09.09.2014|Bishkek: With a scientific symposium the Central Asian Institute for Applied Geosciences (CAIAG) celebrates its tenth anniversary in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek. CAIAG was jointly founded by the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences and the Kyrgyzstan Government. More than 100 talks and posters have been registered for the two days symposium with the themes ranging from geodynamis and georisiks, climate, water resources, monitoring technologies to geoinformation technologies and data management. The participants of the conference come from Central Asia, China, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, and the USA. The meeting concludes on the evening of the 9th September with a festive act to celebrate CAIAG’s 10th Anniversary.

For more than a decade CAIAG has been the central hub for research projects of German scientists in Central Asia. The monitoring infrastructures, set up during the last years deliver data for the analysis of the water cycle, geodynamics, and climate processes but also for the assessment of georisks and their impact on society. The results of such complex multi-risk analyses are taken into consideration for the sustainable development of the whole region but also in measures of capacity development and political consulting.

On the occasion of the festive ceremony Prof. Reinhard Hüttl, Scientific Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of the GFZ, and Dr. Jörn Lauterjung, GFZ's Co-Director of CAIAG, were presented with a Medal of the Ministry of Emergencies of the Kyrgyz Republic for their merits in the development of the applied geosciences in Central Asia.

Central Asia is strongly threatened by earthquakes, landslides and mudflows. Furthermore, this region reacts very sensitively to global climate change, in particular in the up to 7000 meters high mountainous regions that supply the velds and deserts of the region with vital water from melting snow and ice. This area is, at the same time, a key region and, therefore, experiences special interest in the “Berliner Process“ of the German Foreign Office.