This project represents a first fundamental step to understand the regional characteristics of water cycle and its variabilities and changes over the Third Pole (TP) region. The coordinated efforts of the international team with different scientific backgrounds and application perspectives will help properly address the fundamental processes in the water cycle over the TP in an integrated way, which is required to tackle the challenge. Given that convection plays a critical role for reliable local meteorological variables such as precipitation which is an important forcing to hydrological and ecosystem models, the project is expected to make a real difference in water cycle studies for the TP, and promote the understanding of regional water cycle dynamics. Implementing this project is critical not only for significantly improving our understanding of the hydrological responses over the TP to changing climates, but also for opening new opportunities for many other environmental studies in the region, which are essential to nearly every aspect of the regional sustainable development and regional human welfare. Accurate description and prediction of local climate information is crucial to flooding/drought management, adoption of local communities, as well as hydropower and agriculture sectors. The integrated approach covering several countries also provides a platform to promote and enhance regional cooperation. It thus holds the great potential to contribute to the further development of science relevant for processes in other cold and mountain regions