Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative


S.P. Overview in Russian

In September 2006, the IGBP Science Steering Committee granted NEESPI the status of the IGBP External Project.

In April 2008, The NEESPI research foci on regional modeling and studies of climate impacts and adaptation capacity became a part of The Memorandum of Understanding for Collaboration in the Fields of Meteorology, Hydrology, and Oceanography between the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet).


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NOAA Climate Program Office announced its Federal Funding Opportunity OAR-CPO-2009-2001430. NOAA Climate Program partners with US Federal, academic, private, and international research institutions and is a key contributing element ofthe US Climate Change Science Program (CCSP). NEESPI scientists might be interested to apply for Competition for funding in the following three Themes (Elements) of the Program: Arctic Research Program; Climate Change Data and Detection Program (including Paleoclimatology); and Global Carbon Cycle. The window of opportunity is narrow though. The letters of intent (LOI; not more than 2 pages), although not required, should be submitted by 5 p.m. Eastern Time, August 11, 2008 to the identified Competition Manager of the Program Element. Full applications for all Competitions must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Time, October 9, 2008.

December 15-19, 2008 "NEESPI Session at the Fall AGU Meeting, San-Francisco, California, USA. Session GC02: "Land-Atmosphere-Cryosphere Interactions in Northern Eurasia" is sponsored by Global Environmental Change AGU Focus Group and is Co-Sponsored by Atmospheric Sciences, Biogeosciences, Cryosphere, Hydrology, and Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology AGU Sections and Focus Groups. NEESPI is inviting its participants as well as those who are interested in all aspects of Earth Science studies in Northern Eurasia to contribute to the scientific program of the Session. Deadline for electronic abstract submissions at the AGU web site is September 10, 2008 23:59 Greenwich Time.

August 23-28, 2008. NATO Advance Workshop “Regional aspects of climate-terrestrial-hydrologic interactions in Eastern Europe“ (NEESPI Regional Non-boreal Europe Meeting) Odessa, Ukraine. Hosts: Odessa State Politechnical and Environmental Universities, Odessa, Ukraine. By invitation only. The Meeting Agenda. Workshop Sponsors are: The NATO Science for Peace Program; global change SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training (START) Program; Odessa State Politechnical and Environmental Universities, Odessa, Ukraine; The Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The State Hydrological Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia; The GLOBE Program; and the NEESP Initiative.

The Asian-Pacific Network (APN) launched its 2008 Calls for Proposals under two separate programmes, the ARCP Programme and the CAPaBLE Programme, for funding from April 2009. This opportunity is open until August 15, 2008. For more information click here.. Important deadlines: Advisory Service (Voluntary). Submission of Letter of Intent: Friday, 4 July 2008, midnight (24:00; Japanese Standard Time). Stage 1. Submission of Summary Proposal (Compulsory): Friday, 15 August 2008, midnight (24:00; Japanese Standard Time). Stage 2. Submission of Full Proposal by the Successful Stage 1 Proponents (Compulsory & by Invitation Only): Friday, 17 October 2008, midnight (24:00; Japanese Standard Time).


April 15-19, 2009, Bonn, Germany. Social Challenges of Global Change - The 7th IHDP Open Meeting 2009 . The NEESPI scientists who are working in the Northern Eurasia domain on linking climatic and environmental change with socio-economic changes ("human dimension") are invited to contribute to the Scientific Program of the Session. The old deadline for Abstract Submissions was passed. Please, contact the Meeting organizers for new deadlines. Science questions of the Meeting.

The Forth ESSP Global Land Project Information Letter was distributed on December 20, 2007. The Letter is filled with the latest information about conferences and other activities related to Land Studies. To read the Letter click here. NEESPI was endorsed by GLP in January 2007.


After testing, a new NEESPI data access portal has been launched on April 2, 2007. The GES DISC NEESPI portal is a multi-sensor, online, easy access data archive and distribution system to provide advanced data management capabilities in support of the NEESPI scientific objectives. Its tools include data analysis and visualization, data mining and other techniques for better science data usage. The portal integrates remote sensing data from MODIS, AVHRR, and other instruments on board polar-orbiting satellites, with customized data products from climatology data sets and models into a single “one-stop-shopping” interdisciplinary NEESPI Data Center for Remote Sensing Products. Visit the portal.


The International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in collaboration with A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Moscow, Russia organized a two-week summer Workshop-School on environmental studies in the boreal forest zone on 14-28 July 2007. The Workshop was held in Fedorovskoe, Tver’ region, Russia, at the Central Forest Biospheric Reserve. The Workshop Booklet, Participants' List, Group Picture, and Final Workshop Agenda. More details is available at the IARC web site.


August 12-17, 2007 Workshop "Northern Eurasia Land Surface Properties and Change and its Role in the Global Earth System", Aspen Global Change Institute, Aspen, Colorado, USA. By invitation only. List of Participants, Workshop Report.

September 11-13, 2007. The Second International Symposium on Arid Climate Change and Sustainable Development (ISACS), Lanzhou, China. More Details.

September 16-19, 2007. NEESPI Regional Science Team Meeting devoted to the Dry Land Areas of the NEESPI domain (by invitation only), Urumqi, China. The Meeting was held in conjunction with the Regional NASA Land Cover Land Use Change (LCLUC) Science Team Meeting. First Announcement at the LCLUC web site. Program, Meeting Materials

October 22-26, 2007 The Second Asia CliC Symposium "The state and fate of Asian Cryosphere". More Details.

November 12-14, 2007 Eurasian Hydroclimatology: observations, change, attribution, and impacts, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska - Fairbanks. By invitation only. More Details.

November 26-27, 2007 The Third International Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development of Mongolian Plateau and Surrounding Regions, Beijing, China. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of CAS, Beijing, China. By invitation only.


December 4-6, 2007 The 3rd International Conference "Earth from Space - the Most Efficient Solutions”. Moscow, Russia. More Details. The goal of the conference is to show the experience of practical use of satellite monitoring in different branches of economy together with the recent developments in remote sensing as the backbone of cost-efficient functioning economic systems.

December 10-14, 2007 "NEESPI Session at the Fall AGU Meeting, San-Francisco, California, USA. Session GC02: "Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI): Integrated Approach to Regional Climate and Environment Change Studies" is sponsored by Global Environmental Change AGU Focus Group and is Co-Sponsored by Atmospheric Sciences, Biogeosciences, Cryosphere, Hydrology, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, and Public Affairs AGU Sections and Focus Groups. Three NEESPI Sessions have been scheduled for the 11th of December: Oral Session GC21B, Moscone Center West, Room 3002, 08:00 to 10:00 AM ; Oral Session GC21A Moscone Center West, Room 3002, 10:20 to 12:20 AM , and Poster Session GC23A, Moscone Center Exh. Hall B, 13:40 to 17:00 AM.

March 17-19, 2008 Workshop of the NEESPI Focus Research Center for Biogeochemical Cycles. Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany. By invitation only. The Workshop Agenda. The Workshop materials (oral presentations and posters) The Workshop document is in preparation and will be posted shortly.

April 13-18, 2008, Vienna, Austria. NEESPI Session at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2008. Session BG2.8: "Land-atmosphere interactions in Northern Eurasia" (co-sponsored by NEESPI and iLEAPS) is listed in Biogeosciences and Cryospheric Sciences Sections. BG2.8 was divided into five Sessions throughout the entire day on Wednesday, March 16th, 2008: Four Oral Sessions, Lecture Room 20, 08:30 to 17:00 AM and Poster Session, BG Area, 8:00 to 19:00. Abstracts of the presentations are available by clicking on the Sessions' links above.

June 2-6, 2008. NEESPI Regional Science Team Meeting devoted to the High Latitudes of the NEESPI domain, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. By invitation only. The Meeting Agenda. The Meeting List of Participants. Meeting presentations and materials are posted here. Extended abstracts of selected oral and poster presentations are currently prepared for publication in iLEAPS Report Series No 1. Estimated date of publication: December 2008.

September 16-22, 2008, Chengdu, China. The IUFRO Landscape Ecology International Conference "Landscape Ecology and Forest Management - Challenges and Solutions". The NEESPI scientists are invited to contribute to the Scientific Program of the Conference. Deadline for an Abstract Submission was passed. Travel grants for researchers from non-G7 countries are available. More details.


The 14th conference of the International Boreal Forest Research Association is scheduled for September 27-29, 2008, in Harbin, China. The overall conference topic is: The Roles of Boreal Forests in a Global Context. NEESPI leadership recommends all its researchers who are doing work in the boreal zone or are interested in boreal zone issues such as climate change, fire effects and management, carbon cycle/management, insect and disease managment, or interactions of forest resources with indigenous peoples to consider their participation. The deadline for abstracts has passed.


November 4-6, 2008. First International Symposium on the Arctic Research (ISAR-1) "Drastic Change under the Global Warming", Miraikan, Tokio, Japan. Symposium website. NEESPI was recommending its participants involved in Polar research to contribute to scientific program of the Meeting. Deadline for pre-registration and abstract submissions was passed.

NEESPI in the News: The 6th issue of the AGU Atmospheric Science Newsletter published an article about the NEESPI International Summer School "Environmental Studies in the Boreal Forest Zone" (July 2007, Fedorovskoe, Tver area, Russia) see page 4. After an electronic version of the paper by Dr. Amber Soja and her colleagues (Amber J. Soja, Nadezda M. Tchebakova, Nancy H.F. French, Michael D. Flannigan, Herman H. Shugart, Brian J. Stocks, Anatoly I. Sukhinin, E.I. Parfenova, F. Stuart Chapin III and Paul W. Stackhouse, Jr. "Climate-induced boreal forest change: Predictions versus current observations" in the Special NEESPI Issue of Global and Planetary Change, 56, Issue 3-4, April 2007) became available at the www.sciencedirect.com, she was interviewed by Associate Press journalist (cited in ~100 national and international newspapers) and thereafter by U.S. National Public Radio 1.30 min mp3 file. On January 5, 2007, tens of millions of viewers of one of the central Russian TV channels, NTV, observed in the prime-news-time (program "Segodnya") an interview with Prof. Vladimir Romanovsky (University of Alaska-Fairbanks) about the impact of the ongoing climatic changes on the permafrost thaw.

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Introduction

The Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative, or NEESPI, is a currently active, yet strategically evolving program of internationally-supported Earth systems science research, which has as its foci issues in northern Eurasia that are relevant to regional and Global scientific and decision-making communities (see NEESPI Mission Statement).

This part of the globe is undergoing significant changes – particularly those changes associated with a rapidly warming climate in this region and with important changes in governmental structures since the early 1990s and their associated influences on land use and the environment across this broad expanse. How this carbon-rich, cold region component of the Earth system functions as a regional entity and interacts with and feeds back to the greater Global system is to a large extent unknown. Thus, the capability to predict future changes that may be expected to occur within this region and the consequences of those changes with any acceptable accuracy is currently uncertain.

One of the reasons for this lack of regional Earth system understanding is the relative paucity of well-coordinated, multidisciplinary and integrating studies of the critical physical and biological systems. By establishing a large-scale, multidisciplinary program of funded research, NEESPI is aimed at developing an enhanced understanding of the interactions between the ecosystem, atmosphere, and human dynamics in northern Eurasia. Specifically, the NEESPI strives to understand how the land ecosystems and continental water dynamics in northern Eurasia interact with and alter the climatic system, biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the Earth.

The contemporaneous changes in climate and land use are impacting the biological, chemical, and physical functions of the northern Eurasia, but little data and fewer models are available that can be used to understand the current status of this expansive regional system, much less the influence of the northern Eurasia region on the Global climate. NEESPI seeks to secure the necessary financial and related institutional support from an international cadre of sponsors for developing a viable understanding of the functioning of northern Eurasia and the impacts of extant changes on the regional and Earth systems. Many types of ground and integrative (e.g., satellite; GIS) data will be needed and many models must be applied, adapted or developed for properly understanding the functioning of this “cold” and diverse regional system. Mechanisms for obtaining the requisite data sets and models and sharing them among the participating scientists are essential and require international and active governmental participation.

NEESPI additionally seeks to operate synergistically in concert with a variety of national and international science programs – particularly those relevant to Global change research. Ultimately, NEESPI-developed enhanced knowledge of this region will be able to be applied to addressing specific concerns that face national and international decision-makers of the partnering institutions and countries.

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