Intellectual Merit: Permafrost in Asian mountain regions, especially on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, is extremely sensitive to environmental change since the majority of permafrost is within several degrees below the freezing point. Global and regional climate models predict that mean annual air temperature on the Tibetan Plateau will increase 2 to 3oC by the mid of the 21st century. Construction of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Railroad, the biggest project in permafrost region since the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline in the 1970s, and future railroad operations will have impacts on surficial processes and permafrost environments. Climatic warming and railroad construction will accelerate the thawing and degrading of permafrost over the region. Permafrost scientists and engineers are now facing these new challenges on the response of permafrost to rapidly changing environments. The 1st Asian Conference on Permafrost will bring scientists, engineers, policy makers together, especially young scientists and graduate students, (i) to enhance communication within the national and international scientific community on the achievements and progress of the Asian permafrost studies in the past few decades (ii) to identify and recommend critical areas that need further study in the next decade, and (iii) expand the international collaborations on permafrost studies over this Asian mountainous region of China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and southern Russia. Broader Impacts: Conference themes addressed include: Permafrost engineering, properties of frozen soils, model development, and their applications; Permafrost hazards and periglacial environments in mountain/plateau regions; Climatic and environmental and cryospheric changes; Permafrost hydrology and cold regions water resources and land use; and Monitoring, mapping and modeling of mountain and high-elevation permafrost. These topics relate to consequences of a warming Earth and the many societal issues in the high latitude and high mountain regions of planet Earth. The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) report in 2004 renewed concerns that enhanced thawing or degradation of permafrost has had major impacts on infrastructure and local communities. The outcome of the conference will contribute to the bipolar environmental and engineering knowledge and to the assessment of recent changes in the landmass and terrestrial ecosystems. Experience gained by young researchers will contribute to their academic and professional development.
