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The distribution of permafrost in the southernmost zones is complicated in both time and space. We assessed this complexity by applying transient heat transfer schemes to model permafrost in Mongolia between 1986 and 2016. The modeling took into account the spatial distribution of soil thermal properties and time series of ground temperature profiles observed at 69 borehole sites. Spatial modeling was forced by downscaled ERA5 air temperatures that were further debiased with local meteorological records. The results indicated that permafrost warmed by 0°C to 0.4°C/decade, most significantly in eastern and northern Hangai and at high elevations in the Altai Mountains. The extent of permafrost remained stable, but the active layer was thickened, especially after the late 1990s. Forested wet soils experienced less warming, while temperatures in soils with low organic matter and low moisture content increased by 0.5°C over the modeling period. The lower limits of mountain permafrost were estimated to be between 1320 and 2030 m a.s.l., depending on the latitude. Our permafrost map allows the delineation of a complex distribution of permafrost in Mongolia, which is strongly controlled by the spatially complex topography, landcovers, and soil wetness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olfactory communication is important for many solitary carnivores to delineate territories and communicate with potential mates and competitors. Pallas's cats (Otocolobus manul) are small felids with little published research on their ecology and behaviour, including if they avoid or change behaviours due to dominant carnivores. We studied their olfactory communication and visitation at scent-marking sites using camera traps in two study areas in Mongolia. We documented four types of olfactory communication behaviours, and olfaction (sniffing) was the most frequent. Pallas's cats used olfactory communication most frequently at sites that were not visited by snow leopards (Panthera uncia) and when they used communal scent-marking sites, they were more likely to use olfactory communication when a longer time had elapsed since the last visit by a snow leopard. This suggests that Pallas's cats may reduce advertising their presence in response to occurrence of snow leopards, possibly to limit predation risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of TÜBA-AR: Turkish Academy of Sciences, Journal of Archaeology is the property of Turkish Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Turkbilig/Turkoloji Arastirmalari Dergisi is the property of Turkbilig/Turkoloji Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The snow leopard Panthera uncia is an elusive and globally-threatened apex predator occurring in the mountain ranges of central Asia. As with other large carnivores, gaps in data on its distribution and abundance still persist. Moreover, available density estimates are often based on inadequate sampling designs or analytical approaches. Here, we used camera trapping across a vast mountainous area (area of the sampling frame 850 km2; analysed habitat extent 2600 km2) and spatially-explicit capture-recapture (SECR) models to provide, to our knowledge, the first robust snow leopard population density estimate for the Altai Mountains. This region is considered one of the most important conservation areas for snow leopards, representing a vast portion of suitable habitat and a key ecological corridor. We also provide estimates of the scale parameter (σ) that reflects ranging behaviour (activity range) and baseline encounter probability, and investigated potential drivers of density and related parameters by assessing their associations with anthropogenic and environmental factors. Sampling yielded 9729 images of snow leopards corresponding to 224 independent detections that belonged to a minimum of 23 identified adult individuals. SECR analysis resulted in an overall density of 1.31 individuals/100 km2 (1.15%–1.50 95% CI), which was positively correlated with terrain slope. This estimate falls within the mid-values of the range of density estimates for the species globally. We estimated significantly different activity range size for females and males (79 and 329 km2, respectively). Baseline encounter probability was negatively associated with anthropogenic activity. Our study contributes to on-going efforts to produce robust global estimates of population abundance for this top carnivore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the impact of livestock on native wildlife is of increasing conservation relevance. For the Vulnerable snow leopard Panthera uncia , wild prey reduction, intensifying human–wildlife conflicts and retaliatory killings are severe threats potentially exacerbated by the presence of livestock. Elucidating patterns of co-occurrence of snow leopards, wild ungulate prey, and livestock, can be used to assess the compatibility of pastoralism with conservation. We used camera trapping to study the interactions of livestock, Siberian ibex Capra sibirica and snow leopards in a national park in the Altai mountains, Mongolia. We obtained 494 detections of wild mammals and 912 of domestic ungulates, dogs and humans. Snow leopards and Siberian ibex were recorded 14 and 33 times, respectively. Co-occurrence modelling showed that livestock had a higher estimated occupancy (0.65) than ibex, whose occupancy was lower in the presence of livestock (0.11) than in its absence (0.34–0.35 depending on scenarios modelled). Snow leopard occupancy did not appear to be affected by the presence of livestock or ibex but the robustness of such inference was limited by uncertainty around the estimates. Although our sampling at presumed snow leopard passing sites may have led to fewer ibex detections, results indicate that livestock may displace wild ungulates, but may not directly affect the occurrence of snow leopards. Snow leopards could still be threatened by livestock, as overstocking can trigger human–carnivore conflicts and hamper the conservation of large carnivores. Further research is needed to assess the generality and strength of our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the semiarid climate of northwestern Mongolia, glaciers are critical contributors to water resources, particularly during the dry summer months. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the contribution of glacier runoff in the Upper Khovd River Basin (UKRB) is limited. This study investigates the impact of glacier recession on the UKRB's hydrology in western Mongolia's Altai Mountains. The analysis included glaciological method measurements, satellite-derived glacier extent records, and a simple ice ablation model. Our modeling used a mass balance gradient of 0.50 meters water equivalent 100 m–1 for the years 2000, 2010, and 2016 and included a sensitivity analysis that applied lower and upper mass balance gradient values and ±200 m around the equilibrium line altitude (ELA). The glacier contribution to the UKRB's water resources decreased from almost 8% in 2000 to 6.7% in 2016. Hypsometries revealed that glacier areas decreased at all elevations, indicating that only small accumulation zones exist. Therefore, applying a modeled increased ELA better represents glacier contribution to total runoff, at 18.7% in 2000 and 15.4% in 2016. The decreasing glacier runoff contribution indicates that the UKRB glaciers have passed the tipping point of an increased contribution that first follows enhanced melting. The continued glacier recession and uncertain water availability represent challenges for water resource management and future human–water relations in the Mongolian Altai.

The mitochondrial haplotype U5a1 was identified from an Eneolithic grave associated with the Afanasievo archaeological culture in Bayankhongor Province, Erdenetsogt Township, at the site of Shatar Chuluu. This is the earliest appearance of an mtDNA haplotype associated with modern European populations on the Mongol Steppe. This evidence demonstrations that people with "western" mtDNA lived on the Mongol Steppe east of the Altai Mountains before the Bronze Age and refutes the notion that the Altai Mountains were a substantial barrier to gene flow, and definitively expands the acknowledged range of the Afanasievo archaeological culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Pleistocene deposit of jasper cores was discovered in the Gobi Altai Mountains, within the Arts Bogdyn Nuruu massif in southern Mongolia. It was situated on a mountain ridge above the Khutul Usny valley at a height of ca. 1500 m a.s.l., away from human settlement (N44°16′09.3″, E102°53′41.5″). Examination of traces of the artefacts' use proved that at least some of them display evidence of working. Technological analysis of the artefacts revealed that the find should be related to the Levallois-Mousterian population of the central Asian Middle Palaeolithic. The cache from Arts Bogdyn Nuruu is the first discovery of this type recorded within the Gobi Desert. It is a potential source of information contributing to the discussion of the specific nature of raw material exploitation, the dynamics of settlement and hunting strategies in the Altai region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the semiarid climate of northwestern Mongolia, glaciers are critical contributors to water resources, particularly during the dry summer months. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the contribution of glacier runoff in the Upper Khovd River Basin (UKRB) is limited. This study investigates the impact of glacier recession on the UKRB's hydrology in western Mongolia's Altai Mountains. The analysis included glaciological method measurements, satellite-derived glacier extent records, and a simple ice ablation model. Our modeling used a mass balance gradient of 0.50 meters water equivalent 100 m–1 for the years 2000, 2010, and 2016 and included a sensitivity analysis that applied lower and upper mass balance gradient values and ±200 m around the equilibrium line altitude (ELA). The glacier contribution to the UKRB's water resources decreased from almost 8% in 2000 to 6.7% in 2016. Hypsometries revealed that glacier areas decreased at all elevations, indicating that only small accumulation zones exist. Therefore, applying a modeled increased ELA better represents glacier contribution to total runoff, at 18.7% in 2000 and 15.4% in 2016. The decreasing glacier runoff contribution indicates that the UKRB glaciers have passed the tipping point of an increased contribution that first follows enhanced melting. The continued glacier recession and uncertain water availability represent challenges for water resource management and future human–water relations in the Mongolian Altai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The effective humidity, resulting from the balance between evapotranspiration and precipitation, largely controls the environmental conditions under the highly continental, semi-humid to arid climate of Mongolia. Minor variations of temperature and precipitation have resulted in considerable environmental changes over the Holocene, affecting vegetation composition and density, soil formation, geomorphological activity, desertification processes, lake level and glacier distribution. Thus, various paleoclimatic archives have been investigated in several studies over the last decades. Here, we present an overview of the existing reconstructions of climatic changes over the Late Glacial and Holocene. The aim of this work is to obtain a spatially differentiated synthesis of the currently available paleoenvironmental information, and to point to existing contradictions and knowledge gaps. Our results suggest that during the Late Glacial, dry and cold conditions dominated, whereas the early Holocene was warm, and characterized by increasing humidity. 6000 years ago, the temperature began to decrease. Enhanced aridity occurred in the rain shadow east of the Altai and Khangai Mountains, pointing to increasing influence of the westerlies. In the Valley of Great Lakes, east of the Altai Mountains, the Late Glacial was characterized by high lake levels that steadily decreased over the Holocene. In the Valley of Gobi Lakes, south of the Khangai Mountains, high lake levels persisted from the early Holocene until the beginning of the mid-Holocene. In contrast, the lake level of Telmen Nuur, north of the Khangai Mountains, remained low until the end of the mid-Holocene. Periods of enhanced eolian transport and deposition occurred from the Late Glacial until the early Holocene, and again during the late Holocene. In between, during the mid-Holocene, no soil erosion by eolian and fluvial processes took place over large areas. The present state of research shows that the limited number of investigated archives and the unbalanced spatial distribution of the studied sites hamper an integrative reconstruction with appropriate spatial and temporal resolution. Paleoclimate interpretations by different authors, which were derived from the same archives or from neighboring archives in the same region diverge in paleotemperature and -humidity. Thus, paleoclimate at a regional scale of up to 100 km, as well as the timing of climate changes at a temporal scale of several centuries is still ambiguous in Mongolia. Further challenges include the multiple possible causes of lake level changes and the difficulty to distinguish (i) between climatic and anthropogenic impacts on vegetation and landscape, and (ii) between local, regional and global signals in the proxy data. In addition, there are ambiguities with respect to the ages of various materials that are obtained by radiocarbon and luminescence dating. Highlights • The proxy data for paleoclimatic reconstructions in Mongolia derived from different archives is partly inconsistent. • Unbalanced spatial distribution of the studied siteshampers an integrative reconstruction with appropriate resolution. • There are difficulties to distinguish between climatic and anthropogenic impacts on vegetation and landscape. • Local, regional and global signals superimpose in the proxy data. • Multiple causes control lake level changes in Mongolia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Art-Sanat Journal / Art-Sanat is the property of Art-Sanat and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A giant rock avalanche that resulted in the formation of a dammed lake was discovered during geological mapping in the valley of the Dund Tsenkher Gol River, Munhkhairkhan Soum, Western Mongolian Altai. Field and satellite data (WorldView-2 and SENTINEL-1) were used to obtain a geomorphological description of the landslide and a 3D geometric reconstruction of the rock avalanche. With deposits exceeding 14 million cubic meters in volume, the rock avalanche is one of the largest catastrophic landslides in the world. The rock avalanche was controlled by tectonic setting. The slope instability was favored by the presence of NW-SE and NE-SW trending fault systems, steep foliation and morphology. The rock avalanche was likely triggered by an earthquake related to the activity of the Tolbonuur and Hovd faults. Although the area is sparsely populated, the settlement of Munhkhairkhan Soum is threatened by rockfalls or even by rock avalanches that could be triggered by future earthquakes along these faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock-pecked images from the northern Mongolian Altai attest to the presence of human communities within the high valleys of that region during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. The material provides evidence that is hitherto largely missing from the archaeological record of that region. This paper reviews the rock art, its find sites and larger physical contexts and uses evidence from paleoenvironmental studies to propose dating and cultural significance. The material is compared with other sites said to have Paleolithic imagery from Mongolia and the adjoining Russian Altai. The body of presented material offers a major resource for the study of early hunter-gatherer communities at the interface of Central and North Asia.

A new species of ground spider, Parasyrisca golyakovi sp. n. is described based on female from the Altai Mountains. A previously unknown female of P. ulykpani Ovtsharenko, Platnick & Marusik, 1995 is described for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glaciers in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia provide an estimated 11% of the total water resources within the country. Yet, their number and area in inconsistent. Using satellite imagery acquired from Landsat 4, 5, and 7, and SRTM digital elevation model (DEM) data, we present here an intuitive, robust, and inexpensive methodology to map the exposed ice of glaciers in the Altai Mountains for the period 1989 to 2011. The total glacierized area was 515 km2 in 1989/1991, 428 km2 in 1998/2001, and 372 km2 in 2010/2011; it decreased by 17% from 1989/1991 to 1998/2001, 13% from 1998/2001 to 2010/2011, and 28% for the entire period 1989/1991 to 2010/2011. In analyzing a sub-sample of 260 glaciers, 6% advanced, 11% were stable, and 83% receded from 1989 to 2011. The glacier dataset is available to the public free of charge at the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) website. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central Asia has become increasingly arid during the Cenozoic, though the mechanisms behind this aridification remain unresolved. Much attention has focused on the influence and uplift history of the Tibetan Plateau. However, the role of ranges linked to India-Asia convergence but well north of the Plateau--including the Altai, Sayan, and Hangay--in creating the arid climate of Central Asia is poorly understood. Today, these ranges create a prominent rain shadow, effectively separating the boreal forest to the north from the deserts of Central Asia. To explore the role of these mountains in modifying climate since the late Eocene, we measured carbon and oxygen stable isotopes in paleosol carbonates from three basins along a 650 km long transect at the northern edge of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and in the lee of the Altai and Hangay mountains. We combine these data with modern air-parcel back-trajectory modeling to understand regional moisture transport pathways at each basin. In all basins, γl13C increases, with the largest increase in western Mongolia. The first γ13C increase occurs in central and southwestern Mongolia in the Oligocene. γ13C again increases from the upper Miocene to the Quaternary in western and southwestern Mongolia. We use a 1-D soil diffusion model to demonstrate that these γ13C increases are linked to declines in soil respiration driven by dramatic increases in aridity. Using modern-day empirical relations between mean annual precipitation and soil respiration, we estimate that precipitation has likely more than halved over the Neogene. Given the importance of the Hangay and Altai in steering moisture in Mongolia, we attribute these changes to differential surface uplift of the Hangay and Altai. Surface uplift in the Hangay began by the early Oligocene, blocking Siberian moisture and aridifying the northern Gobi. In contrast, surface uplift of the Altai began in the late Miocene, blocking moisture from reaching western Mongolia. Thus, the northern Gobi became increasingly arid east to west since the late Eocene, likely driven by orographic development in the Hangay during the Oligocene and the Altai in the late Miocene through Pliocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Turgen Mountains lie in northwestern Mongolia, roughly 80 km south of the Russian border. The area was visited in 1910 by a Royal Geographical Society expedition led by Douglas Carruthers. The party undertook an extensive survey of the range and also documented the extent of the glaciers with photographs. One hundred years later, in summer 2010, a US- Mongolian expedition retraced portions of the 1910 expedition. Camera locations were matched to the historical photographs and repeated photographs taken. In addition, the termini of the two main glacial lobes were surveyed by GPS. Analyses of field data, repeated photographs from 1910 and 2010, topographic maps from 1970, and satellite imagery from 1992 and 2010 were used to describe the changes in the glacial system. The results suggest that while the snow and ice volume on the summits appears to be intact, lower elevation glaciers show significant recession and ablation. From 1910 to 2010, West Turgen Glacier receded by c. 600 m and down-wasted by c. 70 m. This study successively demonstrates the utility of using historic expedition documents to extend the modern record of glacial change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Knowledge about the dynamics of modern glaciers is relevant for evaluating climatic change. However, there is very little and conflicting information about the extent of modern glaciers in northwestern Mongolia. Thus, the aim of this paper is to present detailed data about the extent of modern glaciers in the Turgen–Kharkhiraa Mountains in the northwestern part of the Mongolian Altai and to distinguish three main phases of ice extent: in 1991, in 1948, and back to the Holocene glacial epoch including the so-called Little Ice Age (LIA) — a worldwide cooling period beginning in the 16th century and lasting until the end of the 19th century (). Based on field work, topographic maps and aerial photographs of this region, the investigations have shown glacier retreat in 1991, since 1948, as compared to Holocene glaciations including the so-called Little Ice Age period. Using the toe-to-summit altitude (TSAM) method, the overall modern snowline can be calculated at about 3537–3559masl; the area of present glaciers can be calculated to be 33.8km2 for the Turgen Mountains and 39.5km2 for the Kharkhiraa Mountains. This is more than 25% of the glaciated area of Mongolia. The LIA snowline was about ∼80m lower (3461–3480masl), whereby the glaciated areas during the LIA was 76.8km2 and 80.8km2 in the two mountain systems, respectively. In conclusion, there has been a remarkable glacier retreat from this Holocene and Little Ice Age compared to the glaciation in 1948 and 1991. This glacier retreat coincides with an increase in the snowlines. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]