High Altitude Climate Observatories in Ethiopia

Read MRI's article  about the project in IGBP Newsletter no.71, May 2008.Grab, S., Drexler, C., Zeleke, G., 2008. Establishing High Altitude Observatory Systems in the Ethiopian Highlands. IGBP Newsletter (71) 20-21

Download the Newsletter here:  MRI contribution to IGBP Newsletter no.71, May 2008 3.30 Mb

Summary of the planning workshop, 14-15 January 2008, Faculty of Science, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Co-organized by:

• Faculty of Science, Addis Ababa University
• Global Mountain Programme
• Horn of Africa - Regional Environment, Centre/Network
• University of the Witwatersrand

The aim of the workshop was firstly to deliberate on climate change trends and its impacts on various sectors (e.g. livelihood, environmental, agricultural, energy, management etc) of the Ethiopian Highlands. The second objective was to establish a Climate Change Research Network and working group towards the establishment of high altitude climate observatories in Ethiopia.

The workshop was a tremendous success and attended by about 40 delegates, which including representatives from various government, academic institutes and organizations, The Global Mountain Programme, FAO, UN/ECA, UNDP, UNEP and The Netherlands Embassy. On 14th January, fifteen excellent presentations were given, dealing mostly with trends in climate change and associated impacts in the Ethiopian Highlands and African Mountains. These provided the background for an evening discussion and planning towards the establishment of various working groups. On the 15th January three working groups were established:

1. Working Group to establish high altitude climate change observatory stations.
2. A Working Group on climate change and vulnerability in the Ethiopian Highlands. This group is also tasked to examine ways in which capacity, database and communications of findings may be improved
3. A Working Group to establish a Climate Change Research Network for Ethiopia.

Each working group held discussions during the morning and gave presentations during the afternoon.

Finally, the workshop was concluded with two major outputs: i) it was agreed that a proposal would be drafted during 2008 for the establishment of high altitude climate observatories on at least six mountain summits in the Ethiopian highlands. The proposed sites are located in the north, central, southwest, east and southern parts of the country. ii) a climate change research network for Ethiopia was established and will be hosted and coordinated by Science Faculty of Addis Ababa University.

This workshop was kindly sponsored by the Faculty of Science, Addis Ababa University.

Next step: project proposal

Please read the project proposal developed by Stefan Grab and Gete Zeleke on a high-elevation observing network in the Ethiopian HIghlands. It is the result of the workshop mentioned above and is the first phase in a larger effort to create a high-elevation network across the African continent, which is itself an outgrowth of the launching workshop in Kampala, Uganda in July 2007 (link).

We invite those of you interested in the topict to send us five brief written comments to the questions below.

Please send your comments to Stefan.Grab@wits.ac.za, G.ZELEKE@CGIAR.ORG, green@giub.unibe.ch and nakilezab@arts.mak.ac.ug

1. For those of you in the climate, meteorology and energy/water balance fields, what would you have such a network of observatories measure?
2. Are there other measurement or monitoring programs that could be "hitched" to this observing network? For instance, should we attempt to include plant community composition measurements adjacent to the climate monitoring sites? Should we attempt stream flow measurements? And if so, what kinds of existing measurement programs or protocols should we use? For instance, should we use the GLORIA protocols for plant community composition?
3. Are there other existing programs sufficiently similar to this one (in either its climate-only or it climate-plus-other-topics versions) as to lead very quickly to collaboration? For instance, are the current efforts in the Rwenzori by Lami et al. and Eggermont et al., in Eastern Arc by Marchant et al., or Kilimanjaro by Hemp et al. enough like this to merit more detailed discussions between proponents?
4. What current existing monitoring and/or observatory programmes related to climate and biodiversity are you aware of in African mountains (we would like to regularly update colleagues on who is doing what where)?
5. Please provide names and e-mail contacts of colleagues who are not on this distribution list but whom you feel should be included (we will then make sure such colleagues receive correspondence).

For further information on the Ethiopian mountain research initiatives and programmes, please contact Dr Gete Zeleke: G.ZELEKE@CGIAR.ORG