At the invitation of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, a seven-member delegation from the University of Edinburgh, UK—Richard Essery, Beatriz Recinos, Elizabeth Orr, Simon Moulds, Ou Qi, Wang Yefan, and Liang Lu—visited Lanzhou University from June 10 to 19. Centered on three themes—training on the Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM), a field investigation of water resources management in the Shiyang River Basin, and a China-UK water resources workshop—a ten-day academic exchange program was carried out.

The OGGM training attracted widespread attention, with the number of applicants exceeding expectations. In the end, 30 researchers from over ten universities and research institutions in China, including The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Lanzhou University, the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Northwest Normal University, Shaanxi Normal University, and Shihezi University, participated in the training. Wang Xin, Vice Dean of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, delivered a welcome address on behalf of the organizers.

During the one-and-a-half-day training, each participant gave a 5- to 10-minute presentation on their own research, raising specific problems encountered in their work. Beatriz Recinos and Richard Essery from the University of Edinburgh then provided tailored, one-on-one "diagnosis and advice" for each person's issues. Many participants reported that the training truly resolved a number of previously intractable problems, deepened their understanding of glacier evolution processes, and significantly improved their hands-on glacier modeling skills.

For the Shiyang River field investigation, the China-UK research team, with the support of the Shiyang River Field Scientific Observation and Research Station of Lanzhou University, conducted a five-day field survey. The route covered different physical geographical units across the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the basin—from glaciers and permafrost in the upper reaches, through grasslands and oases in the middle reaches, to deserts and gobi in the lower reaches. Key issues such as water resource allocation, utilization patterns, and groundwater changes in the Shiyang River Basin were systematically examined. Combining field observations with on-site discussions, the two sides had in-depth exchanges on scientific issues concerning water resources management in the basin.

During the visit, Chinese and British scientists held in-depth discussions in a Lanzhou University meeting room on their respective research topics and future research plans, and reached a preliminary consensus on directions for future collaboration. Both sides stated that they would take this exchange as an opportunity to further promote scientific research cooperation and personnel exchanges in water resources, glacier change, and related fields.