Search Results (3)

The Mongolian Plateau grassland (MPG) is critical for ecological conservation and sustainability of regional pastoral economies. Aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) is a key indicator of grassland health and function, which is highly sensitive to variabilities in large-scale atmospheric circulations, commonly referred to as teleconnections (TCs). In this study, we analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of ANPP and their response to local meteorological and large-scale climatic variabilities across the MPG from 1982 to 2015. Our analysis indicated the following: (1) Throughout the entire study period, ANPP displayed an overall upward trend across nine ecoregions. In the Sayan montane steppe and Sayan alpine meadow ecoregions, ANPP displayed a distinct inflection point in the mid-1990s. In the Ordos Plateau arid steppe ecoregion, ANPP continuously increased without any inflection points. In the six other ecoregions, trends in ANPP exhibited two inflection points, one in the mid-1990s and one in the late-2000s. (2) Precipitation was the principal determinant of ANPP across the entire MPG. Temperature was a secondary yet important factor influencing ANPP variations in the Ordos Plateau arid steppe. Cloud cover affected ANPP in Sukhbaatar and central Dornod, Mongolia. (3) The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation affected ANPP by regulating temperature in the Ordos Plateau arid steppe ecoregion, whereas precipitation occurred in the other ecoregions. The Pacific/North America, North Atlantic Oscillation, East Atlantic/Western Russia, and Pacific Decadal Oscillation predominantly affected precipitation patterns in various ecoregions, indicating regional heterogeneities of the effects of TCs on ANPP fluctuations. When considering seasonal variances, winter TCs dominated ANPP variations in the Selenge–Orkhon forest steppe, Daurian forest steppe, and Khangai Mountains alpine meadow ecoregions. Autumn TCs, particularly the Pacific/North America and North Atlantic Oscillation, had a greater impact in arid regions like the Gobi Desert steppe and the Great Lakes Basin desert steppe ecoregions. This study’s findings will enhance the theoretical framework for examining the effects of TCs on grassland ecosystems. Full article

The Yamaat Uul mafic complex with Cu-Ni mineralization is located in the Khangai Mountains of Western Mongolia. We have received new unique data for mafic rocks of the complex: U-Pb dating (SHRIMP II), mineralogy (WDS) and geochemistry (XRF, ICP-MS), Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotope data and sulphur isotopes. The Yamaat Uul mafic complex consists of two intrusions: Intrusion 1 is represented by rocks of plagioclase cumulates and olivine–pyroxene cumulates; Intrusion 2 consists of monzogabbro. Intrusions 1 and 2 are different in composition of minerals such as olivine, plagioclase and biotite. The monzogabbro has higher contents of incompatible elements (REE, K, Ti, P) than rocks of Intrusion 1. Zircon U-Pb dating of the anorthosite and Bt-Am-Ol gabbronorite shows a Late Permian age (255.8 ± 2.9 Ma and 262.6 ± 3.1 Ma, respectively) for the Yamaat Uul mafic complex. All of the rocks of the complex are derived from a unified parental melt due to different amounts of trapped melts in plagioclase and olivine–pyroxene cumulates and without crustal contamination. The Cu-Ni mineralization of the complex has a low degree of evolution of the sulphide melt, similar to PGE-Cu-Ni mafic–ultramafic intrusions of the Khangai Mountains (Nomgon and Oortsog Uul). The Yamaat Uul mafic complex together with other mafic–ultramafic intrusions of the Khangai Mountains is related to the Khangai LIP and can be considered as potential for the PGE-Cu-Ni. The new geological, petrological, geochemical and isotope–geochronological data can later be used to reconstruct the geotectonics of the Khangai Mountains and the Central Asian orogenic belt as a whole. Full article

Across the globe, station-based meteorological data are analyzed to estimate the rate of change in precipitation. However, in sparsely populated regions, like Mongolia, stations are few and far between, leaving significant gaps in station-derived precipitation patterns across space and over time. We combined station data with the observations of herders, who live on the land and observe nature and its changes across the landscape. Station-based trends were computed with the Mann–Kendall significance and Theil–Sen rate of change tests. We surveyed herders about their observations of changes in rain and snowfall amounts, rain intensity, and days with snow, using a closed-ended questionnaire and also recorded their qualitative observations. Herder responses were summarized using the Potential for Conflict Index (PCI₂), which computes the mean herder responses and their consensus. For one set of stations in the same forest steppe ecosystem, precipitation trends were similar and decreasing, and the herder-based PCI₂ consensus score matched differences between stations. For the other station set, trends were less consistent and the PCI₂ consensus did not match well, since the stations had different climates and ecologies. Herder and station-based uncertainties were more consistent for the snow variables than the rain variables. The combination of both data sources produced a robust estimate of climate change uncertainty. Full article