Dr. Glenn Thackray of Idaho State University will organize a workshop in China on mountain glacier fluctuations, in conjunction with Dr. Lewis Owens of the University of Cincinnati and Dr. Chaolu Yi of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research. Mountain glaciers are sensitive climatic indicators, and their fluctuations permit evaluation of several hypotheses regarding climatic changes in tropical, subtropical, mid-latitude, and sub-polar regions of both hemispheres. As additional chronological data constraining mountain glacier fluctuations are generated, particularly with increasing usage of cosmogenic and luminescence techniques, it is essential to design a) a conceptual framework for evaluating the temporal and spatial distribution of mountain glacier fluctuations and b) a community research plan to obtain critical data. The conceptual framework and research plan are the goals of the proposed workshop.
The workshop will consist of a three-day assembly in Beijing or Llasa as well as a three-day visit to field research sites on the Tibetan Plateau in May or September 2006. It will involve approximately 15 U.S. participants, including four graduate students, one undergraduate student, and one high school science teacher as well as 9-10 senior and junior researchers. The researchers represent at least nine U.S. universities and include members of underrepresented minorities. Researchers from the United Kingdom, Austria, India and New Zealand are expected to join those from the U.S. and China at the meeting.
Workshop results will be disseminated through an edited journal volume, archiving of the compiled data into a web database, and conference presentations. In addition, the high school teacher on the U.S. team will develop web-related materials of interest to high school teachers and students.
