LONG-TERN TREND ANALYSIS OF VEGETATION ON THE MONGOLIAN PLATEAU USING SATELLITE OBSERVATION DATA

Abstract

 It is important to understand long-term trends in vegetation in semi-arid regions that are extremely sensitive to climate change. In this study, we analyzed spatiotemporal and long-term trends of vegetation, precipitation, and land surface temperature in the Mongolian plateau using satellite observation data. The results showed that the long-term trends of vegetation and precipitation in the target area were increasing, and their characteristics differed by latitudinal zone, elevation, and season. The results also suggest that the vegetation distribution period is shortening around 46°N, but the vegetation is expanding to the south in July and August. Furthermore, surface temperature and air temperature were positively affected by global warming and negatively affected by precipitation and increased vegetation, suggesting that the north-south difference in surface temperature and air temperature in the target area of this study increased with the increase in vegetation and precipitation, with a boundary of about 44°N. These findings highlight the complex interactions between climate change and environmental variables in semi-arid regions, emphasizing the importance of considering both spatial and temporal variations in environmental trend analyses.