Under a changing climate and influenced by steadily increasing anthropogenic activities, the permafrost in Central Asia has been undergoing dramatic changes due to its warm characteristics and unique environments at high elevations. As a result, the evolution of permafrost environments substantially impact natural ecosystems, engineering infrastructures, and land use due to their close interactions with the underlying permafrost conditions. The construction of the Qinghai-Tibetan Railway (QTR) that traverses 632 km of permafrost has attracted much attention. The QTR is scheduled for operation in 2007, with the main construction completed in 2006. Other major cold regions projects in China are the West Line of Water Diversion Programs from the Yangtze to the Yellow Rivers, oil and gas pipelines with Kazakhstan and Russia, and electric transmissions. These programs impact natural ecosystems in permafrost regions and require continued research on frozen ground and impacts to natural ecosystems, and cooperation among countries in Central Asia and its alpine/plateaus regions. This first Asian Conference on Permafrost will be held on August 7-9, 2006 in Lanzhou, China, under the auspices of the International Permafrost Association, Chinese Geographical Society, and Chinese Academy of Sciences' State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soils Engineering (SKLFSE). Many other international organizations have been invited and agree to co-sponsor the Conference including the Natural Science Foundation of China, International Union of Geological Sciences, International Geographical Union, International Union for Quaternary Research, International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, IUGG Commission for Cryospheric Science, IPY International Programme Office, the International Arctic Research Center, Past Global Changes, and others. The post-conference field trip is planned on August 10-16, 2006. Participants will travel along the QTR from Golmud to Lhasa to inspect the completed QTR, the Qinghai-Tibet Highway and fiber-optic cables, and recently rehabilitated oil pipeline. Special sessions and workshops are planned: geotechnical engineering in warm permafrost areas, climatic, cryospheric and environmental changes in Central Asia, and monitoring, mapping and modeling of mountain and high-elevation permafrost. Results of the conference will contribute to the IPA planning and implementation for the International Polar Year (2007-09) and the International Year of Planet Earth (2007-09). The following topics are included but not limited to: 1. Permafrost engineering, properties of frozen soils,model development,and their applications, Reports and papers are welcomed from all permafrost regions of the world. Although the major theme is on the permafrost and seasonally frozen ground in Asia, participants with lectures, papers and posters based on their own research are especially welcomed. These include experiences on science, technology and engineering related to permafrost and cold regions engineering from other regions/continents/planets and comparison with and contrast to their Asian counterparts, and to participate on the field trip to inspect the engineering design, construction, and environments along the Qinghai- Tibet Highway/Railway. A series of peer-reviewed papers are proposed for publications in English-language journals. An abstract volume will be available at the Conference. Official language is English. Papers for journal consideration should be submitted at the Conference or soon after the Conference. |
