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As climate change worsens, Mongolia it’s getting hotter, it’s changing the surrounding areas of the country, including some areas in the southern part of the northern hemisphere.
Although rarely associated with ArcticMongolia has very cold weather. Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital in the world, and most of the country lies within the Arctic Ocean. As a result, many of the physical and environmental processes occurring here are similar to those found in high altitude areas.
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People in the Khövsgöl region say they have seen an increase in birds coming from China in recent years, which eat a lot of fish in the area’s lakes. In northern Mongolia, areas that are heavily dependent on fishing, animal husbandry and tourism, are seeing dramatic changes in their freshwater ecosystems due to climate change and degradation.
The changes taking place in Mongolia affect not only the region and the environment, but also the entire north.
An earlier study done in the 1970s showed that about 63% of Mongolia was surrounded by permafrost. Today, estimates show that only 26% to 29% remain. Unlike the glaciers of Siberia, Canada or Alaska, most of Mongolia’s glaciers are warm, thin and dry, making them less susceptible to heat damage. Climate change is the main reason for this decrease, although local problems such as grazing can cause the water to melt by removing plants that protect the soil – Nikolay Shiklomanov, professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at George Washington University.
Throughout the country, permafrost forms an invisible layer beneath forests, mountain valleys and steppes. By keeping water close to the surface, permafrost helps regulate water flow, preserve wetlands, springs and rivers, and preserve the grazing grounds relied on by nomadic herders.
Today, the foundation is beginning to shift.
In the Darkhad Depression, one of Mongolia’s largest glaciers, thermokarst pools develop in the grasslands as the underground glaciers melt and the soil subsides. Pingos fall, swamps migrate, and pastures become unpredictable.
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Paintings on the broken walls of a school dormitory in Bayanzurkh sum, Khövsgöl province, northern Mongolia. As melting permafrost eroded the building’s foundation, cracks spread to the bedroom where children from migrant herder families stay during the school year.
Because Mongolia’s permafrost occurs in a variety of environments and environments, the country provides an important laboratory for the study of permafrost dynamics. – Purevdulam Yondonrentsen, MSc student in ecology, National University of Mongolia
As the ice melts, changes in the environment are reflected in everyday life. Some pastures become very wet and others dry out as the water recedes. The location of the springs changes, the availability of water changes from season to season, and the types of vegetation change.
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From top left to left: a herdsman carrying fresh milk across a pasture in central Mongolia; a little girl inside her family’s ger in northern Mongolia; A girl rides her bicycle through a grassland characterized by small thermokarst streams caused by melting snow; a woman preparing tea inside her wooden house near the Arsai pingo
For pastoralists whose livelihoods depend on the balance between water, grass and livestock, these changes are not science fiction but reality.
Yaks are particularly vulnerable to heatstroke because they depend on warm, moist pastures and reliable access to water. Shepherds describe the change in pastures and the impact of milk used in traditional foods such as airag and cheese.
Understanding changes in permafrost requires more than just scientific measurements. Local and indigenous communities have owned glaciers for generations, recording thousands of years of experience and observing changes in snow, ice, water and climate before they appeared in the scientific literature. By bringing science and community knowledge together, we better understand how climate change affects the environment and people – Vera Kuklina, assistant professor at the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland.
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Above: Cattle and yaks are among the most affected by changes in humidity and temperature, and the loss of winter pastures. Mongolian herders rely heavily on fragile grasses and seasonal water supplies that are highly affected by climate change.
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A herder gathers herds in a grassland area with hummocks, high mounds formed by freezing and thawing of packed soil, in northern Mongolia.
At the same time, scientists are trying to understand what is happening underground.
Researchers from Mongolia, Japan, Russia and the United States work together to monitor climate, soil, hydrology and atmospheric processes. In remote parts of the country, they install temperature monitors, maintain weather towers, collect water samples and map melt using drones and GPS technology.
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Takumi Dohi, a student researcher at Hokkaido University, uses drone technology and GPS to map the vulnerable areas in central Mongolia under the guidance of Mamoru Ishikawa, an assistant professor at the university’s environmental science and Arctic research center. By documenting changes in topography, soil moisture, wetlands and bottomland from above, researchers see how temperature and hydrological fluctuations are changing the fragile ecosystem of steppes and pastures.
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Left: researchers from the Institute of Geography and Geoecology of Mongolia measure the soil and soil temperature inside a “dog hole,” a natural phenomenon found in snowy Mongolia. Right: researchers from the institute, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and Hokkaido University examine the collapse of the floodplain along the Sharga River.
Increasingly, researchers are also recognizing the importance of learning from people in permafrost regions who experience environmental change.
This process is at the heart of Frozen Commons: Change, Resilience and Sustainability in the Arctic, a project led by Kuklina and supported by the US National Science Foundation.
Working with people in northern Mongolia, the project examines how changes in permafrost shape life, cultures and relationships with the environment, and how communities and other stakeholders manage and interact with them.
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The Frozen Commons workshop, where participants are encouraged to photograph everyday life that is threatened by climate change and melting permafrost, takes place at a local school, where scientists and residents share knowledge about climate change in northern Mongolia.
Bringing together scientists, artists and local people, Frozen Commons combines scientific research, oral history and visual storytelling to document environmental and cultural change.
The effects of melting permafrost continue to change the landscape. As the frozen material begins to decompose, greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere, creating feedbacks that can lead to global warming.
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A rare pino rises from a thermokarst lake in the Darkhad Depression. As the water melts, these glaciers slowly collapse, recreating land, water, and fragile ecosystems throughout the region.
Mongolia is located on the southern edge of the Eurasian permafrost zone, where the effects of warming are felt earlier than in the colder northern regions. Deep research in Mongolia can help scientists anticipate the future of the environment in the Arctic and other northern regions – Mamoru Ishikawa, associate professor at the faculty of Environmental Earth Science and the Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University.
However, the story unfolding in Mongolia has implications beyond its borders. It may also provide important lessons for permafrost regions elsewhere.
Changes in Mongolia’s climate provide insight into how the thaw is changing cold regions around the world. Beneath the seemingly permanent grass, the land is changing, showing the resilience of people and nature, and the eternal connection between climate, water and life.
