Third Annual Third Pole Environment Workshop; Reykjavík, Iceland, 29 August to 1 September 2011 Recognizing the necessity of multinational, interdisciplinary environmental research on the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountain ranges—dubbed the “Third Pole” for its considerable ice mass and high elevation— the Third Pole Environment (TPE) program accepted an invitation from the president of Iceland and the University of Iceland to hold its third annual TPE workshop in Iceland. In accordance with TPE's mission to evaluate climate and environmental changes at both local and global scales, participants from 15 countries converged for 3 days of intensive discussions and presentations related to TPE research. The Third Pole glaciers are undergoing considerable retreat, which will likely affect more than 1.5 billion people living in the region