithner. The state and dynamics of high elevation cryosphere and natural hazards caused by changes in this state.

The glaciers in Northern Tien Shan are receding and the permafrost is thawing as in many other parts of the world. Concomitant, glacial lakes can develop and grow. Outbursts of these glacial lakes are severe hazards for the society. Several outbursts are documented for this seismic active region. Multi-temporal space imagery are an ideal means to study and monitor glaciers and glacial lakes for a larger area simultaneously. Morphometric analysis and modelling allow to estimate the potential danger of glacial lake outburst flood. For this ongoing research multi-temporal space imagery from 1972 (Corona KH-4B), 1973 (Landsat MSS), 1991 (Landsat TM), 1999 (Landsat ETM+), 2005, and 2008 (Landsat TM) were utilised to study glacier variations and the development of glacial lakes. Topographic maps provided additional information. Morphometric analysis and modelling is based on DEMs generated for 2000 and 2001 Terra ASTER scenes and the SRTM DEM. We present a comprehensive approach to identify the potentially dangerous glacial lakes. The identification and monitoring of the glaciers and glacial lakes were done automatically using image rationing and the NDWI except for the panchromatic corona images. The results were visually checked and manually edited. The probability of the growth of a glacial lake was estimated by analysing the glacier motion (image cross-correlation technique) and slope analysis. A permafrost model based on morphometric parameters, solar radiation and regionalised temperature conditions was applied in order to asses the effect of probable permafrost thawing. A GIS-based model was applied in order to simulate the possible downstream effect of a lake outburst. The analysis indicates a continuous glacier recession and a growing number and area of glacial lakes which leads into a higher risk of a glacial lake outburst. Work is under way to classify the lakes into its probability for an outburst and to for their downstream effect.

I. Brusenskaya. Aeroclimatic characteristic of wind regime in boundary layer of atmosphere in Chu valley.

For the first time study aeroclimatic characteristic of wind regime in boundary layer of atmosphere up to a height of 900 m: the frequency of wind directions at different altitude, vertical profile of wind speed and vertical wind shear. This research is made with using pilot-balloon data for different seasons and times of the day (the Manas airport, the central part of the Chui Valley, 1984- 1991).

There are two groups of wind direction from the Earth surface to 900 m: 1 - west wind and the adjacent rhumbs (frequency of about 35%); 2 - east wind and adjacent rhumbs (50%). The frequency of others wind directions in the sum is less then 15-20%.

There are two layers with different pattern of variation of wind speed up to 900 m. The wind speed increases (from 2,9-3,5 m/sec to 5,6-6,4 m/sec) up to 200 m (the first layer), especially in summer . The wind speed decreases (till 3,5 – 4,8 m/sec) from 200 m to 900 m (the second layer), especially in winter and autumn in the morning, in the spring in the evening and in summer in the night. The distribution of the wind speed (10-900 m) has a high right asymmetry (0,4-4,9), a peaked curve (excess - 12.5) and a high variation (0,4-0,9).

The average value of the vertical wind shear (VWS, β) is situated between the light and moderate VWS, and it is equal to 0,052-0,081 sec-1.  The maximum of the VWS is more then average ( = 0,19-0,37 sec-1;  = 0,24-0,43 sec-1) and is in range of  strong and very strong.  (and ) decreases from 10-40 m to 100-200 m (approximately 3-4 times). The average value of the vertical wind shear  has a small changes (≤ 0,02 sec-1) above 100-200 m. The distribution of β has a high right asymmetry (0,8-0,9), a peaked curve (excess - 0,9) and a high variation (0,68-1,01).

Chu Valley (northern Tien-Shan) is a typical large peripheral depression mountains area  of Central Asia and many aeroclimatic  pattern obtained for it can be successfully transferred to the other depressions.

A. Finaev. Climate change and cryosphere condition in Tajikistan

Mountain regions of Pamir and Tien-Shan are the basic source of water resources of Central Asia. Climatic changes can result in rivers runoff and flood mode change.

1. Climate
Growth of mid-annual air temperature is observed on the territory. The temperature has increased by 2,2°C in southern valleys and by 0,4°C in high mountains for the period of 75 years. The trend shows that precipitation have increased in southern valleys by 3 mm, in Hissar valley - which is located a bit higher - by 39 mm, in mountains of Hissar range by 109 mm, and in high mountains of Pamir by 322 mm for 60 years.

2. Cryosphere
There are single facts of particular glaciers retreat. The reasons for such reduction are not clear yet. Surging glaciers potentially has the big hazard as their pulsations can cause unstable glacial lakes formation, which is rather risky for the population in general. The permafrost covers high-mountain plateaus. During the winter period ice lenses are formed under the ground, and they cause lifting of the surface layer. In the summer the ice melts and that results in faults and caverns formation.

Absence of regular observation and poor access to the region makes it difficult to understand reasons and connections between climate fluctuation and cryosphere. In order to investigate this area in details it is necessary to use methods of remote sounding and direct data calibration.

K. Fujita, T. Nuimura, S. Okamoto, Y. Hoshina, H. Nagai, S. Takenaka. Recent changes in benchmark glaciers in Nepal Himalaya

Despite of public and scientific interest in changing Himalayan glaciers, few glacier monitoring has been conducted in this region yet mainly due to the difficult accessibility. Japanese glaciologists have launched Glaciological Expedition in Nepal (GEN) in 1974 and then continued glaciological observations intermittently. In the 1990s, we have re-surveyed and evaluated volume changes in three benchmark glaciers in the Nepal Himalaya based on the 1970s GEN legacy.

In 2008, we conducted surveys on two benchmark glaciers in Langtang and Shorong regions in order to update the data of changing glaciers using a carrier-phase differential GPS. We found a drastic wastage of Yala Glacier in Langtang region since 1996. On the other hand, Glacier AX010 seems to be stable after its rapid shrinkage up to 2004. Results suggest that both glaciers are facing the fate of extinction in near future because their equilibrium line altitudes have risen above their tops around 5400 m asl. We have to find new benchmark glaciers whose altitude covers up to 5800 m asl at least to continue glacier monitoring.

A. Gafurov, A. Bardossy. Cloud removal from MODIS snow cover product and its application in central Asia

Snow cover information in high mountainous areas is extremely important in many regions where later melt water becomes a valuable raw material for energy production, agriculture and for drinking purposes in lowland areas. Obtaining in-situ measurements for large catchments is impossible mainly because of the extremely high cost and manpower required. Remote sensing information became a powerful alternative in such cases. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) employed by Terra and Aqua satellites is of the remote sensing instruments that provides spatially snow covered data with 500 meter and daily temporal resolution. It delivers public domain data. The main disadvantage of the MODIS sensor is that it is unable to record observations under cloud covered regions. This is why this study focuses on estimating pixel cover for cloud covered areas where no information is available and applying it for snow driven catchments. Our step to this product involves employing methodology based on six successive steps that estimate pixel cover using different temporal and spatial information. The methodology was carried out for the Kokcha River basin located in northeastern part of Afghanistan and applied for Naryn basin in Kyrgyzstan. Snow coverage in catchments like Kokcha or Naryn is very important where melt-water from snow dominates river discharge in vegetation period for irrigation purposes. Since no snow related observations were available from Kokcha catchment, the performance of proposed methodology was tested using cloud generated MODIS snow cover data as possible “ground truth” information. The results show successful performances arising from the methods applied, which resulted in all cloud coverage being removed. A validation was carried out for all subsequent steps, to be outlined below, where each step removes progressively more cloud coverage. Steps 2 to 5 (step 1 is not validated) performed very well with the average accuracies between 90-96 % when applied one after another for the selected validation days in this study. The sixth step was the least accurate at 78 %, but led to the removal of all remaining cloud cover. Resulting cloud free snow maps are very helpful in estimating water balances in snow-driven, data-limited regions.

K. Gill, H. Ali, H. Gilani, U. Saeed and I. Ashraf. GIS as a Tool of Resolving Protected Area Boundary Issues, Machiara National Park, Pakistan (Western Himalayan Ecoregion)

The Government of Pakistan, through years of efforts brought almost 11% of the country’s total land under various categories of Protected Areas (PA). In Pakistan there are almost 231 PAs (National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Game Reserves etc.) covering an area of 27,533 km2. These PAs are rich in biodiversity representing ecological, terrestrial and aquatic Ecosystems. PAs are facing number of problems, upfront is the lack of accurate demarcation of boundaries that results in resource and management complexities such as encroachments by land mafia, inter-departmental conflicts, management and community conflicts and intrusion of unwanted activities. The destruction of PA boundary results in damage of ecosystem which ultimately affects the people and environment.

This is a model study conducted by WWF – Pakistan in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Pakistan Petroleum Exploration and Production Companies Association (PPEPCA). The paper deals with the GIS/RS based boundary delineation of Machiara National Park (MNP) through close consultation with the major stakeholders. Study area (135 km2), situated in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), falls in Western Himalayan Ecoregion. Two distinct types of forest in this Ecoregion are evergreen broad-leaved forests and deciduous broad-leaved forests. Land cover maps developed from SPOT – 5 image, topographic data, field observation points and habitat mapping helped to define the accurate boundary of the National Park. On the basis of the boundary a standard notification format was developed which contains three parts i.e. textual description, GIS map and reference coordinates. This notification format will be replicated to the remaining PAs of the Pakistan. The geographical coordinates helped in demarcation of National Park boundary. Habitat mapping of 42 mammal species, more than 100 bird species and few species of reptiles (n=25) and amphibians (n=7) was also accomplished. To resolve the conflicts between park management and community core and buffer zones have been identified. This study will help in conserving natural resources of the park.

G.E. Glazirin, U.U. Tajibayeva. Climate change in high mountains of Central Asia in the end of XXth century.

Investigation of climate change in high mountain areas of Central Asia is very important for hydrologists because run-off of all rivers, feeding densely populated piedmont areas of the region, is formed there. Besides glaciers, which are really only clean fresh water storage in the region, are very sensitive to climate change. It is well known that annual precipitation and summer air temperature are the best indicators of climatic conditions of glaciers existence and winter snow water equivalent forming.

Long-term change of the named climatic factors was explored for the whole territory of the former Soviet Central Asia - from Isykkule Lake on the North up to Chinese and Afghan borders on the South. Calculation was executed for two periods: 1961-1990 and 1950-1995. Data of all weather stations, located on height more than 1.5 km and worked during these periods, were used. Linear trends of the climatic factors were calculated for the first period (39 stations). Interesting regularities were found:

- A belt of positive trends of the annual precipitation (0.5-1.0 percent per year) crossed the territory from South-West to North. The trends were negative on periphery of the belt (at North-Western and South-Eastern areas of the mountain country). It means that the annual precipitation decreased on average.
- Spatial distribution of summer air temperature trends was found more complex. However, clearly tracked trough of lowered values is visible in the same direction from South-West to North-East.

Complete data for 23 stations only were collected for the second, more long period. Mean climate factors were calculated for decades and 15-year terms. Their deviations from mean values for 1961-90 were calculated for each of station. It was found that period of 1971-1980 was most warm. The least precipitation was registered during this decade. It was interesting that mean for all station annual precipitation change was synchronous with summed air temperature changer: the temperature was lowered when the precipitation was increased.

The results of the investigation should help to understand why glaciation of river basins changes unequally over the Central Asia mountainous territory.

P. Groisman, M. Palecki. Lessons learned from the operation of the United States Climate Reference Network at high elevations and/or in severe environments.

Climate Reference Network. The U.S. Climate Reference Network (CRN) stations are designed to yield high quality and continuous in situ climate observations at highly stable sites for the next 50 years, without the need for frequent human intervention. The overall goal of the Network design is to secure reliable and precise information about climate change, focusing on temperature and precipitation, but also measuring surface air humidity, soil moisture, soil temperature, wind and solar and infrared radiation with near-real time monitoring and adequate spatial coverage. Currently such coverage has been secured for the conterminous United States and efforts are under way to expand this type of network to Alaska, Canada, and the Russian Arctic. The CRN approach (precision requirements, triplication of major sensors, quality control procedures) has been adopted by the Global Climate Observing System Program as a recommended standard for the next generation of the climate monitoring systems. In particular, innovative use of systems that produce three independent measurements of temperature and precipitation simultaneously at each site, rigorous cross-checking quality control, calibration tied to reference standards, and timely maintenance procedures have been secured throughout the Network (NOAA/NESDIS National Climatic Data Center, 2008: The United States. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2008. 24 pp. Available on line from http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/uscrn/documentation/research/FY08_USCRN_Annual_Report.pdf). As part of the CRN program, several stations were installed at high altitude locations across the United States. Seven of them are located above 2,000 m in elevation, including stations at Mauna Loa, Hawaii (3407 m), and at Niwot Ridge above Boulder, Colorado (2996 m). Moreover, a broad range of CRN stations are located in places with extreme winter environments, including Alaska. A number of these stations in extreme physical environments have been operating for 4-6 years. These stations (while some of them being at lower altitudes) have been subject to extreme cold (-50°C at Barrow, Alaska) and heavy precipitation (4700 mm year-1 at Quinault, Washington State). Currently, a further CRN expansion into a harsh environment is under way. The work is near completion to install a CRN station in Tiksi, the Russian Arctic, at 72°N and a broad network of 30 CRN stations will cover the entire State of Alaska in the next five years.

Challenges of climate monitoring in harsh environment and the crn experience in addressing harsh environment problems. The need for climate change monitoring in harsh environments (including high elevations) is paramount because changes in these regions are frequently the largest globally and/or may cause disasters downstream (e.g., landslides). Low temperatures, high radiation, strong winds, icing, stepwise weather changes, and difficulty to quickly reach and fix/replace the malfunctioning instrumentation impose strong challenges to the robust operation of the monitoring system. In our presentation, the function of the CRN stations under extreme weather conditions will be examined, mitigation procedures used to secure an uninterrupted data flow will be described, and preliminary climate analyses for these stations will be discussed. Our conclusion is that CRN observations are usually of very high quality in these challenging environments and that the CRN model may be useful for gathering accurate climate observations in extreme environments likely to be encountered in high mountain regions. Currently being spread across North America and the Arctic, the CRN approach is recommended for use in other regions of the world with harsh environment such as Eurasia and South America. However, it has not yet been tested in Antarctic and/or the highest mountainous ranges such as Himalayas.

H. Han, S. Liu, J. Wang. Observations of glacier mass balance in high mountain environments: a case study of Koxkar Glacier, Mt. Tuomuer, China

The mass balance data of glaciers are of great importance in reflecting the fluctuations of the glacier to the changing climate. Generally, for a glacier in low-relief environments, the mass balance can be precisely observed through periodically measurements on a number of aborative arranged stakes drilled into the glacier ice in ablation area and snow-pits excavation in accumulation area. However, this method is often difficult to apply in high mountain environments, especially on those glaciers with large size, high mountain relief, extensive debris mantle and narrow accumulation area, mainly because a) the commonly distributed steep icefall and precipitous rock wall near the snow line make the major part of the accumulation area practically unreachable, and thus, the mass balance of the accumulation area is difficult to observed using the traditional method; b) the direct measurement of ice ablation under a thick debris cover using melt-stakes may be problematic due to significant observational errors; c) mass loss due to backwasting of ice cliffs in the debris-covered area may be significant and even occupies a large proportion in the summer mass balance of the glacier, and d) shading effects of high mountain relief on ice ablation may not be neglected. In the case of Koxkar glacier, the mass balance of the accumulation area in a specific period was determined using estimated precipitation and avalanching rate; ice gain/loss in the bare ice area was observed directly using melt-stakes, taking into account the shading effect on the melt of glacier; for the debris-covered area, the different procedures were employed: the melt-stake method gave a good measurement when the thickness of the debris layer is less than 20 cm; the positive degree-day model was used to estimate the ablation rate of glacier ice when the supraglacial debris mantle is ranging from 20 to 100 cm; and for a thick debris layer which greater than 100 cm in thickness, a constant ablation rate, which determined according to the field observations, was applied. Moreover, the distribution of ice cliffs in the debris-covered was interpreted from the recent satellite image and the backwasting rate of the ice cliffs was observed in the field, which helps to estimate the contribution of backwasting in the glacier mass budget.

G. Insarov. Lichens and climate change in siberian altai mountains: a step towards long-term monitoring system.

Ongoing and projected climate change in arctic and alpine regions and its effects on terrestrial biota are greater than global mean values (IPCC, 2007). Lichens are known as sensitive organisms to enrichment of atmosphere by N-, S- and C-compounds, and intrinsic variability of lichen communities (LC) is comparatively low. That's why LC are efficiently used for biological monitoring of air quality over decades. Since the end of the XX century lichens are used to monitor biota alteration under climate change stress (Insarov and Schroeter, 2002). The purposes of the study are: (1) to determine how changes in epilithic lichen communities caused by changes in temperature, precipitation and snow cover can be detected in Siberian Altai Mountains, (2) to provide baseline against which these changes can be quantified.

Suggested methodology includes:
• Selection of monitoring sites to minimize influence of other than target factors. In Katunsky Biosphere Reserve (BR) on the Northern slope of Katun Range, sites are horizontal sections of boulder fields.
• Sampling within as narrow ecological stratum as possible to reduce influence of other than target factors. In Katunsky BR sampling is carried out on stable plane metamorphized slate rocks.
• Selection of rocks without a priori information on lichen presence/abundance.
• Line-intercept method for lichen measurement and digital photography to facilitate lichen identification in lab.
• Altitudinal gradient study to estimate lichen species sensitivity to climatic factors. In Katunsky BR plots are at elevations between 1500 and 2600 m, below and above the timber line.
• Construction of Trend Detection Index (TDI) to ensure maximum ability to detect target factor's trend. TDI is based on both lichen species cover and sensitivity estimates.

As a result of the first project year, field methods for epilithic lichen monitoring were tested, sampling sites are fixed along the altitudinal gradient as well as in the main monitoring area, a plateau at 2000 m. Approach to estimate TDI effectiveness was elaborated. Suggested system can serve as an early warning system for biota change in the Katunsky BR, and as a reference point for economically meaningful changes in managed ecosystems of Siberian Altai.

V. Kharuk, K. Ranson, S. Im. Upper forest stands in southern Siberia Mountains: spatial distribution and temporal dynamics.

The aim of research was to evaluate the hypothesis that geomorphometric parameters of upper mountains environments govern the forest spatial distribution and its climate-driven dynamics.

The upper mountain forest stands (1800–2500 m) in southern Siberian Mountains were studied.

Archive maps, satellite and on-ground data over 1960–2002 yr period were used. Data were normalized to avoid bias caused by uneven distribution of topography elements with given altitude, azimuth and slope steepness within analyzed area. The stands spatial distribution was analyzed with respect to slope aspect, slope steepness and elevation based on SRTM DEM (90m range and 15m vertical resolution).

It was shown that Mountain forest spatial patterns are anisotropic with respect to azimuth, slope steepness, and elevation. At a given elevation the majority of forests occupied steeper slopes (i.e., with greater than mean slope values). With elevation increase, forests shifted to steeper slopes. The forest azimuth distribution orientation changed clockwise (total shift was 120º) with an elevation increase, indicating wind and water stress synergy impact on the forest patterns. Warming caused changes in the forest distribution patterns during the last four decades. The area of closed forests increased 1.5 times. This was attributed to increased stand density and tree migration. The migration rate was 1.5 ± 0.9 m/yr and caused a mean forest line shift of 63 ± 37m (with maximal values ~150 m). Along with upward migration, downward tree migration onto hill slopes along drainage channels was observed.

Main conclusions The spatial pattern of upper mountain forests, as well as forest response to warming, is strongly depends on topographic relief features (i.e, elevation, azimuth, and slope steepness). With elevation (and harsher environment) increase forests shifted to steep wind-protected slopes. A considerable climate-induced increase of stand area and upper forest line was observed. Warming also promotes tree migration to areas less protected from winter desiccation and snow abrasion (i.e., areas with low slope steepness values). Climate-induced forest response significantly modified the spatial patterns of high elevation forests in southern Siberia during the last four decades, as well as tree morphology: a wide-spread transformation of the prostrate forms of Siberian pine and larch into erect arboreal forms was also observed.

J. Kubota. Effects of human activities on the hydrological processes in arid regions of Central Eurasia -a multi-disciplinary research project.

In this paper, a multi-disciplinary research project for understanding historical interactions between humans and the natural environment in a Semi-arid Region in Central Asia will be outlined.

Historically and geographically, Central Asia has been a key area of interaction, transit and exchange between East and West. While many Central Asian peoples are well recognized in historical records as skilled nomads, merchants and traders, it is more recently acknowledged that these peoples also assimilated the ideas and artifacts passing through their territories into their own cultures, often with material effect on landscapes and livelihoods. At the same time, Central Eurasia is an excellent location for tracing human reactions to both past climate changes and anthropogenic activities. In this climatically sensitive area, which alternates between semi-arid and arid conditions, human influence can be historically traced. The area with extended arid and semiarid deserts has potential agricultural plains along rivers, flowing from high mountains with many glaciers, which were actively cultivated far back in historical time. These border regions could record both natural environmental and anthropogenic changes very sensitively.

Although interactions between environmental changes and human reactions have rarely been studied in Central Eurasia, agricultural development in the Aral Sea basin has caused the severe lake-level regression that started in the 1960’s. Recent agricultural development in arid to semi-arid regions, especially in the latter half of the 20th century associated with modern irrigation technology, has contributed to increasing agricultural production. However, considerable environmental issues have resulted. It is important, therefore, to balance resource development and preservation in arid and semi-arid regions.

This project aims to study and clarify the historical interaction between human activities and natural systems in the semi-arid region of Central Eurasia, The project attempts to clarify historical changes, the rise and fall of nomadic groups and countries, their removal, changes in subsistence, the use of natural resources, and climate change through the analysis of historical documents and archaeological investigations as well as various natural proxies such as ice cores, lake sediment samples, tree rings and wind-blown deposits. At the same time, we will investigate the present status of the area and the effects of human activities on the natural environment, with particular emphasis on their social, religious and cultural background. Outcomes of the project up to now will be presented.

Q. Liu, S. Liu, P. Yu. Satellite altimetry for monitoring lake level changes of Bosten Lake, northeast of the Tarim River Basin.

TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) altimetry data have been used to compute time series of lake level variation of the Bostem Lake, northeast of the Tarim River Basin (TRB), Xinjiang, China. T/P-derived lake levels were calculated from pass 064 and cycle 001 to 363, which contain 1001 points felling on the east margin of the Bosten Lake during 25 September 1992 and 25 July 2002. High noise of the derived ‘lake level’ was filtered by histogram modification. Good agreement is found between the T/P results and the gauge measurements. The lake levels contain semi-annual, annual and interannual components. The high level occurred from January to March and the low happened in summer duo to the intensive consumption of the lake water (e.g. irrigation). The Bosten lake has experienced a monotonic increase since 1988 possibly resulted from the warming and precipitation increase in the Tianshan Mountains, which accelerating glacier melt and increase surface runoff. The trans-watershed water resource configuration between Bosten Lake and the Tarim River was also observed by the T/P altimetry after 2000. Sharp decreases of water level were detected from T/P altimetry data in April and September 2000 and October 2001 when huge amount of water was transferred to the Tarim River.

S. Liu. Glaciers in China: changes and impact on water resources and glacier hazards

The first Chinese glacier inventory (CGI) shows there are 46377 glaciers with a total area of 59425 km2. Glaciers play an important role in water resource variation in the arid northwest China and the variability of flash floods in the high mountains, especially the southern Tibetan Plateau. An early estimation based on 1st CGI showed that the mean annual meltwater production amounted over 600×108m3. In the inland arid river basins in China, meltwater totally contributes to 22% of the annual stream flow which is a steady source for the health of the oasis system. The Chinese Himalaya and Nyanqingtangula mountains are often suffered from glacier meltwater floods and moraine-dammed lake outburst floods as well as the triggered mud flows, which brought about the destruction of the national highways and villages, and loss of life and property. Efforts have been made to understand the changes of glaciers and their impact on water availability and risk monitoring and mitigation of glacial hazards in China. The most recent projects have been endeavored to compile a second Chinese glacier inventory (2nd CGI) based on optical remote sensing imageries. With the present available data, 90% in area of the glaciers will be compiled. An analysis of glaciers covering an area of 14568 km2 in different mountainous ranges indicates that these glaciers have decreased by 5.1% in area during the past 4-5 decades. However, an in-situ survey of 11 glaciers shows mass loss dominated in the past with only one exception of mass gain. A case study in the Yangtze River Source Region signified that the contribution of glacier meltwater to river discharge increased to 17% since 1990s from the mean of 11% during the past 40 years. The contribution of meltwater to river discharge is projected to be increased by about 30% by 2050s based on ECHAM5/MPI-OM scenarios in the source region. A campaign for the compilation of glacial lakes in the Chinese Himalaya has been conducted. Results demonstrate that the area of glacial lakes has been expanding, although total lake number decreased, during the past 30 years. Of all these lakes, 44 lakes show the highest potential to be outbursted based on a risk assessment. Mitigation measures have been taken for some of the most dangerous lakes and in-situ measurements is planned for one of the high outburst potential lake. Modeling of the outburst floods from the Merzbacher Lake dammed by the South Inylchek glacier inTianshan has been performed and the forecasting of the floods is under development.

Z. Mamadalieva. Study of water and land using in mountainous regions of Fergan valley in conditions of climate change.

Chatkal, Suzak and Karakuldzha districts are occupied on various parts of Fergana valley. These areas are characterized by diverse physical and climatic treats.
- Chatkal district is placed on the high mountain zone (2000-2500 m.) where is Chatkal river.
- Suzak district occupies on valley of the Kugart river (600-3705 m. above the sea level).
- Karakuldzha is between Alay and Fergan mountain ranges.

On the above-mentioned districts are large rivers like: Chatkal with Ters tributary, Kugart with Changet tributary and Karakuldzha with Tar and others which flow into Syr-Dariya river basin. Specifications of climatic and hydrological regimes reflect on living of local population. Large settlements concentrated on basins of rivers that their main industries are stockbreeding and irrigation farming.

Nowadays, changes in land and water using occurs caused by climate alters. Additionally, in land degradation process and irrational water using are appeared as a result of rough shifting from the Soviet’s collective scheme of agriculture to small sized agricultural producers and private farmers in new market economy system.

Climate and hydrological affects on land and water using are studied. Based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of water discharges hydro stations, air temperature and precipitation regimes of meteostations are evidenced from 1929 till 2004. Due to these studies: elaborated rules of river flow correlation with climate characteristics;

designed models for Chatkal, Kugart and Karakuldzha rivers taking in account correlation river flow during the vegetation period with one predictor (total precipitation over a cold period, total precipitation over a warm period, accumulated temperatures over a warm period); in frame of the double factor model, find out correlation river flow during the vegetation period with total precipitation over a cold period and summer temperatures over July-August.

Land and water using analysis in long-term dynamics (1981-2006) concerning districts on facts obtained from state agencies, determined reducing water consumption. In general maximum demand was reported in the early 1980’s, minimum was accounted on 2006. Findings of study are interesting for science and agriculture as well. Therefore, it is possible to use for further scientific and application purposes.

S. Marchenko, V. Romanovsky. Temporal and Spatial Variability of Permafrost Distribution in the Tien Shan Mountains During the Last Millennia

During the Late Holocene there were numerous periods of warming and cooling in the Tien Shan Mountains, Central Asia. The dynamics of air and ground surface temperature changes that occurred in the Tien Shan at an altitude of 2500 m a.s.l. during the last millennium has been obtained by correlating the data from radiocarbon dates, tree-rings indexes, temperature profiles from deep boreholes, archeological, and historical data. During the last millennium, the most significant periods of cooling occurred approximately during 1200-1350 and 1550-1800.

Ground temperatures and permafrost area in the Northern Tien Shan have been subject to repeated fluctuations during the Late Holocene. During the maximum warming, the ground temperatures rose by approximately 1.0-1.5°C. The altitude oscillations of the permafrost lower boundary had amplitude of about 200-300 m. The result of numerical simulations shows that the permafrost formation and complete disappearance at an altitude of 2500 m a.s.l. has occurred at least two times during the last millennia.

At the lover boundary of permafrost distribution the permafrost temperatures now are close to 0°C and at some sites permafrost degradation has already started. Analysis of measured active layer and permafrost temperatures coupled with numerical thermal modeling (permafrost temperature reanalysis) shows that most of the recently thawed permafrost was formed during the Little Ice Age. Since the second part of the nineteenth century, permafrost in the Tien Shan Mountains is experiencing a warming period, which continues up to the present. The geothermal observations and modeling indicate that in the Tien Shan more favorable conditions of permafrost occurrences and preservation exist in the coarse blocky material where the mean annual temperatures are typically 2.5-4.0°С colder than the mean annual air temperature.

S. Matoba, H. Sasaki, J. Nishioka, T. Shiraiwa. Air-born iron flux into the northern North Pacific estimated by ice-cores.

Iron is an essential nutrient for phytoplankton and plays an important role in the control of phytoplankton growth. Iron enrichment experiments carried out in the western and the eastern subarctic Pacific reveal that the iron limits phytoplankton growth in these areas. Possible sources of iron dissolved in surface seawater in the western subarctic Pacific are thought to be the iron-rich intermediate waters transported to surface by upwelling and atmospheric dust, that are lifted by dust storms generated over the Asian continent.

In order to estimate the contribution of atmospheric dust to phytoplankton groth, it is neccesary to quantitate the flux of air borne iron over the ocean. Ice-core is one of suitable archives to extract deposition of chemical substances from atmosphere. Glaciers developing in the high mountains record continuous time-series of dry and wet deposition of aerosol over a few hundreds years. Those glacier are cold enough to prevent vertical migration of the deposited substances by melt water. Moreover, annual accumulation rate in high mountain is significantly higher than that in polar region. Therefore, the high resolution records of iron deposition can be reconstracted from these ice-cores with year to year resolution.

In this study, we reconstructed the flux of air borne iron by means of analyses of an ice-core obtained from the summit glacier of Mount Wrangell in Alaska. The 30-m long ice core recovered from 1992 to 2003. The estimated annual average flux of iron from 1992 to 2003 is 10 mg/m2•yr. In case that the air-borne iron with 2% of solubility to sea water is desolved in 30m depht of sea water, which is typical depth of mixing layer in witer at the northern North Pacific, iron concentration of sea water can be increased twice. Therefore, air-borne iron from Asian Continent can influence marine bio-productivity in the northern North Pacific.

C. Narama, M. Duishonakunov, A. Kääb, I. Severskiy, K. Abdrakhmatov, J. Kubota. Remote-sensing based analysis of glacier changes and glacial lake hazards in the outer ranges of the Tien Shan mountains

In order to better understand the relationship between recent changes in glacier cover and the development of glacier lakes in the Tien Shan mountains of Central Asia, we studied satellite images from Corona KH-4B, Landsat, and ASTER. Four mountain regions (Pskem, Kyrgyz, Ile-Kungöy, and Teskey) examined in the outer ranges of the Tien Shan mountains. These regions showed pronounced glacier shrinkage over the last 30 years as found by comparing Corona KH-4 satellite photographs from 1968–1971 with Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite images from 1999–2002. The number of moraine dammed lakes and supra dead-ice lakes, which have a particular probability for glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) increased since the 1970s. The appearance of glacier lakes differed among the four study regions in relation to the different recent glacier shrinkage rates in each of the mountain ranges investigated. In particular the Ile-Kungöy region contains many large glacier lakes (>0.001 km2). We carried out field work at several potentially dangerous glacier lakes. Some glacier lakes that were found in the Corona images over the Ile-Kungöy region, were involved in GLOFs during the 1960s-1980s. Many glacier lakes have now again developed a size similar to the one they had in the 1970s. Since many people live downstream of these lakes along the outer ranges of the Tien Shan mountains, the lakes pose a increasingly serious problem.

S. Nikitin, A. Surazakov. Area and volume of Altai-Sayan glaciers

The steady rise of global air temperatures and wide spread recession of mountain glaciers necessitates accurate estimation of the remaining fresh water stored in the glaciers. While optical remote sensing provides means of glacier area assessment, volume remains the largest uncertainty in any glacier inventory. For the glaciers in Siberian Altai, we estimated glacier area from remote sensed data and total glacier volume based on detailed radio-echosounding surveys.

Using Landsat and ASTER images and SRTM DEM, we created a complete glacier inventory for Altai-Sayan mountains in Russia, Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. In 2003, there were 1894 glaciers with a total area of 1,314 km2.

For glaciers in Russia and Kazakhstan (62% of the total glacier area in Altai-Sayan), we also estimated the total glacier volume. Using a portable radio-echosounder developed at Tomsk State University, we measured thickness of 131 glaciers in the Central Altai: 41 glacier in Katun range, 43 glacier in North Chuya range, and 47 in South Chuya range (31% of the total glacier area in Russia and Kazakhstan). Based on the found empirical relationships of glacier area, volume and morphological type (R2 0.95), we estimated that in 2003 the total volume of the glaciers was 40.833 km3 with an average thickness of 50.1 m. The three major mountain ranges in the region (Katun, North Chuya and South Chuya) hold about 80% of the total glacier volume. The glaciers of northern and north-eastern aspects contain about 60%, and the glaciers of southern and south-western aspects contain the least amount of glacier volume (8%). Although the elevation range of glaciated areas is about 2,500 m, 73% of glacier volume occupy elevations from 2,500 to 3,500 m. At the end of Little Ice Age (middle of the nineteenth century), the volume of the glaciers was about 53 km3. Therefore, the loss of glacier volume was about 12 km3 (22%) with an average rate of 0.077 km3 yr-1.

I. Normatov. Changes in mountain ecosystems affecting downstream areas (de-glaciation, biodiversity, forests and shrubs, land degradation, land use and hazards, water quality, and socio-economical consequences).

The summer of 2006 Agency on hydrometeorology of Republic of Tajikistan had been organized expedition for studying glaciers of Hissar Mountains and Northwest Pamir. Thus topographical shooting of the ends of glaciers, their cross-section structures, photographing from different points, the description of all changes which were having place on glaciers for the last years was carried out. Glacier of Hissar mountains - Yakarcha locate in high Maykhura Rivers, the right making Varzob river which are flowing down from a southern slope of Hissar Mountains. Varzob is right inflow of Kofarnigan. Yakarcha glacier is northeast exposition in length of 1,5 km and the area 0,9 km2. Height of the tongue is 3800 m, firn lines - 3940 m, the maximum part of glacier - 4160 m; volume of a glacier 23 million m3. As appeared, for 18 years (the previous shooting was in 1988) the glacier has not changed almost. Global warming was not reflected almost in it. All glacier including the tongue in July has been still covered with a dense layer of a snow in height up to 0,5 m because of that it was not possible to make topographical shooting. This testifies that thawing of Yakarcha glacier began only at the end of July - for a month later than the norm. The second expedition surveyed glaciers in Zarafshan Karatag pools. Karoviy glacier GGP (received the name in honor of the Hydrographic party} lies on northern slope of Hissar mountains in the river basin of Saritag (Iskandarkul lake). The length of a glacier of 1,16 km, average width of 0,47 km, the area 0,54 km2, begins it at height of 3820 m, comes to an end at height of 3520 m above sea level. For last 16 years (1990 - 2006) a glacier has receded on 35-55 m annually the average its speed has made about 3 meters per year though in the eightieth years of the last century it has made about 8 meters annually. Shooting of a cross-section structure has shown that the glacier has not changed almost, and recedes only from a final part.

G. Nosenko, V. Kotlyakov, T. Khromova, A. Myraviev. Assessment of glaciers changes in mountain regions of Former Soviet Union using recent satellite data and historical data sets.

One of the Regional Center (RC16) of the GLIMS project (Global Land Ice Measurement from Space) has been established in the Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, and it is responsible for the glaciated areas in Russian Arctic, the Urals, the Caucasus, Siberian mountains, Kamchatka, Altay (including Mongolian part), mountains in southern Kazakhstan. Wide range of geographical environment and glacier types allows to assess the applicability of ASTER and Landsat data for different geographical settings and glaciological tasks. More than 10000 glacier outlines for Caucasus, Pamir, Tien-Shan, Altai, Syntar-Khayata, Cherskogo Range and Kamchatka have been derived from ASTER and Landsat imagery and provided in a standard form for ingest into the GLIMS database. Together with USSR Glacier Inventory (1966-1980) this data set performs the unique opportunity for evaluation changes in glacier extent for the second part of XX century. This paper reports about results of statistical analysis of glacier data derived from ASTER and Landsat images and glacier data from WGI performed for several glacier systems: Caucasus, Polar Ural and Altai. For Caucasus we also used the first Glacier Inventory published in 1911y. It gave us the opportunity to analyze time period covered more than 100 years. The XX century has shown a strong area reduction for almost all glacier areas in Caucasus, Polar Ural and Altai. A significant variability in the retreat rates has been observed in response to local conditions and this was particularly notable with regard to smaller glaciers. This study illustrates the application of historical data and modern space images to monitor changes in glacier extent. The results correspond well with other studies performed in Caucasus and Altai.

S. Okamoto, K. Fujita, H. Narita, J. Uetake, N. Takeuchi, T. Miyake, F. Nakazawa, V. Aizen, S. Nikitin, M. Nakawo. Re-evaluation of past summer temperature reconstruction by melt features in Belukha ice cores, Russian Altai.

Past summer temperature has been reconstructed by melt features in Belukha ice core in a previous study. We evaluated a climatic representativeness of isotope, net accumulation and melt feature by comparing two Belukha ice cores retrieved by different institutions and dated by different methods. We find a significant correlation between seasonal changes in stable isotope in precipitation and air temperature. However, no significance was found between annual changes in stable isotope in ice core and temperatures. Melt features in both the ice cores show a significant correlation, but trend and average of net accumulation are different. In addition, we re-evaluate an equation for summer temperature reconstruction used in a previous study and find that the previous study has underestimated temperature. We establish an alternative equation to obtain more plausible summer temperature by melt feature and net accumulation record.

Y.Podrezova. Dynamics and feedbacks of changes in climate and low-troposphere moisture transfer and surface water resources redistribution between natural stores of waters (seasonal snow cover, glaciers, permafrost, lakes, rivers and aquifers).

The purpose of this work was to obtain the basic characteristics of thunderstorms averaged on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, and four of its climatic provinces (North, Northwest Kyrgyzstan, South-Western Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul hollow and the Inner Tyan-Shan): the annual frequency (number of cases) - x, the duration of individual thunderstorm - t, the integral number of hours with thunderstorm for the year - n. For each characteristic according to the multi-year period(1960-1991)using data of 65 Kyrgyzhydromet meteostations were calculated average values ( , , ), coefficients of variation (с(х), с(t), с(n)), estimated correlation-regression relations and dependences of average values from elevation (z), latitude (φ0) and longitude (λ0) of the meteostations.

Upon the average for Kyrgyzstan the annual rate frequency of thunderstorms is 27,7 cases, that is in 5-10 times higher than in the Turan lowland. The average rate of duration individual thunderstorm is 1,24 hour, the rate of the integral number of hours with thunderstorm is 36,3. For the main indicators of thunderstorm activity the Issyk-Kul hollow ranks the first place, the South-Western Kyrgyzstan ranks second place. The actual limits of the rate frequencies, durations and the integral numbers of hours with thunderstorm, received by the individual meteostations are very broad.

Extremely important object is the evaluation of correlation-regression dependences of rates calculated for each meteostation for year from elevation, latitude and longitude.

U. Raimov. Forest and environment.

The mankind worries now such period of time when it becomes clear, that the person is inseparable from environment. Wildlife management in improvement of ability to live of people on the Earth is a paramount problem. The person will always depend on resources of biosphere which are necessary for it for a food and production of commodities. Thus the biosphere is considered as the difficult self-regulated system consisting of a live and lifeless matter.

According to the experts, each two seconds from the person of the Earth the site of forest equal on the size to a football ground disappears. In a new millenium the world has faced such growth of illegal cabins in woods, that now in some countries these volumes are already comparable to legal preparations of wood. Unfortunately, and at us in Kyrgyzstan the poacher in forest became an everyday occurrence, and in a number district illegal cabins reach volume of the legal.

Forests are one of components of ecological safety of preservation of natural systems and maintenance of corresponding quality of environment in a country sustainable development. The analysis of development of wood shows, that process degradation of forests, degradation of woods, destructions of a habitat of wild animals and plants, reductions of a wood biodiversity recently is observed. It in high degrees, is promoted by the illegal activity which is available in wood sector of Kyrgyzstan.

For today the basic threat to woods proceeds from pressure of local population upon the natural resources, caused by negative economic conditions and demographic growth. According to the remote sounding received as a result of processing of space pictures, about 1,2 million persons lives on distance to 5 km from wood and uses its resources. About 200 thousand persons live in wood and completely depend on wood resources. Requirements of the population for fire wood and building wood for the villages located around and in wood, grow every year.

Within the limits of the Kyrgyz-Swiss Program of support of a forestry sociological research on which basis it is revealed is carried out, that one family in a year uses for heating and cooking nearby 5-10 м3 wood.

On official data the average annual volume of wood for last five years has made 15 thousand м3. Hence, the agricultural population of a wood zone is provided with fuel wood lawful from territory of the state wood fund only on 5 %. According to the publication «Kyrgyzstan: environment and natural resources for a sustainable development» (2007 53 % is necessary on a share of illegal cabins of fuel wood. The others of 42 % it is necessary on a share of volume of fuel wood received with territories of settlements (gardens, kitchen gardens, etc.), wood fund of regional administrations and local governments.

Thus, the illegal activity occurring in wood sector of Kyrgyzstan, has found certain scales and became a considerable problem not only the national level, reducing efforts on achievement of steady management forests resources, to poverty elimination, achievement of justice and improvement of the general quality of environment, hence, and the general sustainable development of republic.

The main task forestry specialists of Kyrgyzstan and the Central-Asian republics to keep and increase these unique woods for the future generations, as the standard of the natural nature, as the most valuable genetic fund of a variety of tree species of a natural origin, and as the guarantor of stability and safety of the central-Asian countries. As for preservation of stability, safety, and also a sustainable development of Central -Asian republics the special role is played by mountain forests of Kyrgyzstan. Stability in mountains, stability pledge on plains.

P. Romanov. Satellite-based monitoring of snow cover: application to mountain regions of Eurasia

For more than 30 years satellites have been actively used for monitoring The Earth’s cryosphere and in particular distribution and extent of seasonal and perennial snow cover over the globe. With the launch of advanced instruments onboard new meteorological and research satellites in the last decade potentials for snow monitoring from satellites have greatly improved. Increasing spectral coverage, temporal frequency and higher spatial resolution of observations has allowed for more accurate snow mapping and timely identification of changes in the snow extent. As a result, information on the snow cover from satellites is being increasingly used not only in global and continental-scale studies but also for regional and local scale environmental and practical applications.

In this presentation we will give a brief overview of current techniques and satellite-based snow products which are routinely derived from NOAA, NASA and ESA operational and research satellites. We will discuss the accuracy of the maps, availability and accessibility of historical data records and their potential applications in hydrological and climatological studies in the mountain regions of Eurasia.

V. P. Sati. Land use land cove changes in the Uttarakhand Himalaya: assessment and mapping

This paper aims to assess land use land cover changes in the Uttarakhand Himalaya. Land use pattern is typical in Uttarakhand, particularly in the mainland which is mountainous and constitutes 92.6% of total surface land. Therefore agriculture is done on the narrow patches of terraced fields and sown area is limited (11.5%). Over use of sown area was resulted in low production and low per ha yield. This has led to a large-scale emigration of populace towards the urban centers of country. The trend of declining sown area (-4.34%) is also due to the fact. When, India as a whole registered tremendous growth in population including Uttarakhand State, depletion of forest land was obvious. Meanwhile in the Uttarakhand Himalaya, 1.3% increase in forest cover was registered during the last three decades (1974-2001). Uncultivable land (area under non-agricultural uses and waste land) was increased by 39.29%. Similarly, the fallow land including current fallow was increased by 52.14%. Contrary, cultivable waste, pastures, and land under nurseries, orchards, trees, and bushes were decreased by-3.01%. The study reveals that even negative changes were registered in net sown area; fallow land, and uncultivable land, forest cover area registered positive change. This increase was registered at the time when forest depletion is becoming very common in the whole world in general and mountain regions in particular. Land use data from 1974 to 2001 with average of each five years were gathered from the secondary sources and land cover changes were assessed by using exponential growth rate and change in percent. Five categories of land use such as forest cover area, uncultivable land comprises; area under non-agriculture and waste land, other uncultivable land comprises; cultivable waste, pasture, and land under nurseries, orchards, trees, and bushes, fallow land, and net sown area were separately discussed. Assessed data were mapped using choropleth method and MS Excel was used to prepare bar diagrams.

L. Sekulová, M. Hájek. What affects vegetation diversity of alpine springs in the West Carpathians and the Alps?

The wetlands including springs have always played an important role from the point of view of biodiversity and its protection. These habitats are one of the most threatened in all of Europe. High share of endangered species is found in springs. Detailed knowledge of relationship between spring vegetation and environmental condition is, among others, highly important for applications in nature conservation. The important advantage in spring vegetation is that easily measurable or estimated habitat characteristics are, as a rule, in good coincidence with vegetation composition and with species distribution pattern. The main aim of the study was to determine major environmental factors affecting species richness. The major spring determinants of vegetation variation strongly differ above and below the timberline, therefore we focused only at the alpine ranges. Species richness patterns could differ among regions, dependent from various factors. Therefore, two study areas with different geographical context were chosen. The alpine ranges in the West Carpathians are relative small and isolated, while alpine areas in the Alps encompass large area.

In both study areas we recorded ca. 100 of spring relevés above the timberline using phytosociological approach. The relevés were supplemented by directly measured environmental factors (e.g. water pH, water conductivity, altitude). The main gradients were revealed using canonical correspondence analysis. Because of possible complex interactions or patterns in our data set, which cannot be revealed by multivariate analysis, we used also regression trees analysis. We expected that the micro site water characteristics would be the most important explanation variables, but we found out, that larger scale environmental factors and geographical factors can have the same importance.

I.V. Severskiy, E.V. Severskiy. Changes in the cryosphere state of South-Eastern Kazakhstan’s Mountains, and their probable impact on regional water resources.

On the basis of data of the unified glaciers inventories of the Zailiyskiy-Kungei and Dzhunghar glacial systems, composed for 4-6 different years during the period from 1955 until 2006, and data of long-standing hydro-climatic and glaciological observations on three mountain research stations in Zailiyskiy Alatau range changes in the snowfall, ice formation also of the thermal regime of frozen ground during the recent decades are investigated.

The results of glaciers monitoring left no doubt that the glaciation of Earth in the second half of the twentieth century were predominantly in the stage of degradation. In doing so, the rate of glaciation area reduction in Central Asia remained one of the largest in the world.

Within the testified region, for the last decades the average maximum snow-water equivalent - the main component of snow resources - has not changed. Glacial systems of Central Asia Mountains develop in the same direction and have similar rates of modern changes. So, for the last decades the area of glaciers in different regions of Tien Shan, Gissar-Alai, Pamirs and Dzhunghar Alatau mountains has decreased at the average rate 0.6–0.8 % per year. The maximum rate of glaciers retreat, which is typical for the mid-1970s, by mid-1980s had declined to be reduced up to 2006.

Glacier retreat rate depends to a great extent on its size, a glacier area F=13-14 km2 is is threshold: with its exceeding, the self-regulation mechanism of the glacier is so vivid that it neutralizes the influence of local factors and its regime is determined by the background microclimatic conditions of the region.

The regime of each glacier is unique and can differ from not only average data for this morphological type of glacier, but also from that of a nearby glacier. The differences can be not only significant but also can have a different (negative/positive) sign. Glacier retreat rate does not depend on its exposition and morphological type. Territorial differences in the retreat rates are defined by the orientation of slopes in reference to the cardinal points and the prevailing direction of air masses, which bring the precipitation and by the location of the region in the mountainous system. Taking into account stability in the rate of precipitation and especially in the rate of snow resources, one can suppose that glaciers in this region will not disappear during this century.

According to the 34-year-old geothermal monitoring in the area of the Zhusalykezen mountain pass in the Northern Tien Shan, the temperature of the permafrost layer (at a depth of 15 m) in the period from 1974 to 1995 increased by 0,2-0,5 º C. Within the same period, the thickness of the active layer has increased by more than 1 m. In the next 5 years, the process of warming of the permafrost has ceased, and the temperature of the permafrost to the end of the last century, has remained stable. But from 2000 to 2008, the temperature in that layer of permafrost steadily fell. During the same period, the depth of seasonal frost has increased by 1.0 m on the northern slopes and 0.3 m in the southern.

The main reason for identified dynamics of the regional glaciation and the state of the permafrost is not so much to raise global temperatures, but rather the interannual variability of the snowiness characteristics.

Despite the reduction of glaciers, during the last decades the rates (norms) of annual runoff volumes of the main rivers flow in Central Asia and runoff distribution within a year remained unchanged. During the same period, rates of sums of precipitation and maximum snow water equivalent in the zone of runoff formation remained stable also.

All this suggests the existence of a certain compensatory mechanism. Research based on data analysis of repeated photogrammetric surveys of glaciers and monitoring the temperature regime of permafrost in Zailiyskiy Alatau range, suggest that such a mechanism may be more and more significant (with climate warming) participation of melt waters of underground ices (buried glaciers, rock glaciers, the reserves of ice in the permafrost) in the river runoff formation.

Taking also into the consideration the fact that reserves of underground ice in high mountains of Central Asia are comparable with the present-day glacier resources of the terrestrial glaciation and in the Chinese mountains they are two times greater, and also considering that the rates of melting underground ice are much lower than those of the open glaciers, we believe that even if the present-day trends in climate warming are preserved, the above mentioned mechanism may work for hundreds of years. Hence, it is possible to believe that the ongoing degradation of glaciers will not lead to a considerable reduction in runoff and regional water resources at least up to nearest decades.

M. Shahgedanova, T. Khromova, G. Nosenko, A. Muravyev, V. Popovnin, C. Stokes, A. Aleynikov, D. M. Shesternyov. Climate and Glacier Change in the Mountains of Siberia: The Current State of Research, Challenges, and Opportunities.

There are a number of glaciated regions in Siberia. The extent of glacier cover varies from about 900 km2 in the Russian Altai to much smaller glacier systems occupying in all as little as 20-60 km2. While the response of glaciers to the observed climatic warming has been comprehensively assessed in many parts of the world, changes in the extent of Siberian glaciers have been under-reported. This represents an important gap in knowledge as the retreat of glaciers may have a strong impact on the biota of the upper mountains and because cold Siberian glaciers, currently growing through the formation of superimposed ice, may respond to the future climatic warming differently from temperate glaciers. This paper examines changes in the extent of glaciers in the Altai, Chersky and Kodar Mountains in the context of the observed changes in air temperature and precipitation between the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA), through the middle of the 20th century, and to the beginning of the 21st century. The future regional climate change scenarios derived using HadRM3 regional climate model are presented and potential response of glaciers to the projected climate is discussed. The paper addresses a number of methodological questions assessing advantages and limitations of the techniques currently used in the studies of climate and glacier change in the context of Siberian mountains. It is shown that the accuracy of assessment of glacier retreat using remote sensing varies significantly between regions being affected by the nature of glacier surface (debris cover) and by the nature of glacier wastage (downwasting rather than lateral retreat). Regional climate models perform well in Siberia providing realistic simulations of not only present-day air temperature but also precipitation. The paper invites a discussion of the optimal ways in which Siberian glaciers should be studied.

K. Unger-Shayesteh, C. Conrad, H. Echtler, 3), H.-G. Frede, A. Küppers, H. Mehl, B. Merz, B. Moldobekov, H. Oberhänsli, G. Rücker, K. Schneider, S. Vorogushyn. The CAWa Project – A New Potential for Cooperation in Central Asian High Elevation Research.

CAWa stands for the project “Regional Research Network ‘Water in Central Asia’”, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office as part of the “Berlin process” (2008-2011). The project unites scientists and authorities from the five Central Asian republics and Germany, as well as from Russia, the US, and the EU. It intends to contribute to a sound scientific and reliable regional data basis for the development of sustainable water management strategies in Central Asia and establish the prototype of a respective information system. To improve the data basis, CAWa will implement the prototype of an up-to-date regional hydrometeorological and GPS monitoring network which will use satellite communication for data transfer.

In addition, CAWa is expected to provide the following scientific results with potential for cooperation in high elevation research:

• A regional climate model will be established covering the whole region of Central Asia and providing scenarios of climate change for the next century.
• For the main headwaters of the Syr-Darya River a hydrologic model will be set-up to assess the development of water availability during the next decades.
• The irrigation efficiency will be determined in Fergana Valley and the contribution of shallow groundwater to the green and blue water fluxes investigated.
• The dynamics of the shallow and the deep aquifers in the lower reaches and the delta of the Amu-Darya River will be studied to gain a better understanding of salinisation processes and estimate groundwater flow into the Aral Sea.
• The composition and distribution paths of aerosols and dust originating from the deserts and steppes of Central Asia will be investigated and their effects on the glaciers in Pamir and Tien Shan mountains will be assessed.
• Remote sensing techniques will be used to derive terrestrial parameters for water balance assessment and to monitor irrigation systems.
• A prototype of a user-tailored regional information system will be established integrating data of various types, scales and sources for supporting decision makers in the water sector.

The data generated within the project will be published as part of the online CAWa data base and may be used by other projects. The scientific methods developed and applied within the project will be passed on in training courses to Central Asian professionals and implemented into programs for tertiary education.

The CAWa consortium invites all scientists working on water-related topics in Central Asia to cooperate within the CAWa project and beyond. For further details, see our website: www.cawa-project.net

A.I. Shiklomanov, R.B. Lammers, K. V. Tsitsenko, N. A. Agaltseva. Hydrological change in the mountainous regions of Central Asian in the 20th and 21st centuries.

A significant fraction of Central Asian water resources are derived from snow and glacier melt in the Tien Shan and Pamir Mountains. Increases in regional air temperatures, changes in the patterns of precipitation and an increase in particulate matter on glacier surfaces have led to intensive melting of the glaciers in this region. By the year 2005 total glacierized area was reduced by 29% over a 50 year period and greater than 10% of small glaciers with areas less than 1 km2 have disappeared entirely.

To better understand these regional changes in the hydrological regime due to contemporary climate variability and possible future change we explored the historical record and potential future signals in the major water balance components using both observational data and model simulations. New historical hydrometeorological data for Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan were used for the regional historical analysis. Global Climate Model and Regional Climate Model projections of future climate along with the UNH Water Balance and Water Transport Models (WBM/WTM) were applied to project changes in hydrological regime of Central Asian mountains. We found that through the course of the 21st century regional hydrological availability will decline putting increasing pressure on the sustainable water resources now being used by the citizens of that region. We also discuss the implications for the large populations living further downstream of these vitally important Central Asian mountain systems.

J. Strobl, A. Nazarkulova. Downscaling Climate Data and Change Scenarios for Hydrological and Landcover Modeling in Mountainous Regions

Current longterm climate data (from GCMs) as well as climate change scenarios are essential inputs for hydrological modeling of local / regional water balances as well as for all other climate-dependent phenomena like e.g. land use / land cover. Climatological data sets, particularly those with higher temporal resolutions and more detailed characteristics tend to be available in coarse resolution only, making them unsuitable for most catchment-level studies particularly in regions with high relief.

Downscaling from coarse to higher resolution data sets typically is done with a range of standard methods and techniques which will be briefly reviewed in this contribution, including stochastic as well as deterministic approaches. In most cases regression approaches are preferred, but these have significant drawbacks when applied across very mountainous terrains.

The authors therefore suggest relatively simple and robust GIS-based spatial modelling approaches accounting for differences in elevation as well as other topographic variables plus potentially additional collateral information. Different degrees of spatial variability are considered through flexible neighborhood functions. Spatial continuity has to be guaranteed, while avoiding forced smoothing of natural steep gradients.

The resulting regionalised data sets are experimentally applied to catchment areas in order to analyze the impact of climate change scenarios on seasonal runoff and flow patterns. This provides baseline scenarios for the assessment of hydropower potentials, the sustainability of irrigation cultivation as well as for disaster risk assessment. As an additional application domain, seasonal patterns of water availability and thermal variables are being used to estimate longer term viability of natural as well as cultivated vegetation and land use.

Overall, it is argued that adaptable downscaling strategies and models are critical for the translation of global climate change scenarios into regional and local contexts, and that the use of suitable approaches is particularly important in mountainous regions with a high degree of local variability.

A. Surazakov, V. Aizen. A new remote sensing dataset for mountains of Central Asia: 6-9 m black/white orthophotography derived from 1973-1980 Hexagon images.

Declassified imagery from Hexagon KH-9 program (1973-1980) has outstanding, yet still not widely recognized value for long term Land Cover/Land Use Change (LCLUC) studies. Low to medium spatial resolution datasets, such as those produced by AVHRR and Landsat programs, are cornerstones of LCLUC science. Rich in spectral and temporal information, the datasets, however, lack fine detail in the sub 10-15 m domain. On the other hand, detection of spatial changes of urban areas, glaciers, lakes, to name a few, often requires higher resolution imagery.

Current high resolution missions that are aimed at topographic mapping (ASTER, PRISM, SPOT, IRS etc) generally span only the last decade. Use of the earlier imagery is strongly limited by cost considerations for very large areas like Central Asia (SPOT, KFA1000), security and access concerns (aerial photography) or by difficulty of image processing (Corona). For these reasons, researchers still resort to large scale topographic maps developed by national mapping agencies. However, aside from positional uncertainties (use of different geodetic datums, instability of paper based maps), the accuracy of the thematic content of the maps is often unknown due to involved human interpretation and selective updating of different map elements (for e.g., a later edition of a map may contain updated urban areas but keep the older glacier boundaries).

In this presentation we discuss methodology of Hexagon data processing, thematical and positional accuracy of the images, and application of the developed Hexagon mosaic for Central Asian mountain systems for LCLUC studies. After correction of Hexagon image distortions, we achieved horizontal accuracies below 6 m for a flat terrain and approximately 10 m for a mountainous terrain. The Hexagon mosaic for the first time portrayed the remote region with such detail and, at the same time, extended the retrospective for more than three decades. The mosaic enabled creation of a glacier inventory for Tien Shan mountains circa 1976.

M. V. Syromyatina, I. G. Moskalenko, K. V. Chistyakov. Reconstruction of the climatic characteristics in the Altai Mountains and response of landscapes to climate changes

The Altai Mountains are located over the central Eurasia in a distance from the oceans and characterized by continental climate. The main purpose of our research is to reveal the causes of regional climate changes and the response of Alpine landscapes to these changes. Within the framework of this report we present solutions of several objectives for the main purpose achievement. We statistically analyzed the 1935-2004 time series of the seasonal air temperature and precipitation from 14 weather stations. To extend the time series over the past 400 years, mean summer temperature and precipitation were reconstructed applying dendroclimatological methods using the WSL Dendro data base. Recent fast warming especially from the mid-1980s in the Altai Mountains is non-exclusive. The similar abrupt increase of mean summer temperature was observed, for example, in the second half of the 19th century. The end of the Little Ice Age can be characterized by cryoaridization. There is statistically significant negative correlation between interannual variability of the air temperature and precipitation in summer during the last 400 years. We can explain it by two different factors: indirect influence of radiation factor on the temperature through the cloud cover and cold air masses coming from the Western Siberia brings precipitation in summer. Considering climate change in this region against the background of global climate changes we emphasize its regional aspects. The relationship between the global and regional temperature and precipitation changes has complicated, nonlinear character and depends, for example, on the air temperature level. According to our observations timberline and glaciers exactly respond to climate changes in this mountain region. At the last quarter of the 20th century almost everywhere over the Altai Mountains timberline rises. There are several stages of deglaciation from the Little Ice Age maximum in the Altai Mountains. The remarkable fact is almost complete disappearance of the neve line during the last 3 years in the region of our glaciological field researches. We are expecting new dendrochronological data for the additional precipitation and winter temperature reconstructions. It’s also important to reveal climate changes affect permafrost and avalanching in this region.

G. Tartari, K. Ueno, E. Vuillermoz, P. Bonasoni, V. Aizen, R. Toffolon. Role of High Elevation Reference Sites in mountain ecosystems monitoring at regional and global scales .

The interaction between atmosphere, mountains and plains provides the mechanism for moisture exchange over the continental land-mass influencing global climate and atmospheric circulation systems.

“High Elevations” can be defined as altitude above the timberline, low atmospheric pressure and low average temperature. In this context “HE” indicates mountain terrains with elevation above 2500 m a.s.l that constitute about 24% of the Earth’s surface.

Our knowledge of the high elevation environments are limited by both paucity of observations, short records, sparse station network and insufficient theoretical attention given to the complex interaction of spatial scales in weather and climate phenomena in mountains. The distribution of stations with altitude above 2500 m a.s.l (about 650 sites) belonging to the GTS (Global Telecommunication System), GPCP (Global Precipitation Climatology Project), FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization), NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), GAW (Global Atmospheric Watch), GOSIC (Global Observing Systems Information Centre), GAME-AAN (GEWEX Asian Monsoon Experiment-Asian Automatic weather station Network project) and SHARE (Stations at High Altitude for Research on the Environment) global networks, illustrates a large gradient in the density distribution for different ranges of elevation above 2500 m a.s.l.

SHARE, developed from Ev-K2-CNR with the support of the Italian government and in collaboration with UNEP, today boasts a network of 16 permanent monitoring stations between 2,165 m and 8,000 m. This integrated project aims to study alpine climate and atmospheric dynamics, snow and glaciers, alpine hydrology and limnology, atmospheric composition and pollutants transport, geo-dynamics and natural hazards, alpine biodiversity and natural habitat. In this way the project will contribute to better understand climate change on local, regional and global levels.

The data collecting at high elevation mountains will provide useful and peerless information to several international programs, such as: GEWEX-CEOP, UNEP-ABC, WMO-GAW, WCRP- NASA-AERONET, ILTER And supply vital information for decision-making organizations, governments and international agencies. Within this context, the CEOP-HE (Coordinated Energy and Water Cycle Observations Project-High Elevations) initiative, launched and coordinated by Ev-K2-CNR Committee, aims to create large observational network to study multi-scale variability in the energy and water cycle and to improve the climatic and hydrological modelling and data management.

A. Thomas. A preliminary global survey of high elevation mountain stations and recent climatic changes at high altitudes in Asia.

Climatic change has emerged as the most important single scientific topic during the last decades. While our knowledge on changes in the lowlands is fairly well established information on climatic changes in the high elevation (HE) mountain areas where most of our fresh water resources reside is far from satisfactory. With water resources at risk environmental data from mountains are becoming a pressing necessity to better analyze and manage HE environments. However, to date only an estimated 300 – 400 meteorological stations world-wide sample HE regions above 2500m. Stations located at true mountain peak locations or at exposed higher elevation above 4000m are even scarcer. In addition up to now few scientific programs have addressed HE climatic change in a systematic manner.

The presentation focuses on three topics. First a preliminary survey of HE stations is presented. Issues of station locations, global distribution and instrumentation are discussed. The importance of a coordinated approach to a systematic monitoring HE climatic changes within the framework of the CEOP High Elevation initiative is stressed.

As a second point, information on recent changes observed at selected Asian HE locations is presented. A particular emphasis is laid on magnitude and trends of evaporation rates with a discussion of the difficulties trying to estimate evaporation in mountain environments.

Finally, the lack of information and communication about HE stations is recognized and in order to address this need for an information tool the climATlas project is presented. climATlas provides a web page with a map interface that allows to select individual stations and display climatic data (climate diagrams) and station meta data. climATlas is intended to serve both as a means of data dissemination and scientific communication.

E.N. Timoshok. Model of biodiversity on moraines of the Maly Aktru glacier

There is a problem of modeling of dynamics of successions in floral succession researches, This non-linear model was developed for modeling of changes of biodiversity during floral successions. It was prepared and tested on moraines of Maly Aktru glacier. Severo-Chuisky Range but it can be easily adapted for many positive and negative floral successions in other circumstances.

The model is based around Hutchinson equation. It can be used to estimation of number of ecological niches which are formed and occupied. The main purpose of the model creation was a search for understanding of laws of plant communities functioning, because without such knowledge any modeling of plant communities except quantitative looks almost impossible.

Accordingly to this model the main factors which control successional process are environs capacity, community inertia and integrative constant of community development. The community inertia reflects how fast system react on evolutionary changes and, possibly, impacts. The constant of community development is integrative mark which reflect climatic factors and, possibly, anthropogenic pressure.

Primary floral succession which is covered by this model includes 4 stages – pioneer stage with biotopic election of species, main succession stage with ecotopic selection, unstable pre-climacteric stage with over-packing of ecological niches and stable and durable climacteric stage.

Further development of the model allow to predict how biodiversity will be changed under different natural and anthropogenic impacts and find how it will be changed under global changes.

P. C. Tiwari. Land Use Changes in Himalaya and Their Impact on Ecosystem Services and Food Security in Downstream Areas

Regime of ecosystem services, particularly water, in Himalaya is changing rapidly, with respect to water discharge, volume and availability, primarily due to climate changes, as well as owing to population growth and resultant mounting resource use pressure in headwaters which constitute critical areas for conservation water resources. Impacts of population growth in critical headwaters are now exerting sharply accentuated pressure on natural resources through intensification of land use. This has disrupted hydrological regime of Himalayan headwaters impairing basic ecological services and undermining livelihood and food securities in both upland and lowlands dependent on subsistence agriculture. Primary aim of the paper is to interpret land use dynamics, analyze their driving factors, and assess their impact on water resources in downstream areas; and to develop an inclusive and adaptive land and water conservation strategy with a case illustration of Kosi Headwater in Kumaon Himalaya, India. Relevant data was generated through remote sensing techniques, hydro-meteorological monitoring, field survey and mapping, and social surveys; and analyzed in GIS environment. An inclusive, adaptive and community and user oriented framework for conservation of land and water resources was evolved integrating various critical parameters in GIS. It was observed that amount of annual rainfall has decreased 30%, forests depleted 17%, and cultivated and degraded lands increased respectively, by 11% and 6%. Nearly 45% natural springs have dried; stream discharge has reduced about 15%, and 5% first order streams have dried in the headwater during past 25 years. These hydrological changes are expected to cause respectively, 25%, 15%, 21% and 20% decline in drinking water, irrigation, hydropower, and agricultural productivity in adjoining lowlands by 2100. Proposed land and water conservation plan makes provisions for water conserving forestry and horticultural practices, cultivation of less water requiring and drought resistant food as well as cash crops, and rainwater harvesting schemes based on local knowledge.

J. Wang, S.Liu. Chemical Denudation Rates and Carbon Dioxide Drawdown in Koxkar Glacierised Region at the South Slope of Mts.Tienshan, China.

Chemical denudation rates and carbon dioxide withdrawal were calculated for the Koxkar glacier region, located in south slope of Mts.Tienshan, China. Samples from ice-melt water, precipitation and river water were collected daily from June 21st to September 10th in 2004. The law of conservation of mass was applied for evaluating chemical denudation fluxes and transient carbon dioxide drawdown. It is found that: 1) There were 60.7 kg•km-2d-1and 60.2 kg•km-2d-1 solutes supplied by precipitation and ice melt-water respectively which accounts for about 7.7% and 7.6% of the total solutes of bulk river water (791.2 kg•km-2d-1). Consequently, the rate of chemical denudation derived from the crustal flux during melt season was 670.3kg•km-2d-1, accounting for 84.7%; 2) Carbonation weathering was 308.9 kg•km-2d-1, heavier than the other chemical denudations. The crustal concentration of bicarbonates (HCO3-) is attributed chiefly to the carbonation of carbonates (limestone and dolomite) and aluminosilicates/silicates. A further important source of bicarbonates and sulphates is pyrite oxidation coupled with limestone/dolomite dissolution. Utilizing proportion of dissoluble ion chemical reaction, we might obtain that transient carbon dioxide drawdown was 81.0 kg•km-2d-1. 3) With relationship of specific conductivity to concentrations of dissolved carbonate in water, the chemical denudation rates was 641.1 kg•km-2d-1, only 4.4% less than the crustal solute flux obtained with law of conservation of mass. This implied important to evaluate chemical denudation fluxes of non- data in western mountain area, China. However, because of without chemical analyses and ion partitioning, the transient CO2 drawdown cannot be established.

B. Wolfgramm, C. Hergarten, T. Breu, H. Liniger. A Framework for Identification of SLM Options in the Pamir-Alai Region.

In the Pamir-Alai region, various indirect and direct changes are affecting both the mountain ecosystems and the downstream areas. Possibly the two major changes affecting the region are changes in natural resource management since independence of the Republics of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in 1991 and the on-going climate change: (1) Increased pressure on natural resources since 1991 has led to considerable land degradation, affecting the state of pastures, forests and irrigated cropland. (2) The impacts of climate change are not known yet in detail, but observed changes are: altitudinal shifts in suitability of crops due to temperature shifts; extreme weather events such as increased variability of dry spells; and changes in watershed runoff due to glacier melting. Suitable and effective strategies and measures are needed for sustainable land management at the national and regional level, where multiple stakeholders are involved in agriculture.

The overall objective of the on-going Component 1.1 within the PALM project (http://palm.unu.edu/) is to develop a “Strategy and Action Plan” for sustainable land management in the Pamir-Alai region.

The applied framework includes three steps. Specifically, this includes first the development of regional profiles of climate change and its impacts on agriculture, second the systematic assessment of local coping strategies of land users, and third participatory mapping of degradation and conservation characteristics at the district level integrating remote sensing information. Thus the study will be working on the local level with the assessment of local conservation practices, and the regional level through the participatory mapping. The challenge will be to link the two levels and show impacts both locally and regionally.

The tools and database developed by the WOCAT program (www.wocat.org) are used and further enhanced for applicability with the local conditions. These tools include standardized questionnaires and databases, mapping methodology, and decision support-tools.

This ongoing project results in a methodological framework for identifying SLM options at the regional level. It will lead to a set of SLM options for specific ecosystems within the Pamir-Alai region. Decision-support tools are provided to the relevant stakeholders for improved decision-making in the Pamir-Alai region.

D. Yang, K. Steffen, V. Ryabinin. Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Project Update.

The cryosphere is an important and dynamic component of the global climate system. The global cryosphere is changing rapidly, with changes in the Polar Regions receiving particular attention during the International Polar Year 2007-2008. The Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Project is a core project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and is co-sponsored by WCRP, SCAR (Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research) and IASC (International Committee for Antarctic Research). The principal goal of CliC is to assess and quantify the impacts that climatic variability and change have on components of the cryosphere and the consequences of these impacts for the climate system. To achieve its objectives, CliC coordinates international and regional projects, partners with other organizations in joint initiatives, and organizes panels and working groups to lead and coordinate advanced research aimed at closing identified gaps in scientific knowledge about climate and cryosphere. CliC has advanced significantly over the last several years. This presentation will provide an update of recent developments of cross-cut research themes, highlighting the regional projects in the alpine areas with a focus on the Asian alpine regions, interaction and collaboration with other international projects, and outlining the future direction of the CliC project.

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