The document outlines ACCION, a 3-year project funded by the US State Department to strengthen collaboration around glaciers and water resources in South America. It will train local scientists, educate graduate students, and conduct outreach. Key activities include regional workshops on climate modeling, glacier monitoring, hydrology, and synthesis. Working groups at this workshop will coordinate efforts, identify synergies and avoid duplication between ongoing projects in glacier monitoring, climate scenarios, and water/outreach. The goals are to build local capacity and inform policy through science-stakeholder collaboration in Colombia, Ecuador, Chile and Peru.

2. Bown Francisca
Buytaert Wouter
Ceballos Jorge Luis
Reimbursement
DeBievre Bert
Garreaud Rene
Hardy Doug
Kaser Georg
Kinnard Christophe
Lavado Waldo
Mishra Anil
Molnia Bruce
Rivera Andres
Saravia Miguel
Sicart Jean Emmanuel
Silvestre Elizabeth
Takahashi Ken
Willems Bram

5. Why ACCION?
Initiative by US State Department (Bureau of Western Hemisphere
Affairs) in support of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas
(ECPA).
Goal of ECPA, initiated by President Obama in 2009 is of to deepen
collaboration in the Americas on energy security and climate change
3 Topics for proposal requests:
• Advance Power Sector Integration and Cross-Border Trade in Electricity
• Increasing Access to Modern and Clean Energy
• Regional Andean Glacier and Water Resources Initiative

6. Project guidelines
From RFP:
… further a regional resource network for monitoring, modeling, and
information sharing of South American glacier and paramos (neotropical
ecosystems) resources.
… seeks proposals from organizations that can strengthen local
research institutions in each target country and foster information
sharing and influencing of regional adaptation policy decisions related to
glaciers and the surrounding paramos to promote sustainability beyond
WHA funding.
…Applicants should propose activities that build capacity for glacier
monitoring; water resources management for long-range planning;
improve climate change resilience; provide information and tools for
policy decisions; and facilitate cooperation in the region on this cross-
cutting issue

7. Project guidelines
Proposals should clearly describe how planned activities will build
1) local scientific capacity and
2) local capacity to communicate scientific results to inform policy
decisions.
Proposals must include activities in and for all of the following countries:
Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and Peru.
Upon selection, the successful grantee will be expected, to work with
Centro de Estudios Científicos (CECS) in Valdivia, Chile, to
coordinate all regional activities to help build the network of
glaciologists and glacier research institutions.
Applications demonstrating a knowledge of existing glacier monitoring
and research efforts, including efforts by UNESCO, the World Bank,
the Inter-American Development Bank, and the U.S. Agency for
International Development, will be deemed highly competitive.

8. Who is ACCION?
PI
• Mathias Vuille (UAlbany)
Lead-coordinator
• Andres Rivera (CECS, Valdivia)
Strategy team:
• Wouter Buytaert (Imperial College, London, UK)
• Bert De Bievre & Miguel Saravia (CONDESAN, Quito& Lima)
• Rene Garreaud, (Universidad de Chile, Santiago)
• Christian Huggel (University of Zuerich – Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation)
• Georg Kaser (University of Innsbruck, Austria)
• Elizabeth Silvestre (Universidad Nacional La Molina, Lima)
• Ken Takahashi (Instituto Geofisico del Peru, IGP, Lima)
Office
• Barbara Zampella (UAlbany)

9. What is ACCION?
3 - yr project (10/2011- 9/2014)
Funded by US State Department (Bureau of Western Hemisphere
Affairs) in support of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas
(ECPA).
Focus is on 3 main activities:
1) train local scientists, educators, water managers and policy makers
2) educate a group of young scientists from the region in climate
change and glacier/páramos hydrologic modeling
3) outreach to affected population segments, industries, water
managers and other decision makers in order to promote policy
dialogue with local stakeholders, national governments and regional
bodies, and to strengthen human and institutional capital

10. I. Regional Training Workshops
Initial workshop (W1)
- officially launch project
- discuss logistics
- divide responsibilities between project participants
- Location: Santiago, Chile
• Workshop on national climate change assessments (W2)
- invite 12 climate scientists (~ 3 from each country)
- provide participants with hands on experience (access to climate model
simulations, downscaling techniques and tools to analyze their data)
- Location suggested: Lima, Peru, (hosted by SENAMHI with participation
of IGP & UChile)
• Field course on glacier monitoring (W3)
- approximately 12 trainees in field
- selection of participants through UNESCO snow and ice network.
- discuss recent advances in monitoring and measurements of glaciers
- Deliverable: new training manual
- Location suggested: Valdivia, Chile (hosted by CECS)

11. I. Regional Training Workshops
• Water resources workshop (W4)
- water managers, representatives from affected watersheds, experts in
regional hydrology
- discuss challenges and solutions for maintaining a sustainable future water
supply
- Location suggested: Bogota, Colombia (hosted by IADB, CONDESAN, &
UNESCO-IHP)
• Final synthesis workshop (W5)
- platform for discussion of advances made
- identify challenges that lie ahead
- ensure that newly established networks remain active (new funding
opportunities)
- Location suggested: Quito, Ecuador (hosted by CONDESAN)

12. II. Graduate Education and Curriculum Enhancements
• Train graduate students selected from target countries
- students will be hosted in the Department of Atmospheric and
Environmental Sciences (DAES) at the University at Albany,
- mentored and co-advised by members of strategy team
- lasting partnerships with Peruvian, Ecuadorian, Chilean and Colombian
Universities
- students expected to return to their home country
- contribute to capacity building in their countries
 Student recruitment is a big problem…

13. II. Graduate Education and Curriculum Enhancements
• 2 educational modules
- Climate Modeling and Andean Glaciers
- assessing 21 century changes WCRP - CMIP3, CMIP5
- develop downscaling techniques
- Glacier Retreat and Water Resources Management
- use downscaled climate time series from CMIP3/CMIP5 as input
into glacier-hydrological modeling

14. III. Local Outreach and Dissemination of Information
- work directly with local communities
- rely heavily on local networks maintained by IADB and CONDESAN
- results from the students’ modeling can serve as documentation
- participating students who developed scenarios play key role in
dissemination of results in their respective countries
- share our scientific view, exchange ideas and concerns, learn
about local perceptions of environmental change

15. Quarterly reporting requirements for Strategy team members

16. Quarterly reporting requirements for Strategy team members

17. Goals of this workshop
- Exchange knowledge about ongoing projects
- identify areas of common interest
- seize opportunities (synergies, joint efforts)
- avoid duplication
- Share ideas / suggestions about student recruitment
- Plan efforts under ACCION umbrella
- Future workshops
(theme, hosts, location, dates, participants)
→ ACCION will provide the umbrella, help with logistics and
cover the costs

20. Working groups
- WG 1 (Glacier monitoring)
(Abermann, Ceballos, Hardy, Kaser, Kinnard, Molnia, Rivera, Sicart,
Willems)
- WG 2 (Climate scenario development)
(Garreaud, Lavado, Silvestre, Takahashi, Vuille)
- WG 3 (Water, Sustainability, Outreach)
(Bown, Buytaert, DeBievre, Mishra, Saravia, Valdez)
 Summarize your outcomes / conclusions in 1-2 slides and
designate a speaker