Under the auspices of the TPE program, the third China-Nepal joint expedition to the Langtang valley was conducted during April 23-May 25, 2012, with an aim to provide data for comparative study of climate and environment at the northern and southern slopes of the Himalayas. The expedition team consisted of five Chinese members, headed by Prof. TIAN Lide, and three Nepalese members, headed by Prof. Lochan P. Devkota.

The joint expedition succeeded in acquiring data in glacial mass balance of the Yala Glacier through the measurement of the glacial tongues and absolute height of the glacier surface using differential GPS, and ground penetrating radar measurement of the glacier. Expedition crew also collected surface snow and snow pit samples at the Yala Glacier. Besides, The operation status of two AWS machines at Kyangjin Gompa (3900 m a.s.l) and Tarahara (119 m a.s.l), respectively, have also been checked to ensure its normal function. Precipitation and river water samples at Kyanjin Gompa and Langtang Valley were collected for the period from April 2011 to April 2012. Meteorological data were downloaded and rain gauges got re-configured for the coming year. This expedition also harvested some river water and soil samples en route.

A new task accomplished during this expedition was to set up passive samplers for persistent organic pollutants along the slopes.

With more first-hand data acquired and analyzed, scientists are expected to come up with a clearer picture of climate and environment differences between both sides of the Himalayas.