Project 2-296 Mongolia

Partnerships for enhanced engagement in research (PEER) SCIENCE
Cycle 2 (2012 Deadline)

Building research and teaching capacity to aid climate change and natural resource management at the National University of Mongolia

PI: Nachin Baatarbileg (National University of Mongolia)

U.S. Partner: Amy Hessl (West Virginia University)
Project Dates: August 2013 to December 2016

Project Overview

Climate change affects a wide range of natural resources, including pasture, croplands, forests, and water, and it has increased the vulnerability of herders and those who live in remote forest areas of Mongolia. Effective solutions for problems related to climate change adaptation and natural resources management require well-coordinated, science-based national policies and priorities that are developed with the engagement of government stakeholders and civil society. Mongolia has limited human, technical, and financial capacities to address the multi-faceted threat caused by climate change. Institutions for higher education and research in Mongolia face difficulties in providing high-quality and relevant instruction and research, retaining staff, and ensuring adequate working environments and career prospects.

The PEER project sought to develop research capacity by collecting and analyzing data in the Central Khangai region, a typical Central Asian forest-steppe region in which climate change impacts are negatively impacting both the environment and socioeconomic development. Central Khangai has few environmental monitoring stations and limited records of past climate data, so the dendroclimatic data compiled as part of this project are urgently needed. Through training components and support for students to conduct their own research, the PEER project strengthened the institutional capacity and performance of the National University of Mongolia to deliver quality research.

Final Summary of Project Activities

Within this study, researchers examined the effect of aspects and slopes of sampled areas, soil types, and dominant tree species with vegetation on the litter layer and soil carbon stock in four different forest regions of Mongolia. The team undertook several field sampling trips, covering more than 50 sites and 1,500 cores. The wide data collection allowed for the development of master chronologies and other regression analyses to identify growth trends and hydro-climatic relationships. The researchers presented their results through peer-reviewed publications and several international conferences. The PEER team received four additional grants totaling about US $100,000 over the project period, including two from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and one from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization.

Both the PI Dr. Nachin and co-PI Dr. Byambasuren Oyunsanaa won awards for Best Research organization by National University of Mongolia for three years of the project period, and Dr. Nachin was elected as a member of Mongolian Academy of Sciences based on his work regarding climate change and tree ring applications. Team member Byambagerel Suran and other graduate students established the Mongolian Tree Ring Society to share their experience and improve the application of tree ring sciences in Mongolia. The project provided research and training opportunities to 22 Mongolian students, half of them female. As an example of the impact the project had, three students began their work on the team as undergraduates and successfully obtained their Master’s degrees based on their project research. All subsequently went on to pursue further postgraduate studies abroad. The project also built the Mongolian researchers’ connections with not only the U.S. partners but also other international counterparts. PEER funds allowed Dr. Nachin and his team to take part in the 4th International Conference of the Asian Dendrochronological Association in Nepal in 2015 and to host the 5th International Conference in Mongolia in 2017.

Publications

Gerelbaatar Sukhbaatar, Batsaikhan Ganbaatar, Tsogtbaatar Jamsran, Battulga Purevragchaa, Baatarbileg Nachin, and Alexander Grade. 2020. Assessment of early survival and growth of planted Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seedlings under extreme continental climate conditions of northern Mongolia. Journal of Forestry Research 31(1):13–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-019-00935-8

Gerelbaatar Sukhbaatar, Byambagerel Suran, Baatarbileg Nachin, and Dugarjav Chultem. 2018. Effects of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantations on plant diversity in Northern Mongolia. Mongolian Journal of Biological Sciences 16(1): 59-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.22353/mjbs.2018.16.08

A. Seim, J.A. Schultz, C. Leland, N. Davi, O. Byambasuren, E. Liang, E., X. Wang, C. Beck, H.W. Linderholm, and N. Pederson. 2017. Synoptic-scale circulation patterns during summer derived from tree rings in mid-latitude Asia. Climate Dynamics 49(5): 1917–1931. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-016-3426-7

A.E. Hessl, C. Leland, T. Saladyga, and O. Byambasuren. 2017. Hydraulic Cities, Colonial Catastrophes, and Nomadic Empires: Human-Environment Interactions in Asia. In: M. Amoroso, L. Daniels, P. Baker, and J. Camarero (eds), Dendroecology. Ecological Studies (Analysis and Synthesis), Vol. 231. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61669-8_15

A.E. Hessl, P. Brown, O. Byambasuren, S. Cockrell, C. Leland, E. Cook, B. Nachin, N. Pederson, T. Saladyga, and B. Suran. 2016. Fire and climate in Mongolia (1532–2010 Common Era). Geophysics Research Letters 43(12): 6519–6527. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069059

M.P. Rao, N.K. Davi, R. D’Arrigo, J. Skees, B. Nachin, C. Leland, and O. Byambasuren. 2015. Dzuds, droughts, and livestock mortality in Mongolia. Environmental Research Letters 10(7): 074012. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/7/074012

N.K. Davi, R. D’Arrigo, G.C. Jacoby, E.R. Cook, K.J. Anchukaitis, B. Nachin, M.P. Rao, and C. Leland. 2015. A long-term context (931–2005 C.E.) for rapid warming over Central Asia. Quaternary Science Reviews 121: 89–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.05.020

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