Desertification dynamics in the Tarim Basin during 1990-2020
Received date: 2025-04-03
Accepted date: 2025-06-15
Online published: 2025-07-08
Desertification poses a significant ecological threat to global sustainability, notably within arid regions such as the Tarim Basin surrounding the extensive Taklimakan Desert in Northwest China. This study used the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform and Random Forest (RF) to analyze multi-temporal Landsat images to reveal desertification dynamics in the Tarim Basin spanning from 1990 to 2020. The results showed that land use types of the Tarim Basin were classified into three types: artificial oases, natural oases, and desertified land. To robustly quantify the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use, we introduced the Desertification Change Index (DCI), a novel metric specifically designed to measure the transformation sensitivity of land use types. Our analysis demonstrated that from 1990 to 2020, artificial oases showed a continuous increasing trend, while desertified land decreased significantly. Natural oases decreased during 1990-2000, then continued to grow, and showed a decreasing trend again after 2015. Moreover, natural oases have mainly been converted into desertified land and artificial oases. Artificial oases were mainly converted into natural oases, and most of desertified land was converted into natural oases. Regions with significant oasis expansion (DCI=2) were mostly concentrated within the influence radius of artificial oases. In contrast, regions with significant oasis degradation (DCI= -2) were generally farther from artificial oases. Finally, this study found that the changes in land use types of the Tarim Basin are mainly driven by human activities, which play a dual role—mitigating desertification by controlling oasis expansion and exacerbating desertification through unsustainable resource utilization. Ultimately, this research provides essential insights for policy-makers and land managers aiming to devise adaptive and sustainable desertification control measures in the Tarim Basin and similarly arid regions globally.
YU Xiang , LEI Jiaqiang , GAO Xin , SUN Lingxiao , LYU Zhentao , Ireneusz MALIK , Malgorzata WISTUBA . Desertification dynamics in the Tarim Basin during 1990-2020[J]. Regional Sustainability, 2025 , 6(3) : 100226 . DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100226
| [1] | Aldwaik, S.Z., Pontius Jr, R.G., 2012. Intensity analysis to unify measurements of size and stationarity of land changes by interval, category, and transition. Landsc. Urban Plan. 106(1), 103-114. |
| [2] | Aka, K.S.R., Akpavi, S., Dibi, N.D.H., et al., 2023. Toward understanding land use land cover changes and their effects on land surface temperature in yam production area, C?te d’Ivoire, Gontougo Region, using remote sensing and machine learning tools (Google Earth Engine). Front. Remote Sens. 4, 1221757, doi: 10.3389/frsen.2023.1221757. |
| [3] | Belgiu, M., Dr?gu?, L., 2016. Random forest in remote sensing: A review of applications and future directions. ISPRS-J. Photogramm. Remote Sens. 114, 24-31. |
| [4] | Berdyyev, A., Al-Masnay, Y.A., Juliev, M., et al., 2024. Desertification monitoring using machine learning techniques with multiple indicators derived from Sentinel-2 in Turkmenistan. Remote Sens. 16(23), 4525, doi: 10.3390/rs16234525. |
| [5] | Cao, X.M., Cui, M.C., Xi, L., et al., 2024. Spatial-temporal process of land use/land cover and desertification in the Circum-Tarim Basin during 1990-2020. Land. 13(6), 735, doi: 10.3390/land13060735. |
| [6] | Congalton, R.G., 1991. A review of assessing the accuracy of classifications of remotely sensed data. Remote Sens. Environ. 37(1), 35-46. |
| [7] | D’Odorico, P., Bhattachan, A., Davis, K.F., et al., 2013. Global desertification: Drivers and feedbacks. Adv. Water Resour. 51, 326-344. |
| [8] | Du, H.Q., Zuo, X.A., Li, S., et al., 2019. Wind erosion changes induced by different grazing intensities in the desert steppe, Northern China. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 274, 1-13. |
| [9] | Duan, H.C., Wang, T., Xue, X., et al., 2019. Dynamic monitoring of aeolian desertification based on multiple indicators in Horqin Sandy Land, China. Sci. Total Environ. 650, 2374-2388. |
| [10] | Fan, Z.L., Xia, X.C., Shen, Y.L., et al., 2002. Utilization of water resources, ecological balance and land desertification in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang. D-Earth Sci. 45, 102-108. |
| [11] | Feng, K., Wang, T., Liu, S.L., et al., 2022. Monitoring desertification using machine-learning techniques with multiple indicators derived from MODIS images in Mu Us Sandy Land, China. Remote Sens. 14(11), 2663, doi: 10.3390/rs14112663. |
| [12] | Foody, G.M., 2002. Status of land cover classification accuracy assessment. Remote Sens. Environ. 80(1), 185-201. |
| [13] | Ge, X.D., Dong, K.K., Luloff, A.E., et al., 2016. Impact of land use intensity on sandy desertification: An evidence from Horqin Sandy Land, China. Ecol. Indic. 61, 346-358. |
| [14] | Geist, H.J., Lambin, E.F., 2004. Dynamic causal patterns of desertification. Bioscience. 54(9), 817-829. |
| [15] | Huang, J.P., Yu, H.P., Guan, X.D., et al., 2016. Accelerated dryland expansion under climate change. Nat. Clim. Chang. 6(2), 166-171. |
| [16] | Isozaki, Y., Tada, R., Sun, Y.B., et al., 2020. Origin of aeolian dust emitted from the Tarim Basin based on the ESR signal intensity and crystallinity index of quartz: The recycling system of fine detrital material within the basin. Geol. Mag. 157(5), 707-718. |
| [17] | Kassas, M., 1995. Desertification: A general review. J. Arid. Environ. 30(2), 115-128. |
| [18] | Kéfi, S., Rietkerk, M., Alados, C.L., et al., 2007. Spatial vegetation patterns and imminent desertification in Mediterranean arid ecosystems. Nature. 449(7159), 213-217. |
| [19] | Lamchin, M., Lee, J.Y., Lee, W.K., et al., 2016. Assessment of land cover change and desertification using remote sensing technology in a local region of Mongolia. Adv. Space Res. 57(1), 64-77. |
| [20] | Li, P.X., Chen, P., Shen, J.Q., et al., 2022. Dynamic monitoring of desertification in Ningdong based on Landsat images and machine learning. Sustainability. 14(12), 7470, doi: 10.3390/su14127470. |
| [21] | Li, Q., Zhang, C.L., Shen, Y.P., et al., 2016. Quantitative assessment of the relative roles of climate change and human activities in desertification processes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau based on net primary productivity. Catena. 147, 789-796. |
| [22] | Liu, F., Yu, Z.X., Xu, E., et al., 2021. Natural and semi-natural land dynamics under water resource change from 1990 to 2015 in the Tarim Basin, China. Environ. Res. Lett. 16(8), 085001, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac07d7. |
| [23] | Liu, Y., Xue, J., Gui, D., et al., 2018. Agricultural oasis expansion and its impact on oasis landscape patterns in the southern margin of Tarim basin, Northwest China. Sustainability. 10(6), 1957, doi: 10.3390/su10061957. |
| [24] | Liu, Y.B., Chen, Y.N., 2006. Impact of population growth and land-use change on water resources and ecosystems of the arid Tarim River Basin in Western China. Int. J. Sustain. Dev. World Ecol. 13(4), 295-305. |
| [25] | Lyu, Y.L., Shi, P.J., Han, G.Y., et al., 2020. Desertification control practices in China. Sustainability. 12(8), 3258, doi: 10.3390/su12083258. |
| [26] | Meng, X.Y., Gao, X., Li, S.Y., et al., 2021. Monitoring desertification in Mongolia based on Landsat images and Google Earth Engine from 1990 to 2020. Ecol. Indic. 129, 107908, doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107908. |
| [27] | Qi, J., Chehbouni, A., Huete, A., et al., 1994. A modified soil adjusted vegetation index. Remote Sens. Environ. 48(2), 119-126. |
| [28] | Rasmussen, K., Fog, B., Madsen, J.E., 2001. Desertification in reverse? Observations from northern Burkina Faso. Glob. Environ. Change-Human Policy Dimens. 11(4), 271-282. |
| [29] | Ren, Y., Zhang, B., Chen, X.D., et al., 2024. Analysis of spatial-temporal patterns and driving mechanisms of land desertification in China. Sci. Total Environ. 909, 168429, doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168429. |
| [30] | Reynolds, J.F., Smith, D.M.S., Lambin, E.F., et al., 2007. Global desertification: Building a science for dryland development. Science. 316(5826), 847-851. |
| [31] | Robinove, C.J., Chavez Jr, P.S., Gehring, D., et al., 1981. Arid land monitoring using Landsat albedo difference images. Remote Sens. Environ. 11, 133-156. |
| [32] | Rumbaur, C., Thevs, N., Disse, M., et al., 2014. Sustainable management of river oases along the Tarim River in North-Western China under conditions of climate change. Earth System Dynamics Discussions. 5, 1221-1273. |
| [33] | Sternberg, T., Tsolmon, R., Middleton, N., et al., 2011. Tracking desertification on the Mongolian steppe through NDVI and field-survey data. Int. J. Digit. Earth. 4(1), 50-64. |
| [34] | Tomasella, J., Vieira, R.M.S.P., Barbosa, A.A., et al., 2018. Desertification trends in the Northeast of Brazil over the period 2000-2016. Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. Geoinf. 73, 197-206. |
| [35] | Verón, S.R., Paruelo, J.M., Oesterheld, M., 2006. Assessing desertification. J. Arid. Environ. 66(4), 751-763. |
| [36] | Verstraete, M.M., 1989. Land surface processes in climate models:Status and prospects. In: Berger, A., Schneider, S., Duplessy, J.C., (eds.). A Challenge for Science and Society in the 21st Century. Dordrecht: Springer, 321-340. |
| [37] | Wang, T., Chen, G.T., Zhao, H.L., et al., 2006. Research progress on aeolian desertification process and controlling in north of China. Journal of Desert Research. 26(4), 507-516 (in Chinese). |
| [38] | Wang, W.R., Chen, Y.N., Wang, W.H., et al., 2023. Groundwater level dynamic impacted by land-cover change in the desert regions of Tarim Basin, Central Asia. Water. 15(20), 3601, doi: 10.3390/w15203601. |
| [39] | Wang, X.M., Hua, T., Lang, L.L., et al., 2017. Spatial differences of aeolian desertification responses to climate in arid Asia. Glob. Planet. Change. 148, 22-28. |
| [40] | Wang, Y., Xia, T.T., Shataer, R., et al., 2021. Analysis of characteristics and driving factors of land-use changes in the Tarim River Basin from 1990 to 2018. Sustainability. 13(18), 10263, doi: 10.3390/su131810263. |
| [41] | Wei, H.S., Wang, J.L., Cheng, K., et al., 2018. Desertification information extraction based on feature space combinations on the Mongolian Plateau. Remote Sens. 10(10), 1614, doi: 10.3390/rs10101614. |
| [42] | Wei, H.S., Wang, J.L., Han, B.M., 2020. Desertification information extraction along the China-Mongolia railway supported by multisource feature space and geographical zoning modeling. IEEE J. Sel. Top. Appl. Earth Observ. Remote Sens. 13, 392-402. |
| [43] | Wu, J.J., Li, Z.Y., Gao, Z.H., et al., 2015. Degraded land detection by soil particle composition derived from multispectral remote sensing data in the Otindag Sandy Lands of China. Geoderma. 241, 97-106. |
| [44] | Yang, J., Weisberg, P.J., Bristow, N.A., 2012. Landsat remote sensing approaches for monitoring long-term tree cover dynamics in semi-arid woodlands: Comparison of vegetation indices and spectral mixture analysis. Remote Sens. Environ. 119, 62-71. |
| [45] | Yu, X., Lei, J.Q., Gao, X., 2022. An over review of desertification in Xinjiang, Northwest China. J. Arid Land. 14(11), 1181-1195. |
| [46] | Zha, Y., Gao, J., Ni, S., 2003. Use of normalized difference built-up index in automatically mapping urban areas from TM imagery. Int. J. Remote Sens. 24(3), 583-594. |
| [47] | Zhang, T.J., Chen, Y.N., 2022. The effects of landscape change on habitat quality in arid desert areas based on future scenarios: Tarim River Basin as a case study. Front. Plant Sci. 13, 1031859, doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1031859. |
| [48] | Zhang, X.Y., Song, Y.Z., Dewan, A., et al., 2024. Ecological influence of oasisation on peripheral regions. Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. Geoinf. 132, 104004, doi: 10.1016/j.jag.2024.104004. |
| [49] | Zheng, Y.M., Tang, L.N., Wang, H.W., 2021. An improved approach for monitoring urban built-up areas by combining NPP-VIIRS nighttime light, NDVI, NDWI, and NDBI. J. Clean Prod. 328, 129488, doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129488. |
| [50] | Zhu, Z., 1998. Concept, cause and control of desertification in China. Quaternary Sciences. 18(2), 145-155 (in Chinese). |
| [51] | Zhu, Z.D., Wu, Z., Liu, S., et al., 1980. An Introduction to Chinese Desert. Beijing: Science Press (in Chinese). |
/
| 〈 |
|
〉 |
REGSUS Wechat
新公网安备 65010402001202号