Spatio-Temporal Pattern of Land Degradation along the China-Mongolia Railway (Mongolia)

Juanle Wang, Haishuo Wei, Kai Cheng, Ge Li, Altansukh Ochir, Lingling Bian, Davaadorj Davaasuren, Sonomdagva Chonokhuu and Elbegjargal Nasanbat
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Juanle Wang: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Haishuo Wei: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Kai Cheng: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Ge Li: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Altansukh Ochir: Department of Environment and Forest Engineering, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 210646, Mongolia
Lingling Bian: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Davaadorj Davaasuren: Department of Geography, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 14201, Mongolia
Sonomdagva Chonokhuu: Department of Environment and Forest Engineering, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 210646, Mongolia
Elbegjargal Nasanbat: Information and Research Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment, Ulaanbaatar 15160, Mongolia

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-20

Abstract: The increasingly serious problem of land degradation has a direct impact on the ecosystem and sustainable development in Mongolia. The influence of land degradation on the main China–Mongolia–Russia traffic arteries is currently unclear and poses a risk to the construction of transportation infrastructure. In this study, for the first time, we obtained land cover data from 1990, 2010, and 2015, at a 30 m, resolution based on the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI) images along the China–Mongolia railway (Mongolia section). We then analyzed the change in the obtained land cover data using the geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis technology to obtain the land pattern and development trend of this region. Results showed that the newly-increased degraded land was distributed mainly in the center of the region and tended to expand northward. The joint effect of natural and socioeconomic factors resulted in land degradation. We speculated that the significant temperature fluctuation and the decrease in rainfall were the inducing factors. Population migration, overgrazing, infrastructure construction, unreasonable mineral exploitation, and rapid urbanization aggravate the degree of land degradation. It is thus necessary to use a broader view to observe patterns of desertification and variations in regions along the Railway facing its sustainable development.

Keywords: land degradation pattern; remote sensing; monitoring; driving force (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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