This award supports collaborative research on the interaction between the cryosphere and climate to test hypotheses concerning relationships of snow with other climate variables in western China. Dr. George Kukla, Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, Columbia University, Dr. David Robinson, Rutgers University and professor Lo Peiji, Lanshou Institute of Glaciology and Geocryology will use ground truth data gathered in western China, a ten year long satellite derived record of snow cover, and a thirty-year climate record to define the mean characteristics and variability of snow cover and surface albedo, and to test certain hypotheses about relationships between snow and other climate variables in western China and adjacent regions. It is anticipated that through this combination of remote sensing historical data and on-site observations, valuable data sets will be collected which may lead to improved forecasts of seasonal weather, including summer monsoons, throughout central and eastern Asia. This project is jointly supported by NSF and the Chinese Academy of Sciences under the Protocol on Cooperation in Basic Sciences.
