26 Jan. 2016

Mongolia is a cold country, extremely cold during winter, between December and March. The capital Ulaanbaatar is itself considered the coldest city in the world (this year, for example, with temperatures lower than those recorded in Antarctica), but it's important to understand that in rural areas, temperatures drop even further.

This year, it's not uncommon to see countryside temperatures hovering around −50 degrees Celsius.

What's most concerning is that not only are temperatures plummeting, but snow is also falling abundantly, covering pastures and making living conditions extremely difficult for livestock. This winter, snow covers nearly 90% of Mongolia's territory, a highly problematic situation for herders. Temperatures have been very low since November, averaging between −25 to −38 degrees so far. This situation is affecting 965,000 people throughout the country, according to the Information and Research Center of Mongolia's Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and the Environment.

This phenomenon is commonly called the Zud in Mongolian (pronounced "Dzood"), or an extreme climatic period, characterized by a particularly snowy winter that forces livestock to find food increasingly difficult beneath a thick layer of snow. Often other elements like extreme cold and ice make living conditions simply impossible for animals, and they die in mass numbers. This was the case at the very beginning of the 21st century, between 2000 and 2002, when three consecutive winters decimated a large portion of Mongolia's livestock: 11 million animals.

Mongolians recognize several types of Zud:

• White Zud (abundant snow: pastures are covered and animals cannot access food)

• Ice Zud or Iron Zud (freezing rain)

• Black Zud is caused by a shortage of food production during summer, followed by an extremely cold winter, resulting in many animals dying, unable to survive the low temperatures.

To prepare for Mongolia's harsh winters, herders harvest hay during summer as forage. They also collect dried manure, called Khurjun, to use as fuel, and depending on the situation, can stack it as walls to protect animals from the wind.

This year, the Zud directly affects 50 Soums (districts) in 16 Aimags (provinces) of Mongolia, with 120 additional Soums across 20 Aimags preparing for this cold wave.

With a relatively dry summer and a decline in harvests in 2015, experts expect a genuine Black Zud in 2016, with conditions as severe as six years ago (in 2009−2010, nearly 20% of livestock did not survive). A video is currently circulating on Facebook about this phenomenon, which is truly striking.

Charlène Nomadays

SEO writer from the earliest days at Nomadays, Charlène evolved into content manager and head of communications, accompanying the adventure from its inception with passion and dedication. After living seven years across Asia—from China to Thailand, passing through Nomadays and South Korea—she has made travel a way of engaging with the world. A lover of words, nature and human connection, she strives to convey in her writing a sensitive, committed and responsible vision of tourism. For her, each article is a bridge between curiosity, respect and wonder.