蒙古高原生态干旱监测及时空变化

doi:10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.489

Abstract

Abstract:

The Mongolian Plateau is an ecologically vulnerable region that is susceptible to increasingly severe drought threats due to intensifying global warming. To quantify the impact of drought on ecosystems, the standardized ecological water deficit index (SEWDI) was calculated based on meteorological and remote sensing data. This study systematically evaluated the application of the SEWDI in monitoring ecological drought on the Mongolian Plateau. It revealed the spatiotemporal evolution patterns of ecological drought from 1982 to 2022 and extracted ecological drought characteristics using run theory. The results of the study indicate that: (1) SEWDI demonstrates stronger correlations with vegetation indices across temporal and spatial dimensions than traditional drought indices, including the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index, the standardized precipitation index, and the self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index. These findings suggest that SEWDI exhibits superior capability in characterizing ecological drought. (2) Over the past 40 years, ecological drought has intensified significantly at a rate of -0.0168·a^-1. The drying trend has been primarily concentrated in the northern regions, and the conditions have been more severe in Mongolia than in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The severity of drought conditions exhibited seasonal patterns, with the most pronounced exacerbation occurring during the summer months, followed by a notable intensification in spring and autumn. Conversely, a marginal alleviation was observed during the winter season. (3) The ecological drought severity in the Mongolian Plateau is higher in the northern regions and lower in the southern regions. Furthermore, the duration of drought is prolonged in the northern regions and is comparatively reduced in the southern regions. The frequency is lower in the north and higher in the south, whereas the intensity is lower in the northwest and higher in the southeast. SEWDI has been shown to enhance the sensitivity and accuracy of ecological drought monitoring by integrating vegetation water demand and consumption dynamics. This integration provides a scientific basis for region-specific drought resistance and ecological management strategies.

Key words: ecological drought, drought evolution, run theory, Mongolian Plateau

WEN Mingjun, WU Zhitao, DU Ziqiang, LIANG Hanxue, CHEN Xin, LEI Tianjie. Ecological drought monitoring and spatiotemporal changes in the Mongolian Plateau[J].Arid Land Geography, 2026, 49(7): 1311-1322.

Figures/Tables 11

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标准化生态缺水指数（SEWDI）	干旱程度
SEWDI>-0.5	无旱
-1.0<SEWDI≤-0.5	轻旱
-1.5<SEWDI≤-1.0	中旱
-2.0<SEWDI≤-1.5	重旱
SEWDI≤-2.0	特旱

指数验证组合	极显著正相关	显著正相关	极显著负相关	显著负相关
SEWDI-NDVI	57.45	38.73	1.25	2.57
SPEI-NDVI	3.56	10.11	23.38	62.95
SPI-NDVI	42.40	42.20	6.05	9.35
ScPDSI-NDVI	27.95	53.59	8.07	10.39
SEWDI-LAI	59.41	29.55	6.75	4.29
SPEI-LAI	1.97	7.05	26.86	64.12
SPI-LAI	21.11	38.29	25.74	14.86
ScPDSI-LAI	25.11	40.39	19.66	14.84

空间变化趋势	年	春季	夏季	秋季	冬季
显著干旱化	36.35	21.55	29.94	32.70	1.60
不显著干旱化	37.42	35.75	54.72	41.05	32.60
不显著湿润化	23.05	34.82	14.51	23.01	49.66
显著湿润化	3.18	7.88	0.83	3.24	16.14

Ecological drought monitoring and spatiotemporal changes in the Mongolian Plateau

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