Abstract: Aeolian-fluvial interaction is a common landform phenomenon and an important earth surface process in the arid regions. The rivers in the arid regions significantly influence the form and distribution of the sand dunes by providing sediments and accommodation. In return, the distributions of the sand dunes and the sand activities have restricted the growth of the river channel and the transportation of the sediment in different temporal-spatial scale. However, the research on the classification system of aeolian-fluvial interaction has not been formed in the exploration stage, especially in the landscape pattern classification on qualitative description. This research selected the main river basins and deserts in the northern China, including the three typical river basins, the Keriya River in the west, the Mu Bulag River in the middle and the Xar Moron River in the east of the northern China to observe such interactions between fluvial and aeolian system. By employing the knowledge and methods of geomorphology and landscape ecology based on the data of remote sensing, this thesis provides a comprehensive understanding of the landscape distribution pattern between river channel and sand dunes. Furthermore, the types of the interactions between sand dunes and rivers are classified. The main results show that at the scale of channel-sand dune, the distribution patterns of sand dunes and rivers was divide as four types, meandering channel-symmetrical interleaving dunes, straight channel-riverside dunes, anabranches channel-river-island dunes and anastomosing channel-grid-like dunes.

Key words: river channel, sand dune, aeolian-fluvial interaction, spatial distribution pattern, classification