During July 28-August 2, 2013, an International Symposium on ‘Changes in Glaciers and Ice Sheets: observations, modelling and environmental interactions’ was held at ITP in Beijing. Over 172 scientists from 22 nations registered in the symposium. Among the registered participants, about 73 were from outside China.

The symposium, called upon by the International Glaciological Society, was supported by ITPCAS, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Cold and Arid Region Environment and Engineering Research Institute, and the Third Pole Environment program.

In addition to oral presentations, the symposium also consisted of two poster sessions, respectively, on the afternoons of July 30 and August 1. Presentation and discussions of the symposium revolved around the following themes, including: ice cap and glaciers on earth, application of remote sensing and other techniques in glacial mass balance study, assessment of ice status on the Third Pole, ice core paleoclimatology, glacial mass balance monitoring, glacier hydrology, and glacier-related hazards and their social impacts.