CEOP-AEGIS stands for "Coordinated Asia-European long-term Observing system of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau hydro-meteorological processes and the Asian-monsoon systEm with Ground satellite Image data and numerical Simulations". It is a Collaborative Project / Small or medium-scale focused research project – Specific International Co-operation Action financed by the European Commission under FP7 topic ENV.2007.4.1.4.2 "Improving observing systems for water resource management", and is coordinated by the Université de Strasbourg, France.
Supporting water resources management in South-East Asia
Human life and the entire ecosystem of South East Asia depend upon the monsoon climate, its linkage to major rivers and its predictability. The headwater areas of the Yellow River, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween, Irrawaddy, Brahmaputra and Ganges, are located in the Tibetan Plateau. However, estimates of the Plateau water balance rely on sparse and scarce observations that cannot provide the required accuracy, spatial density and temporal frequency. Integrated use of satellite and ground observations is necessary to support water resources management in SE Asia and to clarify the interactions between the land surface and the atmosphere over the Tibetan Plateau in the Asian monsoon system.
The goal of this project is two-fold:
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To construct out of existing ground measurements and current / future satellites an observing system to determine and monitor the water yield of the Plateau, i.e. how much water is finally going into the seven major rivers of SE Asia;
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To monitor the evolution of snow, vegetation cover, surface wetness and surface fluxes and analyze the linkage with convective activity, (extreme) precipitation events and the Asian Monsoon.
Contributing Earth Observation to series of international efforts initiated in 1996
The effort of this project builds upon 10 years of experimental and modeling research and the consortium includes 17 partners from 8 countries, all key-players and pioneers of this long term research initiative. Three main elements are foreseen.
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Observations of the terms of the water balance: precipitation, meltwater from snow and glaciers, changes in soil water content and evaporation for a period of three years will be generated by integrating ground and satellite measurements on weekly and monthly basis. Radiative transfer models and algorithms will be developed for different regions of the electro-magnetic spectrum.
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The water balance of the Plateau will be calculated with a distributed hydrological model. Interactions of land surface hydrology with convective activity and the Asian Monsoon will be investigated by using a meso-scale atmospheric model.
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The time-series of image data will be used to demonstrate a Drought and a Flood Early Warning Systems.
Demonstrate an Early Warning system on droughts and one on floods
The project will deliver a prototype Water Balance Monitoring System and a three year data set including observations of the water balance terms on weekly and monthly basis. The system will reply on an existing and expanding network of observatories and on spaceborne observing systems for which data continuity is guaranteed. A Database Management System will be put in place in Lhasa and operated by a research organisation. It is highly likely that the system will remain in operation beyond project completion. These observations will contribute to clarify the role of Plateau hydrology in the onset and intensity of the Asian Monsoon and in intense precipitation. The time-series of hydrological satellite data products will be used to demonstrate an Early Warning system on droughts and one on floods.
Duration: 48 months
Start Date: 01/05/2008
