Cold and Arid Regions Research focuses on the exploration of the land surface process, structure and interaction in cold and arid regions, the study of the regional environmental changes and global climate changes, and the affect on these regions of important engineering projects and sustainable development.

China’s Cold and Arid Region research has a long-term history of international scientific cooperation between scientists of the US, Russia and China. Since the 1960’s, the Institute for Cold and Arid Regions Environmental & Engineering Research (CAREERI) has established cooperative relationships for joint research and academic exchange with 60 scientific institutions and universities from more than 20 countries, including the US, Canada, Kazakhstan and Nepal. More than 1,000 scientists have joined in the bilateral academic exchange, and CAREERI has sponsored 10 international conferences in the recent years.

Currently, CAREERI has teamed with the Russian Federation to study the environmental impact the Qinghai-Xizang Railway has on permafrost. Additionally, CAREERI cooperates with Japan and the US in the project of HEIHE River Basin Management, Simulation and Models Integration Research.

One of CAREERI’s primary climate studies involves the “Long-term dynamic of southern Monsoons and Hydro-Climatological Regime of The Southeastern Tibetan Alpine Basins.” CARERRI collaborates on this research project with the University of Idaho (U of I) of the US.

Additionally, CAREERI worked together in permafrost area with United Institute of Permafrost Research and Natural Resources Development Siberian Branch, Institute of Earth Cryosphere, Russian Academy of Sciences and Department of Geology at Moscow University. Although during past years, the CAREERI established cooperative relationships for joint research and academic exchange with many countries in the world, the GLORIAD network can change some of the traditional exchange methods, provide scientists with a new communication environment and other improvements.

Cryosphere, Desert, Desertification, plateau atmosphere and water-soil-atmosphere-ecological for global change are the key areas of research in the global change research project. The research of Tibet-Plateau is very important for global climatic change. The Institute has established two data mirror sites: 1) WDC for paleoclimatology; 2) WDC for glaciology and geocryology, which are used to support the research project. In this research project, GLORIAD can provide the research community with a collaboration work platform. It can also prompt the scientific research results to be shared between scientists in the US, Russia, China and other countries. This is a long-term research project that needs a large number of scientists from many countries to cooperate together.