• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.207-212
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• 2012

The effects of sheep urine and dung patches on methane ($CH_4$) and carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) fluxes were investigated during the summer-autumn in 2010, to evaluate their contribution to climate change in a desert grassland in Inner Mongolia, China. Results indicate that the cumulative $CH_4$ emissions for dung patches, urine patches and control plots were -0.076, -0.084, and -0.114 g/$m^2$ and these were net $CH_4$ sinks during the measured period. The level of $CH_4$ intake from urine and dung plots decreased 25.7%, and 33.3%, respectively, compared with a control plot. $CO_2$ fluxes differed (p<0.01) in urine plots, with an average of 569.20 mg/$m^2$/h compared with control plots (357.62 mg/$m^2$/h) across all sampling days. Dung patches have cumulative $CO_2$ emissions that were 15.9% higher compared with the control during the 55-d period. Overall, sheep excrement weakened $CH_4$ intake and increased $CO_2$ emissions.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.40 no.6 s.111
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• pp.694-715
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• 2005

I examine in this paper the change of land use and the development of desertification in Horqin desert, east Inner Mongolia, China. The change of land use in this area can be summarized as the increase of agricultural field and intensive livestock farming. The agriculture and livestock farming in semi-arid area such as Horqin desert raised the problem in the management and use of water and vegetation. This problem led to desertification. The types of development of desertification in this area could be classified as follows: the mobile sand dune extension, the riverside shifting sand flat extension, the shifting sand speck extension around settlements, and the shifting sand speck extension in agricultural Held and grassland. There have been political or social movements such as the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution and the Reform and Open Policy in the background of land use change and desertification. Specially, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution played an important role in the land use change and desertification in this area. Since 1990s, there has been some kind of policy in the control of desertification. However, it is necessary for the controling desertification of this area to consider the globalization and marketization, the survival and profit of peasants and livestock farmers, and the disturbrd and fixed population and land use structure in this area since 1949.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.2
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• pp.156-162
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• 2009

Nebkhas are widely distributed in farming-pastoral zones, typical grassland and desert margins. In the southeast of the Inner Mongolia Plateau, it is mainly distributed at the leeward of cultivated land and alluvial fan, severe deterioration rangeland and around residential points. Through the field measurement and statistical analysis of Caragana microphylla Lam. Nebkhas morphological parameters (length, width and height of Nebkhas are included), the results show that there were close correlations between the Nebkhas morphological parameters. The ranges of height and width of Nebkhas changed dramatically and have reached up to 11.44 m and 7.97 m respectively, however, the change range of height was relatively smaller and just 1.09 m. The morphological parameters change of the same type Nebkhas in the same region was large ranging from 0.56 m in height, 3.56 m in width to 6.96 m in length, while the morphological characteristics of the same type Nebkhas in different regions were much similar. A correlation between length and width was significantly positive, but the correlations between height and length, and between height and width were much more complicated. It can be concluded that the Nebkhas in Zhengxiangbai Banner and Taipusi Banner were at the initially growing stage, while the Nebkhas in Huade County belonged to a transitional stage from the growing phase to the stabilizing phase. The changing regularity of distance between Nebkhas in along-wind direction was not consistent.