The Asian Water Tower
The Himalayas-Hindu Kush, Kunlun Shan, Pamir and Tien Shan mountain ranges function as water
towers, providing water to people through much of Asia. The glacier and snow-fed rivers
originating from the mountain ranges surrounding the Tibetan Plateau comprise the
largest river run-off from any single region in the world.
While the mountains are homes to some 170 million people, the rivers that drain these
mountains influence the lives of about 40 per cent of the world's population.
Changes in the climatic conditions will impact both the timing and amount of snow and
ice melt which may have consequences for a wide range of human activities like
agriculture, industry and hydropower production.
Being one of the most data sparse places on Earth, the climate variability on the
plateau is not well known. My main interest is the variability in
precipitation and snow melt.
The main objectives of this work are:
Model the snow and ice contribution to river runoff in major riverbasins like Ganges, Indus and Bhramaputra.
Investigate the potential effects of climate change on riverfolw in the major riverbasins.
Strengthen graduate and postgraduate training of Tibetan students in meteorology and climate.
The University Network Norway-Tibet
The University of Bergen has since the early 1990s had a research cooperation with the
University of Tibet and the Meteorological Bureau, Tibet Autonomeous Region.
I am involved in a project financed by the
University Network Norway-Tibet
which is a education and research program. Over the last 10 years over 20 Tibetans has taken a
master or PhD in meteorology,matematics,physics or biology at the University of Bergen.
STUDENTS WORKING IN THIS FIELD
REVIEWED PAPERS
Modelled Mass Balance of a Tibetan Plateau Glacier - Sensitivity to Climate Change (2008)
Caidong C. and Sorteberg A.
Sumbitted
Temperature Variations in Tibet Autonomous Region 1961-2003 and their links to Atmospheric Circulation
Caidong C. and Sorteberg A.
Sumbitted
Circulation Regimes over the Tibetan Plateau and Related Precipitation Patterns (2008)
Caidong C. and Sorteberg A.
Sumbitted
STUDENT THESIS
Caidong Caidong (2008): Circulation variabilty over the Tibetan Plateau links to temperature and precipitation changes and impact og glacier (PhD)
Pubu Tundrop (2006): Forecasting monsoon precipitation on the Himalayan slope and Tibetan Plateau using MM5 (master)
Wangla (2003): Temperature Variability on the Tibetan Plateau, 1930-1990 (master)
PICTURE GALLERY
Xibu Glacier used in Caidong's PhD thesis.
The research station in Janbaijing.
A few hours outside Lhasa.
