Research activities

The territory of Mongolia has not yet been sufficiently scientifically explored due to its size and extreme conditions. Some of the most remarkable local landscape phenomena are the occurrences of permafrost and biologically highly active soil islands, petrified forest or dinosaur valleys in the Gobi Desert - some of the targets of our past expeditions. Over the past decade, one of the expeditions' priorities has been to investigate the loss of the last relics of mountain permafrost found in the hard-to-reach forest ecosystems of the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area in northern Mongolia and to explore these unique larch forests themselves. In the past, the expeditions have also been involved in locating and assessing suitable water sources for local arats and, in particular, in pedological and geological surveys and research.

Research planned for 2014

The 2014 expedition was the largest ever in terms of the number of participants and their study and scientific focus. Also, its wide spatial coverage from the Khentii Mountains through the Gobi Desert to Lake Chövsgöl made it one of the largest expeditions of the entire project. These prerequisites made it possible to pursue a wide range of research topics:

Quantity and quality of available water in relation to degradation of forest ecosystems on melting permafrost
Rooting depth as an adaptive factor of forest tree species and an indicator of degradation of mountain permafrost
Cultivation of ameliorative and hardening trees and soil erosion protection in desert and semi-desert areas
Use of natural regeneration for forest restoration in northern and central Mongolia
Landscape reclamation after mineral extraction
Options for protecting forest stands (crops) from damage by game and livestock
Influence of boreal forests of northern Mongolia on chemical and physical properties of top soil horizons
Vegetation mapping of Siberian fir (Abies sibirica)
Mapping of wild populations of Siberian ruffed grouse (Tatrao urogallus taczanowskii) and common grouse (Tatrao tetrix)
Water loss in the landscape due to permafrost degradation
Changes in soil physical properties and risk of erosion in areas of degraded permafrost
Rare pegmatites in northeastern Mongolia
Highly alkaline igneous rocks of the urlite-rhyolite series in Mongolia
Comparison of population densities, breeding and non-breeding precinct sizes in grebes and cavity nesters (as a function of breeding season)

The aim was also to collect data for the following bachelor thesis:

Effect of forest damage by grazing on landscape aridization in northern Mongolia (Jaroslav Hudzieczek)
Measurement of soil moisture by EIS and soil temperature stratification in Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area and Khowsgol Lake in Mongolia (Milan Sobotka)
Issues of rock weathering in relation to soil development and forestry options in different climatic zones of Asia (David Krejcir)
Larix Sibirica and its ecological requirements in relation to the possibilities of revitalization of deforested areas in northern Mongolia (Marek Janoštík)
Issues of Siberian larch (Larix sibirica) needle changes in relation to drought/moisture in relation to permafrost soil development and forestry problems in Mongolia and Siberia (Pavel Suk)
Current problems of forestry and illegal logging in Mongolia (Marek Vavřička)

Research planned for 2015

The 2015 expedition focused on the Goricho, Barun Bayan and Dzun Bayan sites, which were also the target of more extensive initial mapping in 2014. Based on the experience gained, it was possible to plan further more specific research to deepen the understanding of the areas. The objectives of the research this year were:

Dendrological mapping of larch monocenoses.
Assessment of natural forest regeneration
Assessment of forest damage
Measurement of soil moisture in the context of permafrost occurrence

The research also included the deposition of sensors for long-term monitoring of conditions and continuous data acquisition. For this reason, probes were buried at two sites to measure soil heat flux.

Research planned for 2016

The 2016 expedition was planned to be the longest ever in terms of time: it ran for two full months. The reason for this extension was that, in addition to the classic forestry research on light and dark taiga, an extensive pedological and contamination survey was newly conducted. This new contamination direction focused on mapping the heavy metal pollution of Ulaanbaatar, Nalaikh and Erdenet, but also on the nitrogen loading of the steppes used as pastures.
The forestry research, which included the same research objectives as in 2015, was conducted further north than in previous years. The plan was to map core stands in the very "forest heartland" of Mongolia. Given the difficult terrain, we did not get as far north as we would have liked with all our equipment, but we still had the opportunity to map a very different landscape where there was no sign of civilization.
The aim of the research was also to collect data for the thesis The influence of livestock grazing on forest damage in the context of aridization of the landscape of the Khentii Massif, Mongolia (Michal Vojtek).

Research planned for 2017

During the 2017 expedition, the mapping of Mongolian forests with regard to livestock damage continued. Attention continued to focus on permafrost thawing symptoms, but this time in the context of fires, and its effect on sensitive larch monocots. A follow-up pedological survey of the areas was also carried out to detect contamination due to overgrazing by livestock. The 2016 research on environmental contamination by heavy metals was followed up with a series of dust and soil sampling in the towns of Erdenet, Baganuur and Shariin Gol.
This year saw the completion of continuous monitoring and the retrieval of temperature sensors that were buried in 2015, which measured heat fluxes in condensation piles after pegmatite mining in the Khentii area.
The research was also aimed at collecting data for a Bachelor's thesis on Soil Moisture Measurements in Different Types of Forest Habitats in the KhanKhentii Massif, Mongolia (Ondrej Krutil).