Background of Project ABC

Atmospheric brown clouds (ABC) are regional scale plumes of air pollutants (mainly aerosol particles and precursor gases that produce aerosols and ozone). ABC is an emerging regional climate change issue. Recent studies show that ABC and its interaction with build-up of greenhouse gases significantly affect the regional climate, glacial melting, water budgets, agriculture and public health. The important but inadequately understood role that ABC can play in regional and global climate change has opened a new dimension of human influence on earth’s climate. The effect of ABC on climate, hydrological cycle, agriculture and public health is an outstanding problem for understanding climate change and its impacts, and has not been fully explored. To study this emerging environmental issue in Asia, UNEP commissioned Project Atmospheric Brown Cloud (ABC) in 2002 in collaboration with a team of distinguished scientists from Asia, Europe and USA. Project ABC focuses on observation, impact assessment, and awareness and mitigation, accompanied by capacity building. In consultation with experts and collaborators, the activities for the second phase (2008-12) of Project ABC are being prepared that include: further development of the scientific understanding of ABC, impact assessment, capacity building of the developing countries for monitoring and impact assessment, development of mitigation and adaptation options, and dissemination of findings and initiation of policy level dialogues for mitigation of/adaptation to climate change, including that due to ABCs.

ICIMOD is a collaborative partner of UNEP for the activities in the HKH region. ICIMOD also hosts and maintains Nepal Climate Observatory at Godavari (NCO-G) in Kathmandu, a part of a network of ABC observatories in Asia and the Pacific to study the impact of ABC in the Himalayan region.

3rd International Training School on ABC

Date:          3 -7 December 2008
Venue:       Hotel Yak & Yeti, Kathmandu, Nepal
Organizer:

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Bangkok, Thailand
• International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal

Background
Atmospheric brown clouds (ABC), observed as widespread layers of brownish haze, are regional scale plumes of air pollutants, mainly aerosol particles and precursor gases which produce aerosols and ozone. ABC and their interaction with build-up of greenhouse gases significantly affect the regional climate, glacial melting, hydrological cycle, agriculture and human health. ABC is an emerging regional climate change issue. The important but inadequately understood role that ABC can play in regional and global climate change has opened a new dimension of human influence on earth’s climate. The effect of ABC on climate, water, agriculture and human health is an outstanding problem which prevents a complete understanding of climate change and its impacts, and needs to be more fully explored. To study this emerging environmental issue, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) commissioned Project Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABC) in 2002 in collaboration with a team of distinguished scientists from Asia, Europe and the USA. Project ABC encompasses capacity building, both human resources and physical infrastructure, in the region. The project organizes regularly the International Training Schools on Atmospheric Brown Clouds to provide advanced training to young scientists and senior research students in various aspects of atmospheric and climate science. The Third international training school on Atmospheric Brown Clouds will be organized in Kathmandu, Nepal during 3-7 December.

Programme
The participants will be given classroom lectures and tutorials by internationally prominent atmospheric scientists on the theoretical background and an overview of current knowledge on various aspects of atmospheric brown clouds and climate change as well as the principles of operation of a variety of the state-of-the-art instruments for atmospheric aerosols, trace gases, precipitation chemistry, radiation and meteorological measurements. This will facilitate them on collection, analysis and interpretation of atmospheric data.

Scientific consultation workshop on Effects of ABCs and GHGs on Himalayan Glacial and Hydrology in Asia

Date:          6 December 2008
Venue:       Hotel Yak & Yeti, Kathmandu, Nepal
Organizer:

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Bangkok, Thailand
• International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal

Background
Climate change is causing the retreat of glaciers. Melting glaciers pose two main concerns: (i) a threat to water security; and (ii) an increase in the vulnerability to natural disasters. The Hindu Kush–Himalayan region has been severely affected by regular occurrences of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) in recent years. These areas are resource rich and have a dense population of around 150 million people, often clustered along steep river valleys, making them highly vulnerable to such disasters. The Hindu Kush–Himalayas are the water source for 7 of the great rivers of Asia — Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Salween, Mekong, Yangtze and Yellow. They also harbor some of the world’s richest ecosystems in terms of biodiversity, and many protected areas lie in the proximity of potentially dangerous glacial lakes. Recent studies by the Atmospheric Brown Cloud (ABC) Science Team (Ramanathan et al., 2007) found that the atmospheric brown clouds (ABCs) over South Asia may speed up Himalayan glacier melting, in that they contribute as much as the recent increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gases to regional lower atmospheric warming trends. Results from the ABC high altitude observatory indicate presence of significantly higher concentrations of ABCs (including black carbon) in the Himalayan region. When effects of ABCs are considered, the effect of global warming (due to greenhouse gases) on glacier retreat and snow pack melting will be more pronounced, i.e, the melting will be accelerated significantly. There is a need to quantify the effects of ABCs on snow pack melt and the potential impacts on the availability of water resources in Asia.

Workshop Aim
This workshop will bring together leading aerosol scientists, glacial experts, and water resources experts from around the world to advance recommendations on ways to improve the science of ABCs impacts on water resources. The main focus will be on effects of climate change and ABCs on glacial and snow pack melt. Specific objectives of the workshop include:

• Review of the existing works and methodologies related to impacts of climate change and ABCs on glacial and snow pack melt
• Formulate strategies and network for the estimation of impacts of climate change and ABCs on the available water resources in Asia

Workshop on ABC

Date:          5 December 2008
Venue:       Hotel Everest, Kathmandu, Nepal

 ABC Science Team Meeting

Date:          4 December 2008
Venue:       Hotel Yak & Yeti, Kathmandu, Nepal