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Assessment of the Spatial and Temporal Variability of Arid Ecosystems in the Republic of Buryatia

  • SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF ARID TERRITORIES
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Abstract

Climate change and anthropogenic activity in the Republic of Buryatia aggravate the processes of desertification and land degradation. The territory of Buryatia was zoned according to the aridity index based on ENVIREM climate data with a high spatial resolution. Long-term changes in the vegetation cover in arid and humid zones are quantitatively assessed based on a combined study of the time series of the normalized-difference vegetation index (NDVI) with the Advanced Very High Radiation Radiometer (AVHRR), meteorological series of the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis data set, and field studies. Maps of the spatial distribution of NDVI linear trends and precipitation for 1982–2015 (with the differentiation of the wet (1982–1999) and dry periods (2000–2015)) have been constructed. During the wet period, positive NDVI trends are observed for almost the entire republic, while the dry period is characterized by a significant increase in negative trends of the vegetation index. A positive correlation between the Selyaninov hydrothermal coefficient and NDVI is observed for intermountain steppe basins, while it is negative for forest landscapes. The dynamics of the NDVI for steppe vegetation is more dependent on precipitation, while the dynamics of the NDVI for forests is more significantly correlated with temperature. Reforestation, postpyrogenic succession, the bushing of fallow lands, and other factors determine the growth in the NDVI. Negative NDVI trends are characteristic of steppe ecosystems with low precipitation and forest ecosystems exposed to felling and fires.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project nos. 17-05-01059 “Natural and Climatic Trends in the Baikal Region,” 17-29-05083 “A retrospective assessment of the water content of the Lake Baikal basin according to the dendroclimatic analysis,” 18-55-91047 “Comparative Assessment of the Dynamics and Pattern of Desertification at the Border of Russia and Mongolia,” and 19-55-53026 “Ecological Risk Assessment and Related Countermeasures for Transboundary Areas of Russia, Mongolia, and China”) and were performed under the State Assignment to the Baikal Institute of Nature Management, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, “Transformation of the Natural Environment in the Impact Zone of the Great Silk and Tea Road under the Conditions of Climate Globalization and Change” as part of the Basic Research Program of State Academies of Sciences (IX.137.2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baikal Institute of Nature Management, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 670047, Ulan-Ude, Russia

    E. Zh. Garmaev, A. A. Ayurzhanaev, B. Z. Tsydypov, Zh. B. Alymbaeva, B. V. Sodnomov, S. G. Andreev, M. A. Zharnikova, V. S. Batomunkuev & A. K. Tulokhonov

  2. Banzarov Buryat State University, 670000, Ulan-Ude, Russia

    E. Zh. Garmaev

  3. Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, 15170, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    N. Mandakh

  4. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, 010008, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan

    T. K. Salikhov

  5. Seifullin Kazakh Agricultural University, 010011, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan

    T. K. Salikhov

Authors
  1. E. Zh. Garmaev
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  2. A. A. Ayurzhanaev
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  3. B. Z. Tsydypov
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  4. Zh. B. Alymbaeva
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  5. B. V. Sodnomov
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  6. S. G. Andreev
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  7. M. A. Zharnikova
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  8. V. S. Batomunkuev
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  9. N. Mandakh
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  10. T. K. Salikhov
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  11. A. K. Tulokhonov
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to E. Zh. Garmaev, A. A. Ayurzhanaev, N. Mandakh, T. K. Salikhov or A. K. Tulokhonov.

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Conflict of interests. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Statement on the welfare of animals. This article does not contain any studies involving animals performed by any of the authors.

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Translated by D. Zabolotny

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Garmaev, E.Z., Ayurzhanaev, A.A., Tsydypov, B.Z. et al. Assessment of the Spatial and Temporal Variability of Arid Ecosystems in the Republic of Buryatia. Arid Ecosyst 10, 114–122 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079096120020055

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079096120020055

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