Abstract
The intensity of recent droughts and the uncertainty of moisture variability in the context of increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation have affected the Mongolian grassland. Mongolia typifies the steppe terrain and semiarid to arid continental climate that extends across much of Central Asia. In semi-arid areas like Mongolian steppe, vegetation type and distribution are directly relate to the amount of water that plants can extract from the soil. An index for assessment of moisture availability (ma: defined as the ratio of actual to reference evapotranspiration) was developed, namely NTDI [1] 08D0C9EA79F9BACE118C8200AA004BA90B02000000080000000E0000005F005200650066003400300031003800340037003500380031000000 . NTDI (Normalized Day-Night Surface Temperature Difference Index) is defined as the ratio of the difference between the maximum daytime surface temperature and the minimum nighttime surface temperature, to the difference between the maximum and minimum surface temperatures estimated from meteorological data by applying energy balance equations. A verification study conducted at Liudaogou River Basin of the Loess Plateau, China, indicated the capability of NTDI to estimate ma accurately, (R2=0.97,p 08D0C9EA79F9BACE118C8200AA004BA90B02000000080000000E0000005F005200650066003400300031003800340037003500380031000000 . In Bayan Unjuul, Mongolia, application of NTDI during the growing season showed a significant inverse exponential correlation with ma (R2=0.86,p<0.001). This result indicates that the NTDI is potent to be used as a surrogate of moisture availability in steppe terrain of Central Asia.
Highlights
Recent widespread and intense droughts have become likely manifestations of large-scale climate change, including global warming
In semi-arid areas like Mongolian steppe, vegetation type and distribution relate directly to the amount of water that plants can extract from the soil [11]; as Mongolia typifies the steppe terrain and semiarid to arid continental climate that extends across much of Central Asia [12] understanding the spatial and temporal variability of moisture patterns, is critically important for food security in Mongolia, and other regions of central Asia
The goal of this study is to validate the capability of Night Surface Temperature Difference Index (NTDI) for simulate the wetness metrics for Mongolian Steppe based on ground-meteorological data collected at Bayan Unjuul Drought Experiment (DREX) site
Summary
Recent widespread and intense droughts have become likely manifestations of large-scale climate change, including global warming. Droughts have become widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, including Asia, and in Mongolia [2]-[5]. Changes in climate patterns such as prolonged drought can translate into degradation of pastureland and loss of livestock and have serious economic effects. The increasing drought frequency in Mongolia in recent years has resulted in important effects on Mongolian grassland. These effects have been phytomass decreases below-average [6]-[9], and could seriously threaten the pastoral and nomadic lifestyle of much of the population of Mongolia [10]. In semi-arid areas like Mongolian steppe, vegetation type and distribution relate directly to the amount of water that plants can extract from the soil [11]; as Mongolia typifies the steppe terrain and semiarid to arid continental climate that extends across much of Central Asia [12] understanding the spatial and temporal variability of moisture patterns, is critically important for food security in Mongolia, and other regions of central Asia
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