Capacity Building and Twinning for Climate Observing Systems (CATCOS)

It is widely recognized that global climate change poses a major threat to sustainable development objectives. In order to build up climate resilience, decisions concerning mitigation and adaptation strategies on climate change must be taken based on high-quality data measured in a sustainable manner. CATCOS allows filling the data gaps in regions where climate-relevant information has been missing or measurements have been ceased. In doing so, the project provides a significant contribution to the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).

The role of the University of Fribourg in CATCOS:

Central Asia is dependent on glaciers as an essential source of water. In the past, many glaciers have been monitored and a valuable data basis was established. Past mass balance series on Uzbek and Kyrgyz glaciers span more than 20 years but are interrupted in the mid-1990s.

As part of the CATCOS project, systematic glacier observations are re-established at four Kyrgyz glaciers and one Uzbek glacier thanks to a close collaboration between the University of Fribourg and the Central-Asian Institute for Applied Geosciences (CAIAG). All collected data is submitted to the designated International Data Centre, the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) in Switzerland and freely accessible.

The University of Fribourg instructs local scientists in field operating procedures and teaches them how to apply the measuring equipment considering the specifics of each glacier, including serverel summer schools on “Mass Balance Measurements and Analysis”.  Thereby, Kyrgyz participants receive advanced training in both field and office work. 

Aims:
1. Re-establishment of historical mass balance monitoring programmes
2. Capacity building and twinning

Study area: Kyrgyzstan: Glacier Abramov (Pamir-Alay), Glacier Golubin (Tien Shan), Glacier Batysh Sook (Tien Shan), Glacier No. 354 (Tien Shan); Uzbekistan: Barkrak Sredniy Glacier (Tien Shan)

• Project Overview
  

  Figure 1a. Historical measurement at Abramov initiated in 1967. 1b. Re-established mass balance network since 2011.

  

  Figure 2: Measured and re-constructed mass balance for Gl. No.354 (Kronenberg et al., 2016)

  

  Figure 3: Photo from joined field work with local partners at Abramov Glacier (Photo taken by T. Saks).

  

  Figure 4: Photo from the summer school on mass balance measurements and analysis in 2015 on Batysh Sook Glacier (Photo taken by H.Machguth).

• Publications
  • Barandun, M., Huss, M., Sold, L., Farinotti, D., Azisov, E., Salzmann, N., Usubaliev, R., Merkushkin, A., & Hoelzle, M. (2015). Re-analysis of seasonal mass balance at Abramov glacier 1968–2014. Journal of Glaciology, 61(230), 1103-1117.
  • Kronenberg, M., Barandun, M., Hoelzle, M., Huss, M., Farinotti, D., Azisov, E., ... & Kääb, A. (2016). Mass-balance econstruction for Glacier No. 354, Tien Shan, from 2003 to 2014. Annals of Glaciology, 57, 71.
  • Kenzhebaev, R., Barandun, M., Kronenberg, M., Yaning, C., Usubaliev, R., Hoelzle, M., (2017). Mass balance observations and reconstruction for Batysh Sook Glacier, Tien Shan, from 2004 to 2016: Cold Regions Science and Technology, v. 135, p. 76-89.
  • Hoelzle, M., Azisov, E., Barandun, M., Huss, M., Farinotti, D., Gafurov, A., Hagg, W., Kenzehbaev, R., Kronenberg, M., Machguth, H., Merkushkin, A., Moldobekov, B., Petrov, M., Saks, T., Salzmann, N., Schöne, T., Tarasov, Y., Usubaliev, R., Vorogushyn, S., Yakovlev, A., and Zemp, M., 2017, Re-establishing glacier monitoring in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Central Asia: Geoscientific Instrumentations, Methods and Data Systems, v. 6, p. 297-418.
  • http://www.adjacentgovernment.co.uk/farming-environment-marine-sustainable-news/analysing-glaciers-to-fight-climate-change/25090/
  • http://www.internationalinnovation.com/climate-change-monitoring-developing-world/
  • http://www.azernews.az/analysis/87483.html
  • http://caa-network.org/archives/5088