CHANGING GLACIERS

Changing Glaciers: Enhancing International Research Capacity and Learning Collaboration in Reconstructing the Impacts of Glacier Responses to Climate Change

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Climate change over both geological and human timescales has an immense impact on Earth environments. Changes in mountain glaciers provide both a particularly sensitive indicator of local-to-regional patterns of climate change and are crucial for water resources and natural hazards in mountainous regions and adjacent lowlands. An international research project, led by Professor Stroeven at Stockholm University, is focused on reconstructing changes in mountain glaciers across Central Asia. As a MCIIF, Professor Jon Harbor, a recognized senior leader in interdisciplinary research and education in glacial studies, will play a central role in this international research project. Professor Harbor will co-lead the fieldwork, be a primary collaborator in analyzing results and writing journal publications with faculty and students in member states and ICPCs, and will co-lead and evaluate collaborative online international educational modules involving students in the member states and the US. His work will enhance and reinforce research excellence in both the lead member state (Sweden), and five other member states and ICPCs (Germany, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Russia, and China). Professor Harbor’s unique areas of expertise for the MCIIF include terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide methods for glacial research, and development and evaluation of novel online collaborative learning. Outcomes of the MCIIF will include a significant broadening of the competences of the host and collaborating organisations, in particular in interdisciplinary expertise and in building long-term, mutually beneficial cooperation between Europe, the USA and Asian ICPCs.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Collaborating universities in Sweden and the United States have reconstructed historical changes in Central Asian mountain glaciers to infer past and future patterns of climate change.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Outside of the polar regions, Central Asia contains a large number of contemporary glaciers, which are crucial water resources. Understanding the glacial history of Central Asia is particularly important in predicting how climate change may affect today's glacial regions.

The EU-funded CHANGING GLACIERS project sought to reconstruct past and present changes in mountain glaciers across Central Asia, thus providing data for climate change models.

Combining the expertise of researchers from Stockholm University, Sweden, and Purdue University, United States, CHANGING GLACIERS used cosmogenic nuclide dating to establish past glacial extents. Cosmogenic nuclides form when surface rocks are bombarded by high-energy cosmic rays, and as such determine when rocks first became exposed at the earth's surface.

Researchers also collected geological samples from China and Mongolia, and used remote-sensing mapping to determine the pattern and timing of past glaciation in Central Asia.

In addition, the project developed shared online international education modules for students from the EU and the United States. For further outreach, they developed a training programme for PhD students to better communicate their research, and to teach and develop educational materials for school children.

By improving the interdisciplinary expertise of the collaborating institutions, CHANGING GLACIERS developed a better understanding of the impact of climate change on Central Asian communities.