Monsoon Asia Integrated
Regional Studies (MAIRS)
SCOPE/START Rapid Assessment Project
Initiators:
Roland Fuchs (USA), Jerry
Melillo (USA)
Introduction
START
(SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training) and its regional networks
in East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia are developing a series
of integrated regional studies of global change (IRS) in Monsoon Asia
together with SCOPE, IGBP,
IHDP, WCRP,
and DIVERSITAS.
The long-term objectives of the integrated regional studies that may
ultimately combine field experiments, process studies, and modeling
components are to:
- better understand
how human activities in regions are interacting with and altering
natural regional variability of the atmospheric, terrestrial, and
marine components of the environment;
- contribute to
the provision of a sound scientific basis for sustainable regional
development; and
- develop a predictive
capability of estimating changes in global-regional linkages in the
Earth System and to recognize on a sound scientific basis the future
consequences of such changes.
The key issues for
such integrated regional studies include considerations of what the
region will be like in the next 20-30 years; what will be the consequences
of global changes for the region; and what will be the consequences
of regional changes for the global earth system. The studies consider:
- major demographic,
socio-economic, and institutional drivers for change, including scenarios
of change related to urbanization and industrialization, energy production
and biomass burning, land use/cover change and water resources harvesting,
including dam construction;
- effects on regional
and atmospheric composition/pollution, regional water cycle and coastal
systems, and local ecosystem structure and function;
- impacts on biogeochemical
cycles and the physical climate system, including its variability
at different scales;
- potential impacts
of global and other feedback effects on the regional biospheric life
support system, including food systems, water resources and health.
Three sub-regional international meetings, following the SCOPE Rapid
Assessment Projects (RAP) format for China/East Asia, South Asia and
Southeast Asia will systematically review current knowledge regarding
regional aspects of global change in Monsoon Asia. The first RAP workshop
focussing on China/Eastern Asia was held in Hangzhou, China, in October
2004. The resulting synthesis volume is jointly edited by Fu Congbin,
John Freney and John Stewart, and will be published by Island Press.
Island Press may also consider production of a tradebook synthesis of
the three sub-regional rapid assessments.
Forthcoming MAIRS Activities
- July 8-9, 2005:
Southeast Asia RAP Workshop, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- July 11-12,
2005: South Asia RAP Workshop, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- November 2005:
MAIRS Steering Group Meeting, Beijing, China
Last
up-dated 2 June 2005