Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Climate impact on vegetation and animal husbandry on the Mongolian plateau: a comparative analysis

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Natural Hazards Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

International research has focused more attention on arid and semiarid regions in recent years, as climate change has already had adverse impacts on grasslands and local households in the Mongolian plateau. Based on meteorological data, GIMMS AVHRR NDVI3g data, and livestock records, through statistical analysis, a significantly strong warming trend and a slightly decreasing trend in precipitation were ascertained in this region. Precipitation patterns are shifting, and intensifying, extreme events, such as droughts and dzud (extremely harsh winters characterized by heavy snow and low temperature), are a major threat to vegetation growth and animal husbandry development. Following a comparative analysis approach, we explored how the vegetation and animal husbandry response to climate change and extreme weather differ between Inner Mongolia and Mongolia. We found that vegetation growth generally decreased after the mid-1990s, but began to recover from 2001 over the entire region. The agricultural intensification level is higher in Inner Mongolia than in Mongolia, and residents in Inner Mongolia have a greater awareness of unexpected disasters than those in Mongolia. To deal with these challenges, this region warrants further study on how climate extremes will impact on regional animal husbandry and local social economics on the arid and semiarid regions. This could have implications for the international community, local government, local residents, and future scientific activities in this space.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Addison J, Friedel M, Brown C, Davies J, Waldron S (2012) A critical review of degradation assumptions applied to Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. Rangel J 34:125–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Angerer J, Han G, Fujisaki I, Havstad K (2008) Climate change and ecosystems of Asia with emphasis on Inner Mongolia and Mongolia. Rangelands 30:46–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anyamba A, Tucker C (2005) Analysis of Sahelian vegetation dynamics using NOAA-AVHRR NDVI data from 1981–2003. J Arid Environ 63:596–614

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bao G, Bao Y, Tan Z, Zhou Y, Shiirev-Adiya (2013a) Vegetation cover changes in Mongolian plateau and its response to seasonal climate changes in recent 10 years. Geogr Sci 33:613–621

    Google Scholar 

  • Bao G, Qin Z, Bao Y, Zhou Y (2013b) Spatial-temporal changes of vegetation cover in Mongolian plateau during 1982–2006. J Desert Res 33:918–927

    Google Scholar 

  • Batima P, Natsagdorj L, Gombluudev P, Erdenetsetseg B (2005) Observed climate change in Mongolia. AIACC Working Paper, New York

  • Brown DG, Agrawal A, Sass DA, Wang J, Hua J, Xie Y (2013) Responses to climate and economic risks and opportunities across national and ecological boundaries: changing household strategies on the Mongolian plateau. Environ Res Lett 8:045011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buren G (2011) Research on current status, causes and prospect of desertification in Mongolia. Inner Mong Univ, Master

    Google Scholar 

  • Cao X, Wang J, Gao Z, Ning J, Shi R, Gao W (2013) Study on spatio-temporal vegetation cover changes based on MODIS NDVI data in the Mongolian Plateau, 2000–2012. In: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications. International Society for Optics and Photonics, pp 88690Z-88690Z-88696

  • Chen Y, Tang H (2005) Desertification in north China: background, anthropogenic impacts and failures in combating it. Land Degrad Dev 16:367–376. doi:10.1002/ldr.667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen X, Wang H (2009) Spatial and temporal variations of vegetation belts and vegetation cover degrees in Inner Mongolia from 1982 to 2003. Acta Geogr Sinica 64:84–93

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen T, You L, Gu Y (2010) Analysis of drought in flood season of 2009 in Inner Mongolia. J Arid Meteorol 28:167–172

    Google Scholar 

  • Easterling DR, Meehl GA, Parmesan C, Changnon SA, Karl TR, Mearns LO (2000) Climate extremes: observations, modeling, and impacts. Science 289:2068–2074

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández-Giménez ME, Batkhishig B, Batbuyan B (2012) Cross-boundary and cross-level dynamics increase vulnerability to severe winter disasters (dzud) in Mongolia. Glob Environ Change 22:836–851. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2012.07.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gong P (2012) China’s new leaders must keep science in focus. Nature 491:161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groppo V, Schindler K (2014) Extreme weather events and child height: evidence from Mongolia

  • Hirano A, Toriyama K, Komiyama H (2006) Spatiotemporal characterization of Mongolian grassland based on vegetation trend analysis. Asian association on remote sensing-proceedings A2–A8

  • Hu Y, Ban Y, Zhang Q, Zhang X, Liu J, Zhuang D (2008) Spatial—temporal pattern of GIMMS NDVI and its dynamics in Mongolian Plateau. In: International workshop on earth observation and remote sensing applications, 2008. EORSA 2008. IEEE, pp 1–6

  • Humphrey C, Sneath D (1999) The end of nomadism? Society, state and the environment in inner Asia. Duke University Press, Durham

    Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (2014a) Climate change 2014: impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability

  • IPCC (2014b) Climate change 2014: summary for policymakers

  • Janzen J, Bazargur D (2003) The transformation process in mobile livestock keeping and changing patterns of mobility in Mongolia, with special attention to western Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar the new geography of human mobility inequality trends, pp 185–221

  • Jiang Y, Qian W (2003) Regional characteristics of heavy snowfall or snowstorm in Inner Mongolia. Acta Geogr Sinica 58:38–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Jin L, Wei T, Hu Z (2014) Herdsmen’s perceptions and adaption to climate change: a case study in Chaganbulige, Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia. J Nat Resour 29:211–222

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson D, Sheehy D, Miller D, Damiran D (2006) Mongolian rangelands in transition. Secheresse 17:133

    Google Scholar 

  • Ju H, van der Velde M, Lin E, Xiong W, Li Y (2013) The impacts of climate change on agricultural production systems in China. Clim Change 120:313–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keshavarz M, Karami E (2014) Farmers’ decision-making process under drought. J Arid Environ 108:43–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li B, Yu W, Wang J (2011) An analysis of vegetation change trends and their causes in inner Mongolia, China from 1982 to 2006 advances in meteorology 2011

  • Li A, Wu J, Huang J (2012) Distinguishing between human-induced and climate-driven vegetation changes: a critical application of RESTREND in inner Mongolia. Landsc Ecol 27:969–982

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li X et al (2013) Effects of climate change on household compound ecosystems and herders’ adaption. Acta Prataculture Sinica 22:148–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Li S, Ouyang Z, Tam C, Chen X (2008) Ecological and socioeconomic effects of China’s policies for ecosystem services. PNAS 105:9477–9482. doi:10.1073/pnas.0706436105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin R, Müller B, Linstädter A, Frank K (2014) How much climate change can pastoral livelihoods tolerate? Modelling rangeland use and evaluating risk. Global Environ Change 24:183–192. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.09.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marx A, Rihoux B, Ragin C (2014) The origins, development, and application of qualitative comparative analysis: the first 25 years. Eur Polit Sci Rev 6:115–142. doi:10.1017/S1755773912000318

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miao L, Luan Y, Luo X, Liu Q, Moore J, Nath R, He B, Zhu F, Cui X (2013) Analysis of the phenology in the Mongolian Plateau by inter-comparison of global vegetation datasets. Remote Sens 5(10):5193–5208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miao L, Jiang C, He B, Liu Q, Zhu F, Cui X (2014) Response of vegetation coverage to climate change in the Mongolian plateau during recent 10 years. Acta Ecol Sinca 34:1295–1301

    Google Scholar 

  • Miao L, Ye P, He B, Chen L, Cui X (2015) Future climate impact on the desertification in the dry land Asia using AVHRR GIMMS NDVI3g data. Remote Sens 7:3863–3877

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mu S, Li J, Chen Y, Gang C, Zhou W, Ju W (2012) Spatial differences of variations of vegetation coverage in inner Mongolia during 2001–2010. Acta Geogr Sinica 67:1255-1268

    Google Scholar 

  • Mu S, Yang H, Li J, Chen Y, Gang C, Zhou W, Ju W (2013) Spatio-temporal dynamics of vegetation coverage and its relationship with climate factors in Inner Mongolia, China. J Geogr Sci 23:231–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olson DM et al (2001) Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: a new map of life on earth a new global map of terrestrial ecoregions provides an innovative tool for conserving biodiversity. Bioscience 51:933–938

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Onda Y, Kato H, Tanaka Y, Tsujimura M, Davaa G, Oyunbaatar D (2007) Analysis of runoff generation and soil erosion processes by using environmental radionuclides in semiarid areas of Mongolia. J Hydrol 333:124–132. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.07.030

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pei H, Hao L (2009) Pentad average temperature changes of Inner Mongolia during recent 40 years. J Appl Meteorol Sci 20:443–450

    Google Scholar 

  • Ragin C (1989) The comparative method: moving beyond qualitative and quantitative strategies. University of California, California

    Google Scholar 

  • Ranjeet J et al (2013) Vegetation response to extreme climate events on the mongolian plateau from 2000 to 2010. Environ Res Lett 8:035033. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/035033

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheng G, Yoshinobu H, Takehisa O, Zhao H, Zong Y, Chang X (2000) Grassland desertification by grazing and the resulting micrometeorological changes in Inner Mongolia. Agric For Meteorol 102:125–137. doi:10.1016/S0168-1923(00)00101-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shinoda M, Nandintsetseg B (2011) Soil moisture and vegetation memories in a cold, arid climate. Global Planet Change 79:110–117. doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.08.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sneath D (1998) State policy and pasture degradation in Inner Asia. Science 281:1147–1148. doi:10.1126/science.281.5380.1147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sneath D (1999) The end of Nomadism? Society, state, and the environment in Inner Asia. Duke University Press, Durham

    Google Scholar 

  • Sneath D (2012) The ‘age of the market’ and the regime of debt: the role of credit in the transformation of pastoral Mongolia. Soc Anthropol 20:458–473. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8676.2012.00223.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg T (2008) Environmental challenges in Mongolia’s dryland pastoral landscape. J Arid Environ 72:1294–1304. doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.12.016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg T, Middleton N, Thomas D (2009) Pressurised pastoralism in South Gobi, Mongolia: what is the role of drought? Trans Inst Br Geogr 34:364–377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg T, Tsolmon R, Middleton N, Thomas D (2010) Tracking desertification on the Mongolian steppe through NDVI and field-survey data. Int J Digit Earth 4:50–64. doi:10.1080/17538940903506006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg T, Thomas D, Middleton N (2011) Drought dynamics on the Mongolian steppe, 1970–2006. Int J Climatol 31:1823–1830

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun Y, Guo P, Yan X, Zhao T (2010) Dynamic of vegetation cover and its relationship with climate change and human activities in Inner Mongolia. J Nat Resour 25:407–414

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang J, Chen X, Zhao M, Su R (2009) Numerical simulation of regional climate change under IPCC A2 scenario in China. Acta Meteorol Sinica 1:005

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornton PK, van de Steeg J, Notenbaert A, Herrero M (2009) The impacts of climate change on livestock and livestock systems in developing countries: a review of what we know and what we need to know. Agric Syst 101:113–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vernooy R (2011) How Mongolian herders are transforming nomadic pastoralism. Solutions 2:82–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Wackernagel M, Rees WE (2013) Our ecological footprint: reducing human impact on the earth, vol 9. New Society Publishers, Vancouver

    Google Scholar 

  • Wackernagel M et al (1999) National natural capital accounting with the ecological footprint concept. Ecol Econ 29:375–390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang R, Li H (2011) Spatio-temporal changes of vegetation in Mongolia based on MODIS-NDVI during 2001-2010 Journal of Geo-information. Science 13:665–671

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang W, Liu ZL, Hao DY, Liang CZ (1997) The dynamic respond of degenerative steppe vegetation into grazing prohibited in the Inner Mongolia. Clim Environ Res 2:236–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Brown D, Agrawal A (2012) Sustainable governance of the Mongolian grasslands: comparing ecological and social-institutional changes in the context of climate change in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, China. State, Changes, and Future, Dryland Ecosystems in East Asia

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Brown DG, Agrawal A (2013a) Climate adaptation, local institutions, and rural livelihoods: a comparative study of herder communities in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, China. Global Environ Change 23:1673–1683. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.08.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Brown DG, Riolo RL, Page SE, Agrawal A (2013b) Exploratory analyses of local institutions for climate change adaptation in the Mongolian grasslands: an agent-based modeling approach. Global Environ Change 23:1266–1276. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.07.017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woo M (2014) Climate alters mongolian past and present. http://www.insidescience.org/content/climate-alters-mongolian-past-and-present/1581

  • Xia J et al (2014) Satellite-based analysis of evapotranspiration and water balance in the grassland ecosystems of Dryland East Asia. PloS one 9:e97295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y, Xu J, Hong Y, Lv G (2011) The dynamic of vegetation coverage and its response to climate factors in Inner Mongolia, China. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 26:357–373. doi:10.1007/s00477-011-0481-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang M (2012) Drought changes in Inner Mongolia in last 60 years. Inner Mongolia Normal University

  • Zhang X, Xu X (2011) Response of NDVI to climate change in the Mongolian Plateau from 1982 to 2003. In: The Chinese society of natural resources academic conference in 2011, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, pp 590–599

  • Zhang X, Hu Y, Zhuang D, Qi Y, Ma X (2009) NDVI spatial pattern and its differentiation on the Mongolian Plateau. J Geogr Sci 19:403–415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang W, Zhang Z, Hu S, Xu R, Sun F (2012) Analysis of vegetation coverage changes in Inner Mongolia with MODIS NDVI images. In: 2012 2nd International conference on remote sensing, environment and transportation engineering (RSETE), 2012. IEEE, pp 1–4

  • Zhen L, Liu J, Liu X, Wang L (2008) Structural change of agriculture- livestock system and affecting factors in Mongolian plateau. J Arid Land Res Environ 22:144–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhen L et al (2010) Comparing patterns of ecosystem service consumption and perceptions of range management between ethnic herders in Inner Mongolia and Mongolia. Environ Res Lett 5:015001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou L, Du F, Zhang X, Zhang C (2013a) The vulnerability assessment of grassland livestock industry to drought: a case study in pasture of Xilingol, Inner Mongolia. Chin J Ecol 33:259–268

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Y, Li N, Ji Z, Gu X, Fan B (2013b) Temporal and spatial patterns of droughts based on standard precipitation index (SPI) in Inner Mongolia during 1981–2010. J Nat Res 28:1694–1706

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The work was financially supported by the National Basic Research Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2015CB953600, 2011CB952001), National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41271542) and sponsored by the State Foundation for Studying Abroad to visit the UK.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, College of Global Change and Earth Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Lijuan Miao & Bin He

  2. Mongolian and Inner Asia Studies Unit, Cambridge University, CB2 3RF, Cambridge, UK

    Lijuan Miao, Richard Fraser & David Sneath

  3. Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), Theodor-Lieser-Str. 2, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Zhanli Sun

  4. School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, 100875, Beijing, China

    Xuefeng Cui

  5. School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

    Xuefeng Cui

Authors
  1. Lijuan Miao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Richard Fraser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhanli Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. David Sneath
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Bin He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Xuefeng Cui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xuefeng Cui.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

There is no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Miao, L., Fraser, R., Sun, Z. et al. Climate impact on vegetation and animal husbandry on the Mongolian plateau: a comparative analysis. Nat Hazards 80, 727–739 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-015-1992-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-015-1992-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation