Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2021-5
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2021-5
09 Feb 2021
 | 09 Feb 2021
Status: this preprint was under review for the journal CP but the revision was not accepted.

Monitoring landcover change and desertification processes in northern China and Mongolia using historical written sources and vegetation indices

Michael Kempf

Abstract. Fighting land degradation of semi-arid and climate-sensitive grasslands are among the most urgent tasks of current eco-political agenda. Northern China and Mongolia are particularly prone to surface transformations caused by heavily increased livestock numbers during the 20th century. Extensive overgrazing and resource exploitation amplify regional climate change effects and trigger intensified surface transformation, which forces policy-driven interventions to prevent desertification. In the past, the region has been subject to major shifts in environmental and socio-cultural parameters, what makes it difficult to measure the extent of the regional anthropogenic impact and global climate change. This article analyses historical written sources, palaeoenvironmental data, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) temporal series from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to compare landcover change during the Little Ice Age (LIA) and the reference period 2000–2018. Results show that decreasing precipitation and temperature records led to increased land degradation during the late 17th century. However, modern landcover data shows enhanced expansion of bare lands contrasting an increase in precipitation (Ptotal) and maximum temperature (Tmax). Vegetation response during the early growing season (March–May) and the late grazing season (September) does not relate to Ptotal and Tmax and generally low NDVI values indicate no major grassland recovery over the past 20 years.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
Michael Kempf

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • CC1: 'Comment on cp-2021-5', Shree Dangal, 09 Mar 2021
    • AC1: 'Reply on CC1', Michael Kempf, 13 Apr 2021
    • AC6: 'Reply on CC1', Michael Kempf, 16 Apr 2021
    • AC9: 'Reply on CC1', Michael Kempf, 20 Apr 2021
  • RC1: 'Comment on cp-2021-5', Anonymous Referee #1, 12 Mar 2021
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC1', Michael Kempf, 13 Apr 2021
  • RC2: 'Comment on cp-2021-5', Anonymous Referee #2, 09 Apr 2021
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Michael Kempf, 13 Apr 2021
      • RC3: 'Reply on AC2', Anonymous Referee #2, 14 Apr 2021
        • AC4: 'Reply on RC3', Michael Kempf, 15 Apr 2021
          • RC4: 'Reply on AC4', Anonymous Referee #2, 15 Apr 2021
            • AC5: 'Reply on RC4', Michael Kempf, 15 Apr 2021
              • AC7: 'Reply on AC5', Michael Kempf, 16 Apr 2021
                • RC5: 'Reply on AC7', Anonymous Referee #2, 18 Apr 2021
                  • AC8: 'Reply on RC5', Michael Kempf, 20 Apr 2021
  • RC6: 'Comment on cp-2021-5', Anonymous Referee #2, 21 Apr 2021
    • AC10: 'Reply on RC6', Michael Kempf, 21 Apr 2021
      • RC7: 'Reply on AC10', Anonymous Referee #2, 23 Apr 2021
        • AC11: 'Reply on RC7', Michael Kempf, 23 Apr 2021
          • RC8: 'Reply on AC11', Anonymous Referee #2, 23 Apr 2021
            • AC12: 'Reply on RC8', Michael Kempf, 06 May 2021
  • EC1: 'Closing the discussion period', Alberto Reyes, 05 May 2021
    • AC13: 'final response', Michael Kempf, 06 May 2021

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • CC1: 'Comment on cp-2021-5', Shree Dangal, 09 Mar 2021
    • AC1: 'Reply on CC1', Michael Kempf, 13 Apr 2021
    • AC6: 'Reply on CC1', Michael Kempf, 16 Apr 2021
    • AC9: 'Reply on CC1', Michael Kempf, 20 Apr 2021
  • RC1: 'Comment on cp-2021-5', Anonymous Referee #1, 12 Mar 2021
    • AC3: 'Reply on RC1', Michael Kempf, 13 Apr 2021
  • RC2: 'Comment on cp-2021-5', Anonymous Referee #2, 09 Apr 2021
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Michael Kempf, 13 Apr 2021
      • RC3: 'Reply on AC2', Anonymous Referee #2, 14 Apr 2021
        • AC4: 'Reply on RC3', Michael Kempf, 15 Apr 2021
          • RC4: 'Reply on AC4', Anonymous Referee #2, 15 Apr 2021
            • AC5: 'Reply on RC4', Michael Kempf, 15 Apr 2021
              • AC7: 'Reply on AC5', Michael Kempf, 16 Apr 2021
                • RC5: 'Reply on AC7', Anonymous Referee #2, 18 Apr 2021
                  • AC8: 'Reply on RC5', Michael Kempf, 20 Apr 2021
  • RC6: 'Comment on cp-2021-5', Anonymous Referee #2, 21 Apr 2021
    • AC10: 'Reply on RC6', Michael Kempf, 21 Apr 2021
      • RC7: 'Reply on AC10', Anonymous Referee #2, 23 Apr 2021
        • AC11: 'Reply on RC7', Michael Kempf, 23 Apr 2021
          • RC8: 'Reply on AC11', Anonymous Referee #2, 23 Apr 2021
            • AC12: 'Reply on RC8', Michael Kempf, 06 May 2021
  • EC1: 'Closing the discussion period', Alberto Reyes, 05 May 2021
    • AC13: 'final response', Michael Kempf, 06 May 2021
Michael Kempf
Michael Kempf

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Short summary
The semi-arid regions of northern China and Mongolia are particularly sensitive to climate and landcover change triggered by anthropogenic overgrazing and resource exploitation. To understand the feedbacks between human impact, global change, and governmental restrictions, historical sources were compared to paleoenvironmental and modern datasets. From the data, no major grassland recovery can be observed – despite large-scale eco-political interventions during the past decades.