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Arid Land Geography ›› 2021, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (4): 1032-1044.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000–6060.2021.04.16

• Earth Surface Process • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Risk assessment of grassland fire on the Mongolian Plateau

YANG Xiaoying1(),Yu Shan1,2(),Du Wala3,Hong Mei1   

  1. 1. College of Geographic Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022, Inner Mongolia, China
    2. Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, Hohhot 010022, Inner Mongolia, China
    3. Grassland Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot 010010, Inner Mongolia, China
  • Received:2020-06-22 Revised:2021-03-05 Online:2021-07-25 Published:2021-08-02
  • Contact: Shan Yu E-mail:1595953596@qq.com;yushangis@163.com

Abstract:

Grassland fires are a major type of natural disaster in pastoral areas and can seriously affect their socioeconomic security and physical safety. To assess the risk of grassland fire on the Mongolian Plateau, index layer data of each league and city were obtained from 2000 to 2016. Then, a risk assessment index system for grassland fire on the Mongolian Plateau was screened and constructed according to four risk elements of natural disasters: hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and prevention/mitigation capability. The index weight was determined through principal component analysis, and a fire risk distribution map of Mongolian Plateau grassland was generated by using the spatial analysis function of a geographic information system. The results were as follows. (1) The principal component analysis obtained seven principal components, which reduced the number of indices and accurately identified the risk factors of grassland fire sources. (2) Areas with a high hazard of grassland fire were distributed in the central part of Mongolia, and the hazard decreased in the surrounding areas. Areas with high exposure were distributed in the northeastern part of Inner Mongolia. Areas with high vulnerability were distributed in the northern part of Inner Mongolia and Kent Province of Mongolia. Areas with strong disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities were mainly distributed in Hulunbuir City, the Xing’an League, and Ordos City of Inner Mongolia. (3) Generally, the northeastern part of Inner Mongolia had a higher risk of grassland fire than the western part, and the risk decreased from east to west and from the center of Mongolia to the surrounding areas. Low-risk, semi-low-risk, medium-risk, semi-high-risk, and high-risk areas accounted for 4.86%, 36.20%, 28.37%, 11.56%, and 18.99%, respectively, of the grassland area of the Mongolian Plateau. On the basis of the geographical environment characteristics and economic development level of each league and city in China and Mongolia, fire prevention strategies can be devised to reduce the risk of grassland fire and guide the sustainable development of grassland animal husbandry.

Key words: grassland fire disaster, risk assessment, principal component analysis, GIS, Mongolian Plateau