Interannual variations of the Gobi Desert area from 1982 to 1999

Fangfang Yu; Kevin P. Price; James Ellis; Johannes J. Feddema

doi:10.1117/12.465757

14 July 2003 Interannual variations of the Gobi Desert area from 1982-1999

Fangfang Yu, Kevin P. Price, James Ellis, Johannes J. Feddema

Proceedings Volume 4890, Ecosystems Dynamics, Ecosystem-Society Interactions, and Remote Sensing Applications for Semi-Arid and Arid Land; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.465757
Event: Third International Asia-Pacific Environmental Remote Sensing Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Ocean, Environment, and Space, 2002, Hangzhou, China

Abstract

There continues to be controversies among scientists whether humans are contributing to land degradation (desertification) in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. One area of considerable interest is the Gobi desert of central Asia, which is one of the largest deserts on Earth. The Gobi Desert is of particular value for addressing this question because it is divided by two countries that employ vastly different land management practices. Land use in China is high intensity and in Mongolia land use is of low intensity. In this study, climate and satellite remotely sensed data from 1982-1999 were used to investigate interannual variations in the areal extent the Gobi Desert boundary. Our results show substantial year-to-year variations in the size of the Gobi desert which was strongly correlated with annual precipitation (R² = 0.81, P<0.000). Based on results of logistical analysis of the climatic and remotely sensed data, an actual evapotransporation threshold of 180 mm per year was identified as the factor for discriminating between areas of desert and steppes within the study area. Correlation values between the areal extend of the desert and climate data were highly significant for study areas in both Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, suggesting that at the scale of our study, human activities contributed little to interannual desert boundary fluctuation. Due to data availability constraints, we were only able to examine satellite imagery over an 18- year period which did not include both a wet and dry cycle for this region. Therefore, a more complete understanding of Gobi Desert boundary response to interannual climatic variation will require studies extended over a longer time period.

Citation Download Citation

Fangfang Yu, Kevin P. Price, James Ellis, and Johannes J. Feddema "Interannual variations of the Gobi Desert area from 1982-1999", Proc. SPIE 4890, Ecosystems Dynamics, Ecosystem-Society Interactions, and Remote Sensing Applications for Semi-Arid and Arid Land, (14 July 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.465757

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
11 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Climatology

Temperature metrology

Vegetation

Satellites

Climate change

Ecosystems

Environmental sensing

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years