In the framework of the GEF-UNDP-UNESCO Cryosphere project on “Strengthening the resilience
of Central Asian countries by enabling regional cooperation to assess glacio-nival regional systems to develop integrated methods for sustainable development and adaptation to climate change.”, within the components 1 and 3 of the project the overall authority of the Director of the
UNESCO Almaty Office and the direct supervision of the Project Officer and as needed the Programme Specialist for Natural Sciences, UNESCO Almaty Office, the Contractor shall contribute
to the Outputs 1.2.1, 1.2.3., 3.2.3.
TASKS:
Task 1. Within the Output 1.2.3 the Contractor shall strengthen the capacity of national partners in snow mapping, forecasting, and modelling from local to catchment scale, in particular:
1.1 Contribute with expertise on existing snow cover observations, forecasting and
modelling tools for the Tien Shan and Pamir.
1.2 Oversee and coordinate Central Asian partners / students working on snow modelling in the Tien Shan and Pamir.
1.3 Oversee and coordinate national partners / students / young scientists working on the snow data as well as help in interpretation of the modelling results on a regional level.
Task 2. Within the Output 1.2.3 the Contractor shall contribute to the improvement of the understanding of the response of snow cover and snow water equivalent (SWE) to climate change
from local to regional level in collaboration with UniFR, in particular:
2.1 Coordinate and assist in (pre-)processing and preparation of snow depth, snow cover and snow water equivalent data for snow forecasting and modelling of selected sites and catchments on a regional level.
2.2 Improve the snow forecasting and modelling for individual sites for the past and present and contribute to improved future scenarios.
2.3 Model snow cover and SWE on catchment to regional scale for the past, present and future.
2.4 Integrate remote sensing and in situ snow observation into the modelling for selected catchments.
2.5 Integrate climate time series provided by the consultant on climate change scenarios to improve regional future glacier response to climate change.
2.6 Work closely with the PhD candidate at the UniFR to improve precipitation product
using snow products and data assimilation.
2.7 Share relevant results together with all involved national partners and other project consultants to ensure publications in scientific journals and reports.
2.8 Contributes to transfer the gained scientific knowledge in a clear format to the public, stakeholders, and policy makers within the project in collaboration with UniFR, UNESCO and other project consultants.
Task 3. Within the Ouput 3.2. the Contractor shall contribute to the capacity building of national partners in research on snow changes by contributing to specific training programs on snow observation and modelling, in particular:
3.1 Act as a trainer in organized national and regional workshops and trainings in snow modelling.
Task 4. Within the Output 1.2.1 the Contractor shall contribute to the scenario development as a regional expert, in particular:
4.1 In coordination with UniFR, provide future snow scenarios and help to evaluate and interpret local and regional time series and its impact on runoff.
4.2 In coordination with UniFR, contribute to the development of the strategy for data
collection in areas where there are acute shortages of data that hamper sound snow cover and SWE analysis.
DELIVERABLES
Deliverable 1: Submit for approval a comprehensive workplan with the
timeline on the implementation of the tasks assigned.
Deliverable 2: Submit for approval comprehensive progress report on
the Tasks 1-4, including: (1) First result snow cover change scenarios for Central Asia; (2) First results past, present and future snow cover and SWE response under a changing climate; (3) Contribution to capacity building of national partners.
Deliverable 3: Submit for approval comprehensive progress report on
the Tasks 1-4, including: (1) Snow cover change scenarios for Central Asia; (2) Results past, present and future snow cover and SWE response under a changing climate; (3) Contribution to capacity building of national partners.
Deliverable 4: Submit for approval comprehensive final report on the Tasks
1-4, including: (1) science advances; (2) Contribution to training and supervision; (4) Final data products and description:
– Detailed snow cover and SWE time series for the past, present and future for individual sites.
– Continuous snow melt simulations for individual sites for the past, present and future.
– Impact on runoff contribution in Central Asia. Assessment of optimal model and data choices and their sensitivity analysis for Central Asia, recommendations for future work.
Please submit your written proposals (technical and financial proposal, separately) and supporting documents (CV) via e-mail not later than 9 August to a.sakentay@unesco.org and Cc a.omarova@unesco.org. The proposals and any supporting documents must be in English.
