Abstract
The Tuul River Basin is the most important socioeconomic and political base area of Mongolia. Therefore, studying the interrelationships between changes in the ecohydrological processes of this basin and its land cover is of great importance for maintaining sustainability and the environment. This study investigated the annual average air temperature, total annual precipitation, and river discharge variability, and land cover changes at selected stations of the basin by using the hydrometeorological analysis, satellite analysis, and land cover determination statistical analysis. During the study period, the average annual air temperature rose from −1.5 °C to +0.3 °C (1.8 °C 361 °C). The average annual precipitation exhibits relatively low change during this period. River discharge varied during the study period. A significant decreasing trend in river discharge was observed at the Terelj (φ = −2.72) and Ulaanbaatar (φ = −5.63) stations, whereas the other stations, Altanbulag, Lun, and Orkhontuul, showed a significant increasing trend. During the study period, changes in land cover were directly related to main hydrometeorological parameters. Between 2000 and 2020, the amount of grassland decreased by 319.67 km2, while the area of water bodies increased by 28.36 km2. In the study area, mainly water bodies and sensitive areas of the land cover types were changed due to changes in precipitation. Studies in the arid and semiarid regions of Central Asia show that changes of ecohydrological processes have a significant impact on land cover changes.
Highlights
The key indicator of global sustainability is measured by many factors, one of which is ecohydrological processes [1,2]
The mean annual air temperature, mean annual precipitation, and average annual river discharge were calculated for each station on the study site by determining the long-term conditions of hydrometeorology change
The result shows that the innovative trend analysis method (ITAM) curve annual air temperature reveals a statistically sharp increasing trend in Ulaanbaatar from 1979 to 2019 (φ = 14.11), a statistically abrupt increasing trend in Terelj from 1979 to 2019 (φ = 5.08), a statistically upward trend in Altanbulag from 1979 to 2019 (φ = 2.82), a statistically sharp upward trend in Ondorshireet from 1979 to 2019 (φ = 4.65), a statistically sharp upward trend in Lun from 1979 to 2019 (φ = 3.29), a statistically increasing trend in Bayannuur from 1979 to 2019 (φ = 4.25); in Orkhontuul, a statistically increasing trend was observed with (φ = 4.75) from 1979 to 2019
Summary
The key indicator of global sustainability is measured by many factors, one of which is ecohydrological processes [1,2]. The cause and effect of ecohydrological changes depend on changes in its variables and it can affect several forms. It plays a major role in determining the hydrologic cycle, ecology, biogeochemical processes, soil moisture, river discharge changes, land cover changes, water quality, material flow (mainly due to the soil), vegetation, climate, and human activities [3]. It is important to study ecohydrological processes changes in the most sensitive areas, one of which is the Lake Baikal Basin [4,5]. The Lake Baikal Basin is a large area and the geographical location and natural components vary significantly [5,6].
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