Desertification Processes in the Republic of Kalmykia, 1980s–2010s: Dynamics Revisited
https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2020-52-6-1613-1622
Abstract
Introduction. In the Republic of Kalmykia, agriculture is characterized by the prevalence of livestock breeding. Still, excessive grazing has resulted in land degradation. Materials. Analysis of buried soils from excavated kurgans reveals that the Late Bronze Age and Late Medieval Period witnessed extensive desertification processes across vast territories of Eastern European steppes. Those trends were determined by global climate aridization traced in other ecosystems too, i.e. were caused by natural changes. Results. Present-day desertification also takes place in the background of universal aridization but its enormous scale and destructiveness are aggravated by multiple anthropogenic impacts, i.e. human activity. For a qualitative assessment, the paper analyzes a time-series of satellite images made by Landsat-TM Earth observing sensor from 1985 to 2011, and makes statistical estimates of related NDVI and TGSI indices. There is an increase in vegetation cover within the investigated area, and this despite the fact that yearly temperatures during the period kept increasing, too. So, the reduced desertification rates have resulted not from favorable climatic factors but rather from purposeful countervailing efforts.
Keywords
desertification processes,
steppe,
Kalmykia,
Earth observing methods,
global aridization,
paleopedology
Supporting agencies: The reported study was funded by federal government subsidy — project name ‘Socio-Political and Cultural Development of South Russia’s Peoples: Comprehensive Studies of Respective Processes’ (state reg. no. АААА-А19-119011490038-5). The article was presented at the International scientific online conference ‘Mongolian Studies at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Current State and Development Prospects – II’ funded by RFBR (project no. 20-09-22004) and Government of Russia (grant no. 075-15-2019-1879).
About the Authors
Maria A. Ochir-Goryaeva
Kalmyk Scientific Center of the RAS (8, Ilishkin St., Elista 358000, Russian Federation)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Dr. Sc. (History), Leading Research Associate
Eileen Eckmeier
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (37, Luisenstrasse, 80333 Munich, Germany)
Germany
Professor
Germany
Professor
Viktor Weizenegger
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (37, Luisenstrasse, 80333 Munich, Germany)
Germany
Student
Germany
Student
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Review
For citations:
Ochir-Goryaeva M.A., Eckmeier E., Weizenegger V. Desertification Processes in the Republic of Kalmykia, 1980s–2010s: Dynamics Revisited. Oriental Studies. 2020;13(6):1613-1622. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2020-52-6-1613-1622
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