here - CEOP-HE

4. CEOP-HE: Contributions and Synergies with International Activities
CEOP-HE’s aims to provide an interdisciplinary and global vision of water cycle and climate
dynamics and related processes in high elevation areas. To reach its goals, CEOP-HE will benefit
from its affiliation with Ev-K2-CNR’s SHARE Project and also with CEOP/GEWEX activities.
4.1 Interactions with other CEOP Elements
Specific interactions and collaborations between HE and other CEOP Elements
(http://monsoon.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ceop2/) were identified during discussions within a breakout
session on HE held within the 2 nd CEOP Annual Meeting, and reconfirmed during the 3 rd CEOP
Annual Meeting, which took place on August 19-21, 2009, in Melbourne, Australia.
In particular, collaboration will regard especially three main elements that directly influence or
characterize high elevated areas, i.e. Regional Studies (RSs), Cross-Cutting Studies (CCRs) and
Regional Hydroclimate Projects (RHPs).
HE is included in the Regional Studies, of CEOP and the interactions with other CEOP elements
could be based on adopting common strategies to cover energy and water budgets studies at global
scale. In particular, some components of RS are complementary, like Cold Regions that studies the
same processes as HE (e.g. the permafrost melting) but at different altitude. In addition, Semi-Arid
and Monsoon Studies have strong affinities with high elevation areas. For these reasons, such
interactions are expected to produce results of great interest.
The second area of fruitful interaction was identified with CCRs, in particular, with three
components. The first is the Water and Energy Budget Studies (WEBS) group, the second is
Aerosols group, and the thirdis the Isotope Cross Cut Study (ICCS) group, Such cross-cutting
studies could contribute considerably to knowledge on the water budget in high elevated areas,
considering the fundamental role played by all these factors (water and energy budgets, aerosols
and isotopes) in the individuation of mechanisms of monsoon circulation.
The MAHASRI (Monsoon Asian Hydro-Atmosphere Scientific Research and Prediction Initiative),
CPPA (Climate Prediction Program for the Americas) and NEESPI (Northern Eurasia Earth
Science Partnership Initiative) are the main RHP activities which could interact with HE. Such
interaction could have a key role in identifying representative case study areas. The research
facilities available within the RHPs, the operative activities carried out at a meaningful level in
terms of space and time, and the long experience of researchers, will be of crucial to support the HE
activity, especially in view of the opportunity of linking the different high altitude observations
within a more complete context.
CEOP case studies which are representative of high elevated areas, such as Western American
Mountains, will also be taken into account. Joint activities will also be undertaken with the Model
Studies group.
4.1.1 Specific benefits obtained from interactions
The interaction with other Regional Climate Foci is essential in the planned activities of the HE
Working Group. In particular, it will regard the following specific aspects:
Cold Region Studies
HE will require information on glacier retreat/extension over the studied high elevated regions and
on the respective possible theory, if already proposed. Also required is a list of existing glaciers,
snow cover and permafrost, as possible reference sites in high elevated areas, as well as of heavy
snow events at HE during CEOP-Phase I (2003-2004) and CEOP-Phase II (2006-2010). Finally,
snow cover and permafrost climatology details will be required for the expected high elevated
CEOP-HE
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