Glacial indicators of climate change

Outside of the polar regions, Central Asia contains a large number of contemporary glaciers, which are crucial water resources. Understanding the glacial history of Central Asia is particularly important in predicting how climate change may affect today's glacial regions.

The EU-funded CHANGING GLACIERS project sought to reconstruct past and present changes in mountain glaciers across Central Asia, thus providing data for climate change models.

Combining the expertise of researchers from Stockholm University, Sweden, and Purdue University, United States, CHANGING GLACIERS used cosmogenic nuclide dating to establish past glacial extents. Cosmogenic nuclides form when surface rocks are bombarded by high-energy cosmic rays, and as such determine when rocks first became exposed at the earth's surface.

Researchers also collected geological samples from China and Mongolia, and used remote-sensing mapping to determine the pattern and timing of past glaciation in Central Asia.

In addition, the project developed shared online international education modules for students from the EU and the United States. For further outreach, they developed a training programme for PhD students to better communicate their research, and to teach and develop educational materials for school children.

By improving the interdisciplinary expertise of the collaborating institutions, CHANGING GLACIERS developed a better understanding of the impact of climate change on Central Asian communities.