GLACIER-WATER: WATER SECURITY ADAPTATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
Seminars
Semester 2
Yangtze Scholar distinguished professor, high-level overseas introduced talent professor, former president of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) and the Chair of Water Education for the Ninth Phase of IHP. He has led over 50 major research projects, including the first batch of National Key R&D Programs. He has made innovative contributions to multi-factor runoff generation and convergence mechanisms, hydrological model theories and methodologies, and coupled surface/groundwater responses. He has received numerous awards, including the National Science and Technology Progress Award, First Prize of the Natural Science Award of the Ministry of Education. He has published over 350 SCI papers in internationally renowned journals such as WRR, JH with over 15,000 citations. In 2004, he was elected as a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. In 2015, he received the John Hem Award for Outstanding Contributions in Science and Engineering from the American Groundwater Association. In 2016, he was honored as a National Outstanding Science and Technology Worker. In 2017, he received the Jiangsu Province May Day Labor Medal. In 2022, he was awarded the First Prize of the Overseas Chinese Contributions Award by the China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. In 2023, he received the UNESCO AP-RSC Outstanding Contribution Award, and in 2025, the UNESCO IHP Distinguished Contribution Award.
Climate change and human activities have intensified the spatiotemporal variations in global hydrological processes, profoundly impacting the evolution of the water cycle and altering the distribution patterns of water resources. These changes pose new challenges to hydrological research, water security, and sustainable development. Taking the cold regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as an example, this study employs field observations, multi-source data analysis, and numerical simulations to reveal the evolutionary patterns and hydrological response mechanisms of glaciers, permafrost, and hydrological processes under different underlying surface conditions and climatic scenarios. It also highlights the significant hydraulic engineering projects implemented in China over the past five millennia to address the challenges of extreme events amid environmental changes, enriching China’s water culture. The advocated initiatives have advanced research in the evolution mechanisms of basin hydrological processes, simulation theories, and environmental change assessments under changing conditions. These efforts further promote the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) with focuses on hydrological research, water education and water governance, enhancing water security response and sustainable development.