Dorjsuren et al. (2025) Land cover change and hydro-climatic system interactions in the high mountains and around lakes of the Great Lakes Depression Region of Mongolia

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Mountain Science
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-12-01
• Authors: Batsuren Dorjsuren, Valery A. Zemtsov, H Zhou, Nyamdavaa Batsaikhan, Sonomdagva Chonokhuu, Otgonbayar Demberel
• DOI: 10.1007/s11629-025-9661-9

Research Groups

• Laboratory of Air and Environmental Monitoring, Department of Environment and Forest Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
• Department of Hydrology, National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
• Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
• Department of Geography, School of Art & Sciences, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
• Laboratory of Altai Mountain Cryosphere, Climate Change and Disaster Research, Department of Geography of Western Regional Branch, National University of Mongolia, Khovd, Mongolia
• OJEong Resilience Institute (OJERI), Korea University, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Short Summary

This study investigated hydro-climatic and land cover changes in Mongolia's Great Lakes Depression Region, revealing increasing air temperature, decreasing precipitation, river discharge, and lake levels, with land cover changes strongly linked to these climatic shifts and human activities.

Objective

• To analyze the temporal and spatial patterns of hydro-climatic changes (air temperature, precipitation, river discharge, lake levels) and land cover variations, and their statistical relationships, in the Great Lakes Depression Region of western Mongolia.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Great Lakes Depression Region in western Mongolia.
• Temporal Scale: Not explicitly defined in the abstract, but covers a period leading up to 2025.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Mann-Kendall (MK) test, Innovative Trend Analysis Method (ITAM), Sen’s Slope Estimator Test (SSET), and land cover change analysis.
• Data sources: Observational data for climate variables (air temperature, precipitation), river discharge, lake levels, and land cover.

Main Results

• Air temperature increased during the study period (Z = 1.16*).
• Total annual precipitation declined slightly (Z = -0.79).
• Major river discharges in the basin decreased significantly (Z = -3.92*).
• Lake water levels also decreased significantly (Z = -2.51**).
• Land cover changes were closely related to climate change, showing strong connections with precipitation, river discharge, and lake water levels.
• In 2020, basin grassland cover and bare area decreased, while impervious surfaces and cropland significantly increased, indicating human influence.

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive analysis of the complex interactions between hydro-climatic variables and land cover changes in the arid/semi-arid Great Lakes Depression Region of Mongolia.
• Quantifies the statistical trends and relationships among key environmental indicators, offering critical insights into regional environmental dynamics.
• Highlights the increasing impact of human activities on land cover, particularly the expansion of impervious surfaces and cropland, suggesting a crucial area for future research and management.

Funding

• Chinese Academy of Sciences (PIFI Fellowship for Visiting Scientists)
• Chey Institute for Advanced Studies (International Scholar Exchange Fellowship 2024–2025)
• Mongolian Science and Technology Foundation (Grant Nos. CHN-2022/274 and CHN-2024/12)
• National University of Mongolia (Grant Agreement P2024-4814)
• National Key Research and Development Project of China (Grant No. 2022YFE0119400)

Citation

@article{Dorjsuren2025Land,
  author = {Dorjsuren, Batsuren and Zemtsov, Valery A. and Zhou, H and Batsaikhan, Nyamdavaa and Chonokhuu, Sonomdagva and Demberel, Otgonbayar},
  title = {Land cover change and hydro-climatic system interactions in the high mountains and around lakes of the Great Lakes Depression Region of Mongolia},
  journal = {Journal of Mountain Science},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1007/s11629-025-9661-9},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-025-9661-9}
}