30 Jul 2015 | Atmosphere Initiative

Emerging platform for atmospheric scientists

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Convective clouds change the distribution of air pollutants, washing out some with rainfall while transporting others high into the upper atmospheric zones. At the same time, air pollutants also affect cloud droplet size and lifetime, altering the locations and amounts of rainfall.

Recognizing the potentially large impact of these processes on the people and livelihoods of the HKH region, ICIMOD, together with several international partners, hosted the first international workshop on Atmospheric Composition and the Asian Monsoon (ACAM) in Kathmandu, Nepal, in June 2013.

In the two years since the first ACAM Workshop, two of the partners, Stratosphere Processes and their Role in Climate (SPARC) and the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project (IGAC), have incorporated ACAM as an emerging international activity within their programmes with the intention of nurturing global collaboration among atmospheric scientists.

The second ACAM Workshop held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 8-10 June 2015, was attended by more than 170 participants. ICIMOD managed the sponsorship of 28 scientists and students from its Regional Member Countries (RMCs), who gave oral or poster presentations of their research work.

“The two workshops have made ACAM a stronger platform today, including co-organization of training workshops for young scientists from the region, formation of working groups on data sharing, and campaign planning,” said Dr Vinayak Sinha, Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali.

Speaking at the opening session, ICIMOD’s Senior Atmospheric Scientist, Dr Arnico Panday, urged ACAM members not to limit themselves to scientific discussions but also to focus on the impact part the atmospheric issues. “We would like to see ACAM go beyond science to connect impacts of changed monsoon on sectors of health, agriculture, visibility, and impact on Himalayan snow and ice,” he said.

ICIMOD also contributed to the venue costs of the workshop, hosted an information booth, and held a side meeting on 7 and 8 June to discuss the upcoming workshop on ‘Multi-country Study of the Persistent Winter Fog over Indo-Gangetic Plains’.