Wind erosion can cause desertification and sandstorms in arid and semiarid areas. However, quantitative studies of the dynamic changes in wind erosion over long time periods are relatively rare, and this knowledge gap hinders our un-derstanding of desertification under the conditions of a changing climate. Here, we selected the Mongolian Plateau as the study area. Using the revised wind erosion equation (RWEQ) model, we assessed the spatial and temporal dy-namics of wind erosion on the Mongolian Plateau from 1982 to 2018. Our results showed that the wind erosion inten-sity on the Mongolian Plateau increased from northeast to southwest. The annual mean wind erosion modulus was 46.5 t center dot ha-1 in 1982-2008, with a significant decline at a rate of -5.1 t center dot ha-1 center dot 10 yr-1. The intensity of wind erosion was the strongest in spring, followed by autumn and summer, and was weakest in winter. During 1982-2018, wind erosion showed a significant decreasing trend in all seasons except winter. The wind erosion contribution of spring to the total annual wind erosion significantly increased, while that of summer significantly decreased. These results can help decision-makers identify high-risk areas of soil erosion on the Mongolian Plateau and take effective measures to adapt to climate change.

The relevance. Water erosion of soil is one of the priority environmental and economic problems of our time. This is due to the fact that soil is a limited resource, required for food production, carbon sequestration, regulation of water and nutrients, filtering pollutants, increasing biodiversity etc. Zonal soil types are degrading constantly as a result of population growth, deforestation, increase in arable land and climate change. Although water erosion is one the most serious cause of soil degradation, global patterns of erosion activity are still difficult to quantify. Various calculation and field measurements methods are currently used to assess the magnitude of soil washout. The data on soil washout from the slopes of arable land in the southern part of the Tomsk region, obtained by the various authors using different methods, are contradictory. The main aim: a brief overview of the factors in the development of soil erosion during snowmelt, assessment of the intensity and dynamics of erosion based on long-term field observations on arable land in the southern administrative districts of the Tomsk region and calculation methods. Objects: agricultural land (arable land) in the southeast of the Tomsk region. Methods: field measurements, computational method, laboratory and analytical methods. Results. Our observations have shown that the erosion hazard of agricultural land in the southeast of the Tomsk region is caused by a complex of interrelated natural and anthropogenic factors such as relief, underlying rocks and soils, climatic indicators, and land cultivation methods. The average annual washout from the slopes of arable land in the region over a 34-year observation period varies from 2-5 to 16-30 m(3)/ha per snowmelt, sometimes washout measure up 50-80 m(3)/ha. According to the calculated data, the mean annual values of the flush modulus fluctuate in the range of 4,0-9,4 m(3)/ha. Differences in soil washout assessments are explained by the imperfections of various methods that require improvement. The calculations do not take into account the uneven occurrence of the snow cover, microrelief, the presence of forest belts, and the shape of the slopes.

Despite the fact that winter lasts for a third of the year in the temperate grasslands, winter processes in these ecosystems have been inadequately represented in global climate change studies. While climate change increases the snow depth in the Mongolian Plateau, grasslands in this region are also simultaneously facing high pressure from land use changes, such as grazing, mowing, and agricultural cultivation. To elucidate how these changes affect the grasslands' winter nitrogen (N) budget, we manipulated snow depth under different land use practices and conducted a(15)NH(4)(15)NO(3)-labeling experiment. The change in(15)N recovery during winter time was assessed by measuring the(15)N/N-14 ratio of root, litter, and soils (0-5 cm and 5-20 cm). Soil microbial biomass carbon and N as well as N2O emission were also measured. Compared with ambient snow, the deepened snow treatment reduced total(15)N recovery on average by 21.7% and 19.2% during the first and second winter, respectively. The decrease in(15)N recovery was primarily attributed to deepened snow increasing the soil temperature and thus microbial biomass. The higher microbial activity under deepened snow then subsequently resulted in higher gaseous N loss. The N2O emission under deepened snow (0.144 kg N ha(-1)) was 6.26 times than that of under ambient snow (0.023 kg N ha(-1)) during the period of snow cover and spring thaw. Although deepened snow reduced soil(15)N recovery, the surface soil N concentration remained unchanged after five years' deepened snow treatment because deepened snow reduced soil N loss via wind erosion by 86%.