Dr. Clyde Goulden

Director, Academy of Natural Sciences Institute for Mongolian Biodiversity and Ecological Studies

by Brian Burke

In 1994, a Buddhist lama from Mongolia was getting worried about the world's future. So, he invited Dr. Clyde Goulden of the Academy of Natural Sciences to central Asia to see what could be done about weather-related peculiarities he'd noticed. Goulden has since been studying northern Mongolia's Lake Hövsgöl. One of the world's most pristine lakes, it's a setting that could foreshadow problems for the U.S. Last month, Goulden was awarded the highest honor given to foreigners by the president of Mongolia for his efforts.

City Paper: What work do you do in Mongolia?

Clyde Goulden: The door to U.S. scientists and international scientists was shut for the 70 years [that] Mongolia was associated with the former Soviet Union. We were able to bring in some financial support to help the senior scientists and young, beginning scientists. ... Most of what we have been doing is training young Mongolian scientists and focusing on climate change. The changes that are occurring are much more rapid in places like Alaska, Canada, Siberia and Mongolia, and the big issue is having to adjust, because any correction to the problem, if it is going to occur, is not going to occur very quickly.

CP: What sorts of changes?

CG: Many of the people who live in the countryside are nomads. They move their animals — mostly sheep and Kashmir goats — around from pasture to pasture. They're looking for green grass that will strengthen the animals. But now, all of the herders that we have spoken with ... say that the grass is not growing as well as it used to, there are more dust storms and the soil is turning sandier. The soil is really dry. Another thing that is equally disconcerting is that the rivers and lakes are drying. There are many small streams that no longer flow, that did 10 years ago. The winters have already warmed almost 3 degrees Celsius. You have fewer frost days, fewer days where the ground is really frozen. And during the summer, you have more days when the temperature is above 90 degrees [Fahrenheit], and that's very unusual. It's also highly variable. We had a 10-inch snowstorm on June 2. The day before, it was about 70 degrees.

CP: How does it feel to be in the same category as [previous recipient, former Soviet leader Leonid] Brezhnev?

CG: I'm not sure that's quite the comparison, but it was very nice of them to consider me.