Note: Cover -- Contents -- Foreword -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- List of Corresponding Authors -- List of Acronyms -- Chapter 1. Introduction -- 1. A. Guerrini -- 2. A. Da Polenza -- 3. H. Egerer -- Part I: Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABC) -- Chapter 2. Global and regional climate change: the next few decades -- Chapter 3. Does aerosol weaken or strengthen the Asian monsoon? -- 1. Introduction -- 2. The elevated-heat-pump effect -- 3. ''Elevated heat pump'' vs. ''solar dimming'' -- 4. Concluding remarks -- Acknowledgement -- References -- Chapter 4. Global retrieval of aerosol properties from sources to sinks by MODIS -- Chapter 5. Radiation, aerosol joint observations - monsoon experiment in Gangetic-Himalayan area (RAJO-MEGHA): synergy of satellite-surface observations -- Chapter 6. Contribution of the WMO global atmosphere watch to high mountain atmospheric chemistry observations -- 1. Introduction -- 2. GAW monitoring -- References -- Part II: Ev-K2-CNR in Project ABC -- Chapter 7. From Himalaya to Karakoram: the spreading of the project Ev-K2-CNR -- 1. History -- 2. The Pyramid International Laboratory-Observatory -- 3. The Ev-K2-CNR Project -- 4. The Ev-K2-CNR multidisciplinary approach -- 5. The future of the Ev-K2-CNR Project -- 6. Conclusions -- References -- Chapter 8. SHARE-Asia contributions to ABC research -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Data collection and data sharing -- 3. Interaction with international networks -- 4. The SHARE-Asia contribution to ABC and future AIMS -- 5. Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 9. Merging regional and global chemistry, air quality and global change: SHARE-Asia in the context of the IGAC project -- 1. Global tropospheric chemistry and the role of IGAC -- 2. IGAC and ABC-Asia -- 3. SHARE-Asia and ABC-Asia -- 4. Conclusions -- References. , Chapter 10. The ABC-Pyramid: a scientific laboratory at 5079 m a.s.l. for the study of atmospheric composition change and climate -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Experimental -- 3. Backward-trajectory and stratosphere-troposphere exchange forecasts -- 4. Remote control and data acquisition -- 5. Test performed in Bologna -- 6. Conclusions -- References -- Chapter 11. The EV-K2-CNR pyramid and the AERONET network (Himalayan atmospheric brown cloud characterization via sunphotometer observations) -- 1. Introduction -- 2. AERONET and the Ev-K2-CNR pyramid -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Part III: Share-Asia Scientific Fields: Atmospheric Physics & -- Chemistry, & -- Global Change -- Chapter 12. Global earth observation system of systems and the coordinated enhanced observing period high altitude observatories -- Chapter 13. The coordinated enhanced observing period (CEOP) report: integrated data systems in the study of the water cycle in Asia -- 1. Overview -- 2. Status -- 3. New directions (longer term vision) -- 4. Future activities -- 5. Key results -- 6. List of key publications -- Chapter 14. Verification of numerical model forecasts of precipitation and satellite-derived rainfall estimates over the Indian region: monsoon 2004 -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Data and methods -- 3. Verification of results -- 4. Summary and conclusions -- 5. Future works -- Acknowledgement -- References -- Chapter 15. Circulation and relationship between pollutant sources and atmospheric composition in the Himalayan region -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Methodology -- 3. Modeled historical trends -- 4. Relationships with sources -- 5. Seasonality and inter-annual variability -- References -- Chapter 16. Italian air force observatory network for environmental and meteorological monitoring: from data control to quality assurance. , 1. Introduction: Department for aeronautical experimentations (Re.S.M.A.) and observation networks of italian air force meteorological service -- 2. What would we like to measure? Two different monitoring networks for two different purposes -- 3. Problems in performing measurements -- 4. From data control to quality assurance -- 5. Conclusion: ''Not all numbers are data'' -- References -- Chapter 17. Climate change in Italy: an assessment of data and reanalysis models -- 1. Past climate -- 2. Climate models -- 3. Present climate and the global warming -- 4. Climate change in the Mediterranean and Italy -- 5. Future perspective -- 6. Conclusions -- Acknowledgement -- Reference -- Chapter 18. Climate changes and mountains -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Glacier changes and temperature evolution in three regions of the northern hemisphere -- 3. Changes of the Alpine flora -- 4. Extreme precipitation events -- 5. Conclusions -- References -- Part IV: Share-Asia Scientific Fields: Environmental Indicators Of Global Changes -- Chapter 19. Global scale atmospheric pollution: a regional problem -- Chapter 20. Platinum group elements and other trace elements in high altitude snow and ice -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Conclusions -- Further reading -- Chapter 21. High altitude lakes: limnology and paleolimnology -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Study area -- 3. Limnological research -- 4. Conclusion -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Chapter 22. Elemental characterization of Himalayan airborne particulate matter collected at 5100 m a.s.l -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Materials and methods -- 3. Results and discussion -- 4. Conclusions -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Chapter 23. Interactions between solar ultraviolet radiation and climatic warming in alpine lakes. , Chapter 24. Global land ice monitoring from space (GLIMS) project regional center for Southwest Asia (Afghanistan and Pakistan) -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Glaciers of Afghanistan -- 3. Mapping in Afghanistan -- 4. Selected glaciers of Afghanistan -- 5. Selected glaciers of Pakistan -- 6. Mapping in Pakistan -- 7. Selected glaciers of Pakistan -- 8. Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 25. Remote sensing and GIS for alpine glacier change detection in the Himalaya -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Background -- 3. Remote sensing and GIScience -- 4. Numerical modeling -- 5. Discussion -- 6. Conclusions -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Chapter 26. Ongoing variations of Himalayan and Karakoram glaciers as witnesses of global changes: recent studies on selected glaciers -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Geographical setting of the studied glaciers -- 3. The recent investigations on Changri Nup Glacier -- 4. Discussion -- 5. Conclusion -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Chapter 27. Changing climates, changing lives: strengthening adaptive response capacities to climate change in the Huascarán Biosphere Reserve, Peru, and Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, Nepal -- Chapter 28. Chemical composition of fresh snow in the Himalaya and Karakoram -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Experimental part -- 3. Results and discussion -- 4. Conclusions -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Chapter 29. Shrinking cryosphere in South Asia -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Area -- 3. Climate -- 4. Methodology -- 5. Results and analyses -- 6. Discussion and conclusions -- Acknowledgement -- References -- Part V: SHARE-Asia Scientific Partners: Commitments to High-Altitude Environmental Monitoring in Asia -- Chapter 30. The third pole of the planet: the Mountain Research Initiative -- 1. Introduction -- 2. The MRI itself -- 3. The importance of mountains in global change research. , 4. Relevance to SHARE-Asia -- References -- Chapter 31. Global changes and sustainable development in the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya -- 1. Background -- 2. Global environment change -- 3. ICIMOD's initiative in sustainable mountain development -- 4. Areas of intervention -- Acknowledgement -- References -- Chapter 32. Climate research in the Nepal Himalaya -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Climatic trends in Nepal -- 3. Climatic research -- 4. Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 33. Development of a mesoscale convective system over the foothills of the Himalaya into a severe storm -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Mesoscale systems and water vapor supply -- 3. The influence of cold air and terrain lifting -- 4. Conclusions -- References -- Chapter 34. Study of land surface heat fluxes and water cycle over the Tibetan plateau -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Experiment -- 3. Data analysis and results -- 4. Concluding remarks -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Chapter 35. Research on global changes in Pakistan -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Global change research -- 3. Recommendations -- References -- Subject Index.