This study presents the changes in lake areas in the Valley of Lakes, the Govi region, southern Mongolia. The recent changes in lake areas show decreases depending on vulnerability of lake basins and response of Govi landscape to the present climatic warming. During the recent 44-45 years (from 1970 to 2014 or 2015), modern lakes have encountered the present rapid increase in temperature, water evaporation and drying up that induced the reduction in lake areas in the Valley of Lakes. The finding of the reduction in lake areas is consistent with the trends on increasing in temperature since 1995 and fluctuating precipitation since 1975. Investigations with detailed chronology of lake sediment are needed from the lakes to review a more complete evolution of lake basins during the Late Quaternary paleoclimatic history in Mongolia and Central Asia.
This study provides a map of glacial geomorphology of Mt. Asralt Khairkhan and Mt. Baga Khentii Saridag in Khentii Mountain Range in northeastern Mongolia. In the Khentii Mountain Range, only two types of glacial landforms including glacial cirques and terminal moraines are observed for the paleoglacial reconstructions of Mt. Asralt Khairkhan and Mt. Baga Khentii Saridag, and are mapped based on a mapping from 30 m resolution ASTER DEM and Landsat 8 satellite imagery. Spatial distribution of the glacial landforms indicates that the Khentii Mountain Range has experienced valley glaciations with small ice caps centered on the high mountains. The glacial cirques mark numerous glacial erosional landforms, while the terminal moraines indicate glacial advances and depositional landforms at outlets of valleys. Outer limits of these glacial landforms show their maximum glaciation of 10.0 km 2 and 0.7 km 2 for Mt. Asralt Khairkhan and Mt. Baga Khentii Saridag, respectively. This study demonstrates that spatial analysis of the glacial landforms is crucial for reviewing the paleoglacier extent. The map of the glacial geomorphology will be a key for further detailed studies in paleoglaciology and paleoclimate of the mountain range.
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