Water management under conditions of climate change is the focus of a second Chinese-German summer school. Together with the National Climate Centre in Beijing, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has invited altogether 40 young scientists from both countries to debate ideas and problems. “China is an important partner for climate research. We see a lot of potential for joint projects,” says Frank Wechsung of PIK. “Mutual trust is essential here, and this is something that summer schools can help built up within the next generation of researchers.”
The meeting takes place in Ürümqi, a major city in the far northwest of China, between Mongolia and the Taklamakan desert. Students will work with two computer simulations developed at PIK, the climate model STAR and the eco-hydrological model SWIM. The first summer school on the same theme took place in Wandlitz, near Berlin, Germany. Researchers from Potsdam are coming to the end of a large project on the Guanting river basin north of Beijing; a follow-up project is pending. Further activities include the SuMaRIO Project looking at the Tarim river, not far from Ürümqi.
