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Chapter 06
Climate and Study of Glaciers
particulate or molecular process markers that can reconstruct the palaeoenvironment or human induced processes like logging or grazing. Individual proposals within Tip shall deal with the following questions: 1. Which are the key characteristics of the major Tibetan ecosystems? How is the development of
ecosystems influenced by the formation and uplift of the plateau? 2. Did the uplift and plateau formation create an environment of global climatic importance? Which are the
unique climatic factors of the Tibetan Plateau that determine significance for global climate? How will global change, especially climate and human activity, impact the Tibetan ecosystems and feed back to the global climate? Which are the consequences for humans on the Tibetan Plateau?
How Tip evolved In August 2002, an international workshop (with German participation) was held in Beijing on principles of a future Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP). In December 2003, ITP was established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). In May 2004, a memorandum of cooperation between ITP/CAS and DFG was signed (by the vice-presidents of CAS and DFG, Profs. Zhu Chen and Eigenberger) manifesting the joint implementation of research programmes on climate change, geodynamics and ecology of the Tibetan Plateau. In August 2004, the 1st Sino-German workshop was held in Beijing planning joint research projects of ITP and German research groups. In February 2005, a first German project bundle was submitted to DFG (approved in August 2005). In August 2005, the 2nd Sino-German workshop was held in Beijing and Lhasa (attended by the DFG president Prof. Winnacker), and a contract on cooperation principles between DFG and ITP was ratified. In August/September 2005, first Sino-German field work campaigns were conducted. In January 2005, a second German project bundle was submitted to DFG (approved in July 2005). In April 2006, the 3rd Sino-German workshop was held in Ettal/Germany deciding on the future long-term cooperation plan (attended by the DFG vice-president Prof. Steglich). In May 2006: DFG-round table discussion "interactions of biosphere and atmosphere related to the Tibetan Plateau". In November 2006, the proposal for the priority programme TiP was submitted.
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4. Implementation of the programme The Tibetan Plateau is of particular relevance for Society and Earth Sciences for the following reasons:
it is a determining factor for the Asian monsoon system and shows presently an amplified response to global warming,
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Tibetan Plateau: Formation-Climate-Ecosystems
