Key Laboratory of Regional Climate-Environment for Temperate East Asia
Introduction
Based on the START Regional Center for Temperate East Asia founded as a research entity in 1995, Key Laboratory of Regional Climate-Environment for Temperate East Asia (RCE-TEA) was established in December 2003. The laboratory is dedicated to enhancing scientific understanding on the ever changing climate and environment, building capability in predicting changes of global–regional linkages in the Earth system and the risks of such changes, and providing a sound scientific basis for sustainable development in the region through the use of field experiments, satellite remote sensing, modeling, and synthesis. Based on the efforts both in academic research and in international co-operations, the laboratory plays an active role in international global change studies.
TEA currently has 66 employees, including an academician and 17 senior professors across multiple disciplines such as atmospheric science, environmental science, and ecology, along with around 50 graduate students, including international students from Asia and Africa.
TEA's missions and scope:
The main missions of TEA include understanding the patterns and mechanisms of the changing East Asia monsoon system in the context of global change; developing theories and methods for trend prediction of regional climate–environment change in the upcoming 20–50 years; exploring scientific routes for human orderly adaptation; and providing a scientific basis for sustainable development.
TEA’s research themes:
· Integrated studies on the monsoon climate–environment system of East Asia in the context of global change;
· Development and applications of regional Earth system models;
· Comprehensive field experiments and studies on the regional impacts of global change and the effects of orderly human activities to support life and the environment.
The key laboratory developed and operates the Regional Integrated Environmental Model System (or RIEMS), a regional Earth system model. It hosted the Monsoon Asian Integrated Regional Study (or MAIRS), the first integrated regional program of the ESSP (Earth System Science Partnership). TEA’s scientists have served as lead authors for the China National Assessment Report on Climate Change, the IPCC assessment reports, and the GEO (Global Environment Outlook) reports.
Director: DAN Li
Website: http://www.tea.ac.cn/
