Climate Change and Ecosystems of Asia With Emphasis on Inner Mongolia and Mongolia

Angerer, Jay P.; Han, Guodong; Fujisaki, Ikuko; Havstad, Kris M.

doi:10.2111/1551-501x(2008)30[46:ccaeoa]2.0.co;2

Cited by 123 publications

(84 citation statements)

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“…Hence, long-distance moves (temporary relocation of herds) and selective feeding strategies of individual livestock species are of importance in the quest for the best possible forage exploitation for animal growth and production (Baumont et al 2000;Vallentine 2001;Behnke et al 2011;Yoshihara et al 2013;Liao et al 2014a). In accordance with literature (Ni 2004;Angerer et al 2008) Chinese-Mongolian pastures feature a wide range of above-ground biomass yields (30 to 20,210 kg −1 DM ha), depending on the ecotype and season. At the same time, high standard deviations indicate a high variability within each pasture due to varying topography and variability of rainfall.…”

Section: Quantity and Quality Of Herbagesupporting

confidence: 88%

“…This implies seasonally and annually flexible adaptation of long-distance transhumance routes, frequency of pasture changes and daily grazing itineraries (Saizen et al 2010;Kakinuma et al 2014). As in other transhumant systems of the world, livestock mobility in the Altay-Dzungarian region is mainly influenced by the seasonal variability of herbage quantity, quality and palatability, access to water, weather conditions (precipitation, snow depth, temperature and wind) and prevalence of pests and predators (such as mosquitos, horseflies and wolfs), topographic features, traditions, infrastructure and political and social framework but also by individual human decisions (Angerer et al 2008;Tsui 2012;Kakinuma et al 2014;Kerven et al 2016aKerven et al , 2016b.…”

Section: Mobility Patternmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These circumstances may be aggravated according to climate change predictions for the Altay-Dzungarian region that foresee an increase in the average annual temperature, more frequent and prolonged summer droughts and temporal shifts of precipitation from summer to winter (Angerer et al 2008;Lkhagvadorj et al 2013a;Hilker et al 2014;Liao et al 2014a). Moreover, herd management such as daily herding practices and grazing duration, livestock numbers and herd composition are known to affect the occurrence, frequency, distribution and growth of grassland species and thus herbage yield and its nutritive value (Briske et al 2003;Schönbach et al 2012;Kreutzmann 2013a;Lkhagvadorj et al 2013b;Hilker et al 2014).…”

Section: Quantity and Quality Of Herbagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the topographic conditions of the Altay-Dzungarian region are similar on both sides of the Mountain range, the social and economic context of Chinese and Mongolian pastoralists could hardly be more different. This reflects the different historicalcultural background as well as the significant political and economic transformation processes of the last decades, which severely challenge the transhumance system in both countries (Angerer et al 2008;Liu et al 2013;Hilker et al 2014;Liao et al 2014b;Martin et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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Spatio-temporal patterns of herbage availability and livestock movements: A cross-border analysis in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay

et al. 2016

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Due to increasing population and the recent implementation of policies to intensify the use of land and water resources, the transhumant pastoral systems in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay-Dzungarian region are rapidly changing, leading to modifications of herd size, herd composition and spatial distribution of livestock grazing. This may have major consequences for the supply and quality of rangeland biomass. Despite similar topographic settings, the socio-political framework for Chinese and Mongolian pastoralists differs significantly, leading to differences in rangeland utilization. To substantiate these claims, the long-distance transhumance routes, frequency of pasture changes, daily grazing itineraries and size of pastures were recorded by means of GPS tracking of cattle and goats on 1,535 (China) and 1,396 (Mongolia) observation days. The status quo of the main seasonal pastures was captured by measuring the herbage offer and its nutritive value in 869 sampling spots. In the Altay-Dzungarian region, small ruminant herds covered up to 412 km (Mongolia) and grazed on up to nine pastures per year (China). In Mongolia, the herds' average duration of stay at an individual pasture was longer than in China, particularly in spring and autumn. Herbage allowance at the onset of a grazing period (kg dry matter per sheep unit and day) ranged from 34/17 to 91/95 (China/Mongolia). Comparing crude protein and phosphorous concentrations of herbage, in China, the highest concentrations were measured for spring and summer pastures, whereas in Mongolia, the highest concentrations were determined for autumn and winter pastures. Based on our data, we conclude that regulation of animal numbers and access to pastures seemingly maintained pasture productivity in China, especially at high altitudes. However, this policy may prohibit flexible adaptation to sudden environmental constraints. In contrast, high stocking densities and grazing of pastures before flowering of herbaceous plants negatively affected rangeland productivity in Mongolia, especially for spring and summer pastures.

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Section: Quantity and Quality Of Herbagesupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Mobility Patternmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quantity and Quality Of Herbagementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Spatio-temporal patterns of herbage availability and livestock movements: A cross-border analysis in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay

et al. 2016

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“…As the dzud and its impacts continue to unfold, the socio-economic damage is unclear, yet past events have shown that the implications for herders and society are significant (Siurua and Swift 2002;Suttie 2005;Angerer et al 2008). At this stage (May 2010), data from the government and United Nations are only estimates and limited in scope, yet they provide a basis for evaluating how the disaster interacts with society.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unravelling Mongolia's Extreme Winter Disaster of 2010

Sternberg¹

2010

Nomadic Peoples

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The 2010 extreme winter disaster (dzud) in Mongolia has lead to great livestock mortality (around 20 per cent of the national herd), the loss of pastoral livelihoods and rural displacement and affected 28 per cent of the country's population. Whilst environmental conditions were the immediate cause, contributory factors include a changing climate, current herding practices and weak governance. The severity of the event points out herding vulnerability, a lack of dzud preparedness and climate's disruptive impact on steppe pastoralism. This article examines the intertwined natural and human processes that shaped the dzud and the implications for pastoralism in Mongolia. Learning from the 2010 event is critical to reduce disaster risk and hazard impact on steppe livelihoods.

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Renewed Estimates of Grassland Aboveground Biomass Showing Drought Impacts

Chen

Zeng

et al. 2018

JGR Biogeosciences

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Variations in ecosystem composition and structure within a cover type of the same biome can be responsible for the large amounts of uncertainty in remote sensing modeling of aboveground biomass (AGB). Based on 820 ground measurements of AGB and the pure vegetation index models, we proposed a spatially variable remote sensing scalar (i.e., M scalar) in estimating AGB by addressing within‐type variations of vegetation. We tested this new modeling approach in Inner Mongolia grasslands and achieved a higher R2 (>0.88) and lower RMSE value (<28.17 g/m2) than those in the conventional remote sensing models. The annual average (STD) of the grassland AGB for 2001–2016 was ~87 (±9) Tg, with an AGB density of 104 ± 74 g/m2. The interannual variation of AGB appeared insignificant over the study period, except in the western region where it increased significantly. The dynamics of AGB were highly correlated with drought severity during the growing season (R2 = 0.691, P < 0.001). AGB under normal climate (i.e., without drought) was ~90.88 Tg, but it increased by ~19% (17.11 Tg) in a wet year (2012) and decreased by 20% (18.16 Tg) in a dry year (2001). More importantly, the high grazing intensity played a less significant role in directing grassland AGB dynamics (R2 = 0.024, P = 0.599). Future efforts are needed to explore how within‐type variation of vegetation may change temporally and spatially in accurate estimate of AGB across heterogeneous landscapes, as well as the potential underlying mechanisms from biological, physical, and human perspectives.

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Climate Change and Ecosystems of Asia With Emphasis on Inner Mongolia and Mongolia

Cited by 123 publications

References 1 publication

Spatio-temporal patterns of herbage availability and livestock movements: A cross-border analysis in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay

Spatio-temporal patterns of herbage availability and livestock movements: A cross-border analysis in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay

Unravelling Mongolia's Extreme Winter Disaster of 2010

Renewed Estimates of Grassland Aboveground Biomass Showing Drought Impacts

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