Assessment of Changes in Climatic Resources in the Zhetysu Region, Republic of Kazakhstan, for Sustainable Agricultural Land Use

This article presents the results of a study assessing changes in climatic resources in various natural zones of the Zhetysu region, Republic of Kazakhstan, conducted based on long-term climate data for the period 1966 to 2024 (from 12 meteorological stations). The study examines current trends in climatic indicators in spatial and temporal aspects that influence agricultural land use within the region. The first part of this study examines current trends in climate indicators from both spatial and temporal perspectives within the Zhetysu Region of the Republic of Kazakhstan; the second part focuses on studying trends in climate indicators using the non-parametric Mann–Kendall test and the Sen’s slope test, as well as Fisher’s t-test. The authors identified divergent trends in relative air humidity and precipitation and detected a steady trend toward an increase in the average annual air temperature across the region. Based on the analysis of time series of climate-forming and climate–environment-forming indicators, a persistent increasing trend in mean annual air temperature was identified, while relative humidity, precipitation, and evaporation exhibited divergent (both positive and negative) trends across the territory of the region. The developed climate–resource-forming models and a series of estimated applied maps of climate indicators for 1966–1975 and 2016–2024 serve as the scientific basis for climate change forecasting and can be used by administrative bodies to improve agricultural land use strategies in the region.