Drought is probably one of the most common natural disasters in most parts of the world. Over a hundred countries in the world are suffering from this climate phenomenon, which has a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region and harm to the local economy.  

Global climate change is triggering more droughts throughout the world, especially in developing countries. The north slope of Tianshan Mountain is the major agricultural region for China’s Xinjiang Province. Is it also suffering from the disaster aggravated by global warming? 

Some scientists from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences hope to find an answer to this question through their study.  

“Drought may bring desertification, ecological degradation, and further affects crop productivity. The economic belt at the north slope of Tianshan Mountain accounts for 60 percent of the total output of Xinjiang. Its food safety is the footstone of Xinjiang’s economic development, and even the social stability,” said FU Aihong, a researcher with the State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology from XIEG. 

The researchers carried out studies on the spatial and seasonal variation of key meteorological factors during the last five decades at the north slope of Tianshan Mountain, such as temperature, precipitation, air relative humidity and the water vapour pressure. It has been found that air temperature rose and precipitation increased significantly in the past 50 decades in the whole north slope of Tianshan Mountain, water vapor pressure and air relative humidity decreased significantly in the west part of North Slope, not the middle and east parts of North Slope. 

Further study found that temperature rising in the west and middle parts of North Slope mainly happens in summer, autumn and winter, but temperature rising in the east part of North Slope only happens in autumn and winter. Precipitation enhancement happens in winter. 

Analysis on their study indicated that the west part of North Slope showed worsened aridity in the last half century, while the middle and east part showed no significant aridity change. 

Their study entitled “Analysis on regional climate and atmospheric drought characteristics in the North Slope of Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang, China” was published recently on the German academic journal Fresenius Environmental Bulletin.