Abstract
Frequent snowfall and low temperatures led to a considerable snow disaster in some areas of China’s Three-River Headwaters Region (TRHR) in Qinghai province in the spring of 2019, exerting a considerably negative influence on animal husbandry production in local grasslands. Based on a model of snow disaster classification and quantitative estimations of disaster-stricken animal husbandry, we propose a comprehensive disaster resistance capability index (CDRCI) using remote sensing, ground monitoring, and statistical investigations. With a comprehensive assessment of the space distribution and the magnitude of snow disasters, combined with a quantitative determination of disaster-stricken animal husbandry, the proposed CDRCI calculates how grassland animal husbandry is affected by snow disasters in different counties of the TRHR. The results indicate that approximately 2.31 million sheep and yaks were affected by moderate to severe snow disasters in the TRHR, accounting for 78.3% of the total livestock in the affected region. Of these affected livestock, approximately 1.54 million sheep and yaks were specifically affected by severe snow disasters, accounting for 52.1% of the total number of livestock. The CDRCIs for grassland animal husbandry in both Yushu and were moderate, being higher for the former than for the latter. We confirmed that the proposed CDRCI can accurately evaluate the magnitude of snow disasters in terms of how they affect grassland animal husbandry. The CDRCI is a way of relating the number of animal deaths to spatial disaster prevention and resistance. We expect that this research will provide important theoretical support for formulating snow disaster resistance policy, for example for increasing the construction of grassland animal husbandry infrastructure as well as providing greater stored forage material.
Highlights
As the source of three main rivers in China—the Yangtze, Yellow, and LanSang Rivers—the Three-River Headwaters Region (TRHR) functions as an important barrier that protects China’s ecological environment [1,2,3], and forms a major part of the Qinghai Pastoral Area, one of the four largest pastoral areas in China
The proportion of snow cover in TRHR counties increased to varying degrees
The number of livestock affected by snow disasters varied greatly across counties
Summary
As the source of three main rivers in China—the Yangtze, Yellow, and LanSang Rivers—the Three-River Headwaters Region (TRHR) functions as an important barrier that protects China’s ecological environment [1,2,3], and forms a major part of the Qinghai Pastoral Area, one of the four largest pastoral areas in China. Snow disasters refer to times when pasture land (especially in animal husbandry areas that rely on natural pasture grazing) are completely buried in snow. At these times, livestock are unable to find grassland and other food sources, often suffering from weight loss or death [4]. Data on snow accumulation is acquired by monitoring ground meteorological stations [6], snow cover surveys, and remote sensing monitoring [7]. Research shows that MODIS data can identify snow pixels more effectively. Combining MODIS with AMSR-E and SSM/I data can improve the ability to identify the snow covered area or snowpack properties. The formation of snow disasters is related to many factors, such as natural hazard factors, which include snow depth, snow density, snow duration, and grassland conditions, and anthropogenic factors, including livestock supplement feeding conditions and productivity levels [21,22,23,24,25,26]
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