From the 24th to the 26th of October, a joint workshop organised by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Scientific Information Centre of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination in Central Asia, with support from GIZ, took place in Tashkent (Uzbekistan). The three-day workshop with the title “From Climate Modelling to River Flow: High-Resolution Scenarios and Hydrology in Central Asia’s climate change context” was part of the "Green Central Asia" initiative, which is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
As Central Asia is both severely affected by multiple climate change challenges and under-researched, it highlights the importance of deepening understanding among the scientific community and hydrometeorological practitioners. The workshop brought together hydromets, scientists and professionals from all Central Asian countries (KZ, KG, TJ, UZ and TKM). The workshop participants were introduced to high-resolution climate data, specifically the first CMIP6 projections for the Central Asian region. A particular focus was on introducing the workshop participants to climate data downscaling methods and techniques. These could help them to understand and interpret the complexities of climate change in the region, enabling the development of effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. During a simulation lab, workshop facilitators and PIK members Iulii Didovets and Bijan Fallah introduced the participants to the website “ClimateImpactsOnline”, a portal that illustrates possible impacts of climate change on different sectors and to Google Colab to improve their further research. Participants were also provided with information on assessing climate change impacts on water resources in Central Asia.
The participation of all five Central Asian countries added great value to the workshop and fruitful discussions, as well as several presentations by the participants, enabled a lively exchange among the diverse audience.
