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Aboveground biomass (AGB) in grasslands directly reflects the net primary productivity, making it a sensitive indicator of grassland resource quality and ecological degradation. Accurately estimating AGB over large regions to reveal long-term AGB evolution trends remains a formidable challenge. In this study, we divided Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) grasslands into three study regions based on their spatial distribution of grassland types. We combined remote sensing data with ground-based sample data collected over the past 19 years from 6114 field plots using the Google Earth Engine platform. We constructed random forest (RF) and traditional regression AGB inversion models for each region and selected the best-performing model through accuracy assessment to estimate IMAR grassland AGB for the period 2000–2022. We also examined the trends in AGB changes and identified the driving forces affecting IMAR grasslands through the application of Theil-Sen estimation, Mann-Kendall trend analysis, and the Geodetector model. The main findings are as follows: (1) Compared with the univariate parametric traditional regression model, the AGB monitoring accuracy of the multivariate non-parametric RF model in the three study regions increased by 5.94%, 5.08% and 19.14%, respectively. (2) The average AGB per unit area of IMAR grasslands from 2000 to 2022 was 731.41 kg/hm2, with alpine meadow having the highest average AGB (1271.70 kg/hm2) and temperate grassland desertification having the lowest (469.06 kg/hm2). IMAR grasslands exhibited an overall increasing trend in AGB over the past 23 years (6.01 kg/hm2•yr), with the increasing trend covering 83.52% of the grassland area and the decreasing trend covering 16.48%. (3) Spatially, IMAR grassland AGB showed a gradual decline from northeast to southwest and exhibited an increasing trend with increasing longitude (45.423 kg/hm2 per degree) and latitude (71.9 kg/hm2 per degree). (4) Meteorological factors were the most significant factors affecting IMAR grassland AGB, with precipitation (five-year average q value of 0.61) being the most prominent. In the western part of IMAR, where precipitation is consistently limited throughout the year, the primary drivers of influence were human activities, with particular emphasis on the number of livestock (with a five-year average q value of 0.44). It is evident that reducing human activity disturbance and pressure in fragile grassland areas or implementing near-natural restoration measures will be beneficial for the sustainable development of grassland ecosystems. The results of this research hold substantial reference importance for the protection and restoration of grasslands, the supervision and administration of grassland resources, as well as the development of policies related to grassland management. [Display omitted] • The aboveground biomass (AGB) of grasslands in IMAR increased over the past 23 years. • IMAR grassland AGB shows an upward trend with increasing longitude and latitude. • Precipitation is the main factor affecting grassland AGB in IMAR. • Human activities have a greater impact on the grassland AGB in western IMAR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the spatiotemporal variability of near-surface CO 2 concentrations in Mongolia from 2010 to 2019 and the factors affecting it over four climate zones of Mongolia based on the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, including arid desert climate (BWh), arid steppe climate (BSk), dry climate (Dw), and polar frost climate (ET). Initially, we validate the near-surface CO 2 datasets obtained from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) using ground-based CO 2 observations obtained from the World Data Center for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG) and found good agreement. The results showed that CO 2 concentrations over Mongolia steadily increased from 389.48 ppmv in 2010 to 409.72 ppmv in 2019, with an annual growth rate of 2.24 ppmv/year. Spatially, the southeastern Gobi desert region has the highest annual average CO 2 concentration, while the northwestern Alpine and Meadow steppe region exhibits the most significant growth rate. Additionally, significant monthly and seasonal variations were observed in each climate zone, with CO 2 levels decreasing to a minimum in summer and reaching a maximum in spring. Furthermore, our findings revealed a negative correlation between CO 2 concentrations and vegetation parameters (NDVI, GPP, and LAI) during summer when photosynthesis is at its peak, while a positive correlation was observed during spring and autumn when the capacity for carbon sequestration is lower. Understanding CO 2 concentrations in different climate zones and the uptake capacity of vegetation may help improve estimates of carbon sequestration in ecosystems such as deserts, steppes and forests. • Annual mean near-surface CO 2 concentrations in Mongolia increased at a rate of 2.24 ppmv/year during 2010–2019. • Near-surface CO 2 concentrations are higher in the southeastern of Mongolia. • CO 2 levels decrease to a minimum during the summer and reach a maximum during the spring. • Over grazing and mining industries in the Gobi desert have accelerated CO 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]