Abstract: Oasification is the process opposite from desertification, and usually means the restoration-either natural or anthropogenic-of water and life, to a desert. The most significant characteristic of oasification is an increase in vegetation coverage and biomass production. The area of oasification in China reached 8.6×10⁴ km² in 2000, up from 2×10⁴ km² in the early 1950s, or an increase of 330% in the past 60 years, largely attributable to the expansion of cultivated land. Through this oasification, both human habitat and environmental quality have been greatly improved in this region. However, the process of oasification has also transformed the original landscape patterns, and more importantly, led to characteristic changes in the soil quality, biological organisms and their interactions, weather patterns and hydrology of this region. This study analyzed the evolution of oases in arid north China over the last two millennia; specifically, we reviewed the landscape changes that have occurred and their potential effects on oasis stability. We posit that a research framework for the investigation of the potential impact of oasification on the sustainability of arid ecosystems should be built in the near future, and that the key factors and processes involved in oasification should be identified and carefully studied.

Key words: oasification, landscape change, soil element, meteorological hydrological elements