No Water, No Food- Without the glaciers, the U.S. and Chinese agriculture are at risk! 

In a 2023 Wilson Center webinar, The Ohio State University School of Earth Sciences Distinguished University Professor Lonnie Thompson addressed the challenges of transporting ice cores from Tibetan glaciers by yaks, a crucial role they play in climate science, as pointed out by Ohio State's Department of Geography Distinguished University Professor Ellen Mosley-Thompson. the cores preserve the planet's evolving climate—thousands of years' worth of atmospheric dust and gases in distinct layers.

Glaciers hold 75% of the Earth's fresh water. The Third Pole, the Hindu Kush Himalayas, and the Tibetan Plateau contain a large volume of fresh water outside the polar ice sheets. However, global warming has caused the accelerated melting of glaciers in this area, resulting in the region's water, food security, ecosystems, and so the lives of millions across Asia being at risk.

For forty years, the Third Pole has been the playground for the Thompsons, researching the region along with Tandong Yao from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau. They were the pioneering scientists who raised the alarm about the consequences of climate change on the world's glaciers.

In 2009, Lonnie Thompson, along with Tandong Yao and Volker Mosbrugger, established the Third Pole Environment (TPE), an international program focused on the interdisciplinary examination of water, ice, air, ecology, and humanity in the Third Pole region and beyond. The U.S. TPE Center opened at The Ohio State University in 2016.

Lonnie Thompson has collected ice cores from mountain ranges worldwide and studied the ever-changing weather patterns of our planet. At the same time, Ellen Mosley-Thompson has concentrated on studying similar trends in glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland. Their extensive research has provided concrete evidence of glacial retreat, with Lonnie aptly referring to glaciers as the "first responders to climate change."

The Thompsons' ongoing research has revealed how glaciers located in mountainous regions closer to the equator hold vital insights into the evolving weather patterns of our planet and the imminent threats climate change poses to water and food security.

Since 1984, Lonnie Thompson has embarked on 28 journeys to China, where he witnessed the nation's increasing dedication to glacier education and research. In a recent webinar, he mentioned that new campuses established in Beijing and Lhasa for Himalayan glacier studies boast cutting-edge research equipment, often surpassing his own.

The significance of quality equipment and unwavering determination becomes apparent in this line of work. Chinese and U.S. scientists from the Third Pole Centers have navigated the intricate logistics of transporting drilling equipment and safely moving ice cores using resilient yaks.

Lonnie Thompson's expeditions to the Third Pole were temporarily halted in 2011 when he experienced heart failure and underwent a heart transplant. However, displaying remarkable resilience, he returned to Tibet in 2015, merely three and a half years after his transplant, to collect ice cores at a staggering altitude of 6,700 meters. These scientific endeavors have also encountered visa challenges amid political tensions. The strained relations between the U.S. and China over the past six years have adversely affected international collaboration in glacier climate research. The pandemic further complicated matters, leading to a near-complete shutdown of mountain explorations and research exchanges in the region.

Despite these formidable political and public health obstacles, Chinese and U.S. glacier scientists have found ways to sustain research cooperation, leveraging online communication and co-authoring joint papers. In a positive development, in November of this year, following disruptions caused by COVID-19, U.S. and Chinese glacier scientists will reunite again at the International Symposium on Third Pole Environment in Chongqing. Encouragingly, a new generation of researchers is emerging, exemplified by the Thompsons' first Tibetan woman Ph.D. graduate, who is now actively conducting fieldwork in Lhasa.

The northwestern regions of China and the United States face a threat to food production due to water scarcity. In states like Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, shifts in precipitation patterns, from snow to more rain, and the disappearance of reliable meltwaters from glaciers are impacting agriculture. Also, Northwestern China is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The continued expansion of crops in this region may only be sustainable with sufficient glacier-derived water.

Moreover, the melting glaciers hold a crucial historical record of the Earth's changing atmosphere, and their loss poses a significant concern. As Ellen Mosley-Thompson warned in the webinar: "We are losing the record of how the earth's atmosphere has been changing." 

The United States and China recognize their shared climate challenges and have expressed mutual interest in green and climate-resilient agriculture, as evident in the 2022 US-China Glasgow Climate Agreement. Strengthening joint glacier science efforts between the two countries could enhance food and human security for both nations.

Read more by visiting the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security blog.