The role of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau within the Asian monsoon system

The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period (CEOP) and Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) workshop on the role of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau within the Asian Monsoon System took place on 7-8 April 2003 at the Epson Meteo Centre, Milan, Italy, hosted by the Epson Meteo Centre and the Ev-K-2-CNR Committee. The meeting was motivated by the objectives of the CEOP Inter-Monsoons Model Study (CIMS), a pilot international scientific research effort to assess, validate, and improve the capabilities of climate models in simulating physical processes in monsoon regions around the world. Within the Asian monsoon system, it is well recognized that the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau exert a profound thermal and dynamical influence on the atmospheric circulation, involving a strong interaction between the land and the atmosphere. This report summarizes the aims of the meeting, the topics discussed, and the issues/recommendations to be implemented in future work.