Changing Climate and Overgrazing Are Decimating Mongolian Steppes
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Type
ArticleAuthors
Liu, Yi Y.Evans, Jason P.
McCabe, Matthew

de Jeu, Richard A. M.
van Dijk, Albert I. J. M.
Dolman, Albertus J.
Saizen, Izuru
KAUST Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) DivisionEarth System Observation and Modelling
Environmental Science and Engineering Program
Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center (WDRC)
Date
2013-02-25Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/325311
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Satellite observations identify the Mongolian steppes as a hotspot of global biomass reduction, the extent of which is comparable with tropical rainforest deforestation. To conserve or restore these grasslands, the relative contributions of climate and human activities to degradation need to be understood. Here we use a recently developed 21-year (1988-2008) record of satellite based vegetation optical depth (VOD, a proxy for vegetation water content and aboveground biomass), to show that nearly all steppe grasslands in Mongolia experienced significant decreases in VOD. Approximately 60% of the VOD declines can be directly explained by variations in rainfall and surface temperature. After removing these climate induced influences, a significant decreasing trend still persists in the VOD residuals across regions of Mongolia. Correlations in spatial patterns and temporal trends suggest that a marked increase in goat density with associated grazing pressures and wild fires are the most likely non-climatic factors behind grassland degradation. © 2013 Liu et al.Citation
Liu YY, Evans JP, McCabe MF, de Jeu RAM, van Dijk AIJM, et al. (2013) Changing Climate and Overgrazing Are Decimating Mongolian Steppes. PLoS ONE 8: e57599. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057599.Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)Journal
PLoS ONEPubMed ID
23451249PubMed Central ID
PMC3581472ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1371/journal.pone.0057599
Scopus Count
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