In order to implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech on strengthening comprehensive prevention and control of desertification， further promote the construction of the "Three North" and other key ecological projects and win the battle against desertification in the core area of the Hexi Corridor-Taklimakan Desert edge （defined as “Battle Zone”）， the study of the management regionalization and the zoning management tasks in the core area of the Battle Zone were presented in this paper. According to the characteristics of sandy land and sand activities in the region， using "sand source is no longer causing damage and dust source is effectively controlled " as the goal， this paper systematically sorted out and analyzed the sources of wind， sand and dust， the law and path of sand transmission and its influence range， the natural geographical characteristics and the spatial distribution of the source of dust， wind and sand， protection gap between oasis， encroachment of sand outside oasis. Based on the above analyses， the management regionalization and the key zoning management tasks in the region were presented， so as to provide scientific support for the battle against desertification in the core area of the Hexi Corridor-Taklimakan Desert edge.

The grain size composition of dunes is mainly determined by wind regimes， sand sources， and the interaction between dune morphology and airflows. The grain-size composition of sand dunes can reflect the formation process of different types of dunes. Samples were collected from 0-5 cm of the surface layers at the foot of the windward slopes， the dune crests， and the foot of the leeward slopes of 20 barchan or dune chains and 25 parabola dunes in the Mu Us Desert. The grain-size composition of the samples was tested and analyzed to explore their grain size characteristics. The results show that： （1） There are no significant differences in grain-size composition and parameters between barchan dunes and parabola dunes， and the grain -size frequency distribution curves are typical single-peak shapes， but compared with barchan dunes， the parabolic dunes have worse sorting and higher suspended components； The windward slope of parabola dunes has worse sorting and higher coarse sand content than barchan dune. （2） In the statistics of grain-size distribution patterns of sand dunes， the barchan dunes tend to have the finest grain-size on the windward slope， accounting for 65%， whereas the parabolic dunes tend to have the finest grain-size on the leeward slope， accounting for 56%；The grain-size frequency distribution curve also indicated the biased results of the grain-size distribution patterns. （3） Vegetation， the opposite morphology of barchan dunes and parabola dunes and their interaction with airflows are the main factors that cause the differences in grain-size characteristics between the two types of dunes.

The arid and semi-arid regions cover more than half of China's land area， which are sensitive to global climate change and human activities with fragile ecological environment. Extreme climate events are frequent and strong in those regions， where the climate anomalies are not only modulated by the internal atmospheric variability， but also affected by the underlying surfaces such as sea surface temperature， sea ice and snow cover. These physical factors play a key role in the climate anomalies in arid and semi-arid regions. This article systematically reviews and sorts out the effects of these physical factors on climate anomalies in arid and semi-arid regions of China. Studies have shown that atmospheric teleconnection is an internal influencing factor of climate anomalies， and the circulation anomalies caused by its phase transition will cause climate anomalies in arid and semi-arid regions by regulating the position of jet stream， planetary wave activity， blocking intensity， and the location of trough-ridge. Sea surface temperature affects the climate anomalies in arid and semi-arid regions by influencing the intensity of monsoon and Walker circulation and the location of western Pacific subtropical high， in the meantime stimulating the response of atmospheric Rossby waves. Moreover， snow cover changes the thermal conditions of the underlying surfaces such as surface radiation and soil temperature and humidity through the albedo effect and hydrological effect， and then has a significant effect on the temperature and precipitation in arid and semi-arid regions by diabatic heating or changing atmospheric baroclinicity. On the basis of summarizing the existing research progresses and achievements， the paper points out that the synergistic mechanism among different factors and the contribution of each factor to the climate anomalies in the arid and semi-arid regions of China still need further research.

Desert inverted channel is a special river-liked positive landform in arid land， which contains information of significant environmental change that results in riverbed revising. Following the geomorphology law， this study investigated desert inverted channels around the world based on the published literature and our field observation. We summarized its spatial distribution， morphological characteristics， material composition， sedimentary structure and formation mechanism. Generally， inverted channels developed in the main sand seas around world. Its surface is composed of debris or cemented materials， subsurface consist of sandy-clay materials with a relatively soft texture. Due to the differential erosion of the sediments in the riverbed and riverbank， the riverbed is relatively elevated. Although some progress has been made in the study of deserts inverted channels on Earth， further research needs to be carried out in terms of their formation age and climatic significance. Meanwhile， more studies should be carried out to compare with the different types of inverted channels on Mars. This will provide important basis for revealing the hydrological activities and environmental changes on Mars.

The Jiziwan of the Yellow River is the core area of the Three North Projects in the modern age， which plays a significant role in supplying sediment to the middle and lower portions of the Yellow River. However， as a newly proposed comprehensive strategy region for controlling desertification， the development characteristics and driving factors of desertification in Jiziwan of the Yellow River remain unknown. Based on Landsat series images in Jiziwan of the Yellow River from 1975 to 2020， the desertification data of this study were interpreted using a combination of object-oriented and visual interpretation methods， and the spatio-temporal changes of desertification and its driving factors were quantitatively analyzed. The main conclusions are as follows： （1） Temporally， with 2000 serving as the time node， the trend of desertified land in Jiziwan of the Yellow River， began to shift initially and subsequently reversed. The extent of desertification has reversed to be comparable with that in 1975， but the desertified area has only reversed to the level of 1990. （2） Spatially， there was partial reversal but overall deterioration between 1975 and 2000， and general reversal with localized deterioration between 2000 and 2020， mostly in the middle of the Otok Banner in the Mu Us Sandy Land. （3） Changes in desertification in this region are jointly governed by climate change and human activity， but the contribution rate of climate change is substantially higher than that of human activities. The research results can provide support for combating desertification in Jiziwan of the Yellow River and the ecological protection， as well as promoting ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River.

The historical sequence of dust events in Dunhuang， Northwest China， over the past two thousand years was constructed based on 143 historical documents records that distribute in 83 years. We established the relationships between the probability and intensity of dust events in different regions along the dust transport path of acient Sili Road in the Hexi Corridor. The sequence was then compared with the findings derived from several climate proxy indicators， including tree rings， ice cores， and other relevant proxies in neighboring regions. We also examized the temporal and spatial correlations of strong dust events with changes of climate factors. The results show that the periods characterized by strong and frequent dust events in Dunhuang were predominantly recorded in four phases： 280-351 AD， 1440-1550 AD， 1720-1840 AD， and 1900-1952 AD. These periods align closely with the dusty periods associated with drought and cold climate conditions， as evidenced by natural climatic proxies from the surrounding areas. The availability of documentary records that reflect dust weather is notably limited prior to the 2nd century， between 7th to 14th centuries， as well as the 16th to 17th centuries. To address the gaps in these blank periods， it is imperative to conduct thorough investigations in the dating of extant historical records， and enhance domestical and international collaboration to provide a more comprehensive exploration of the significance inherent in plundered overseas materials. This will yield more data that support the investigation of the climatic history not only in Dunhuang but also in many other regions of Northwest China.

Desert is one of the important terrestrial ecosystems in Northern China and covers 1/5 of the land of China. Plant community is an important part of the desert ecosystem， which has important implications for the enhancement of Northern Ecological Shelter Zone， and for the implementation of state key ecological projects， as well as for the Belt and the Road Initiative and economic-social development. The surveying zone includes Tarim-Jungar basin deserts， Qinghai-Tibet Plateau desert， Alax-Hexi Corridor desert， West Edos and North-to-Yinshan desert， and semi-arid desert-like sandy lands in the middle and eastern Inner-Mongolia. A total of 2 300 sample sites were set up systematically to investigate vegetation types， species composition， spatial distribution， and habitat attributes of desert plant communities across northern China. There were 8 300 plant specimens， 50 000 habitat parameters， and 2 300 DNA bar-codes obtained in the present study. On this base， a report on the desert plant community types， characteristics and status， and the atlas of distribution of desert plant communities will be compiled， as well as a monitoring system will be built for future long-term surveying. The data supporting the above report， atlas， and monitoring system will be pooled into a data bank of the major desert plant communities in China， being shared through the National Cryosphere Desert Data Center （NCDC）. This project and the output will provide solid support for combating desertification， plant conservation and sustainable development in the northern part of China.

To analyze the variation characteristics of major meteorological factors in Horqin Sandy Land under the background of global climate change. Based on monthly meteorological data， the trend analysis， Mann-Kendall mutation point analysis and wavelet analysis were used to analyze the multi-scale temporal variation characteristics of main meteorological factors （temperature， precipitation and evaporation） in Naiman Banner from 1961 to 2021. The results showed that： under the global climate change， the major meteorological factors in the study area changed significantly， and the temperature increased significantly at a rate of 0.21 ℃/10a， the precipitation decreased significantly at a rate of -9.2 mm/10a， and the evaporation did not increase significantly at a rate of 32.50 mm/10a. From the seasonal variation， in spring and autumn， the temperature， precipitation and evaporation showed an increasing trend， while in summer and winter， temperature and evaporation increased and precipitation decreased. The time of mutation point of each meteorological factor was different， among which the temperature was about 1971， the precipitation was 1978 and 1987， and the evaporation were 2002， 2009 and 2013. All meteorological factors showed obvious periodic changes during the study period， including temperature of 3-7 a， 14-23 a and 34-43 a， precipitation of 3-6 a， 8-11 a， 13-23 a and 43 a， and evaporation of 5-7 a， 11-16 a， 27 a and 35 a.

According to the requirement from the First National Conference on Combating Desert in November， 1958， the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized rapidly the Scientific Investigation Team for Combating Deserts （SITCD， CAS） in the January， 1959 and carried out fieldwork soon， which was the maximal national desert comprehensive survey up to now with the widest areas， the most complete majors， the most diverse team members， and the most concentrated campaigns. This paper， as the pioneering part （1） of the practice on prevention and control of aeolian desertification and the development of desert science in China for 70 years， briefly retrospect the results and experience from a smaller scale desert survey in 1957 and 1958， which was cooperative implemented by Chinese Academy of Sciences and Academy of Sciences of the USSR， and talk over the achievement and positive impacts from the desert comprehensive survey of the Scientific Investigation Team for Combating Deserts， Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1959. Based on the references and available data， every Investigation Team Branch for different desert and Gobi in Northern China had reported the progression of field-survey and the analysis and research mostly focused on the distribution of deserts/Gobi， different genetic types， sand material source area， hazards of sand blown， desert control measures， socioeconomic status， agriculture， forestry， and animal husbandry production. We also specially discus and praise highly the followings milestone events such as （1） the pioneering and development of desert science is the practiced paragon of “task promoting subject development”， （2） “national demand is our first choice” radiated the scientist’s enthusiasm and dedication spirit during 1950s， （3） professional selection and prominent contribution of 8 distinguished scientists， and （4） the international cooperation assisted development of desert science in China.

The main supply of soil water comes from precipitation， which determines the changes of soil water patterns spatially and temporally in arid and semi-arid areas. Precipitation also plays a key role in the supply of soil water at different soil depths in sandy areas. In this study， the hydro 1D model with optimized parameters was used to analyze the variation characteristics of soil water leakage at different depths of 10， 30， 50， 70， 90 and 110 cm in the mobile dunes of Mu Us Sandy Land and its response to different rainfall patterns. The results showed that the amount of soil water leakage was different at different soil depths in mobile dunes from May to September. The amount of water leakage decreased along the increase of the soil depth from May to August. The amount of water leakage increased along the increase of the soil depth in September. The changes of water leakage was consistent with precipitation. The maximum water leakage occurred in August， that the amount of soil water leakage was 148.51 mm at the depth of 110 cm， accounting for 67.5% of the monthly precipitation. The maximum leakage rate and the maximum leakage amount accompanied with large rainfall events. The amount of rainfall and the initial soil water content jointly determined the soil water leakage rate and duration. The soil water will infiltrate to 110 cm when the rainfall reached to 14.8 mm， and the cumulative leakage reaching the maximum leakage rate is 1.89 mm， accounting for 13.69% of the precipitation. Continuous precipitation events are conducive to recharge the deep water， and they shorten the time when the leakage rate reaches the peak in each soil layer Our results from the estimation of soil water leakage in sandy soils could provide theoretical basis in the assessment of water resources and water demand for ecological construction in arid and semi-arid regions.

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau （QTP） is a unique physiographic region with the highest elevationof in the world. It is known to have a significant impact on local， regional， and even global weather and climate systems. Based on observational data from meteorological stations， here we review variation characteristics of average and extreme precipitation and associated influencing factors in the QTP since 1960. Results show that annual average precipitation throughout the Tibetan Plateau has increased over the past 60 years， with variation rates ranging from 3.8 mm to 12.0 mm/decade， but its significance level is disputed. Precipitation has increased significantly in winter and spring， being highest in spring， while no obvious precipitation change has been observed in summer and autumn. At a regional scale， precipitation in the Three Rivers' Headstream Region exhibited an increasing trend， with a variation rate between 7.3-20 mm/decade. Annual mean precipitation in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin did not exhibit an obvious increasing trend， with a changing rate between 0.4-9.0 mm/decade. Precipitation in the Qilian Mountains increased significantly， with a variation rate between 1.0-13.2 mm/decade. The average annual precipitation rate was 1.9-3.3 mm/decade in the Qinghai Plateau， 12.5 mm/decade in the Tibetan Plateau， 6.7-8.6 mm/decade in the Qaidam Basin， and 7.2 mm/decade in the Gonghe Basin. Extreme precipitation events and the number of extreme precipitation days have increased significantly throughout the QTP， and the spatial heterogeneity of extreme precipitation changes has been significant. Many factors have been shown to affect precipitation change throughout the QTP， including large-scale atmospheric circulation factors， plateau surface conditions， and climate warming. Further researches should use more types of data sources to monitor precipitation changes throughout the QTP， especially precipitation changes at regional or watershed scales， and to further improve the mechanism research of precipitation changes over the QTP.

At present， there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the surface flow patterns over barchan dunes， especially the complex flow structure in the vortices zone， and thus further research is needed on the influence of morphological characteristics and flow velocity on the flow structure of barchan dunes. In this paper， the airflow characteristics over the surface of barchan dunes under different geometric parameters and different inlet velocities were studied using the CFD （Computational Fluid Dynamics） numerical simulation and the RNG k-ε turbulence model， focusing on the flow characteristics of the leeward side vortices zone and the relationship between its range and the geometric parameters of the dunes and the inlet velocities. The results show that： （1） The higher the height of the barchan dune， the larger the length of the wake vortices zone is， approximately 5-7 times the height of the dune. （2） The greater the gradient of the windward slope of the barchan dune， the greater the length of the wake vortices zone is， approximately 5-7 times the height of the dune. （3） The influence of inlet velocity on the position of the reattachment point is quite limited， and the length of the vortex zone caused by different inlet velocities is about 6-7 times the height of the dune， suggesting that the larger the inlet velocity is， the shorter the length of the wake protected zone and the smaller the disturbance of the dune on the flow can be found. This study comprehensively analyzes the shaping effect of the flow patterns on the shape of barchan dunes and further confirms the cause of the formation of small barchan dunes on the downstream of the horns of the upwind barchan dunes. Collectively， the current results can deepen the understanding of the evolution mechanism of barchan dune formation， and enrich the basic theory of aeolian geomorphology.

Chemical measures， engineering measures and biological measures are called the three major sand control measures. The application and development of chemical sand fixation measures are strictly constrained by materials， and there is a trough period in the development of sand control technology. In recent years， with the development of materials science， inorganic， organic and inorganic organic composite chemical new materials have been widely used in the field of sand control， and chemical sand fixation measures have become a research hotspot. Sand fixation materials with low cost， high efficiency and good biocompatibility have become the key of chemical sand fixation technology， and environmental protection is the primary restrictive factor in the selection of materials. This paper summarizes the research progress of environmentally friendly sand fixation materials processed from natural materials， classifies environmentally friendly sand fixation materials， and analyzes the problems existing in the development of chemical sand fixation and the necessity of environmentally friendly sand fixation materials. This study will provide a theoretical basis for the development of high-performance environmental friendly chemical sand fixation materials.

Land desertification poses a significant threat to global food security， exerting severe adverse impacts on ecological and social systems， while also resulting in substantial economic losses. With the development of photovoltaic technology and the maturation of its industrial chain， coupled with the favorable solar and thermal conditions as well as cost-effective land availability in arid and semi-arid regions， large-scale construction of photovoltaic power stations has become feasible， and consequently， a novel technique known as photovoltaic desertification control has emerged to effectively combat desertification. This technology represents an innovative approach that integrates photovoltaic power generation， desertification prevention， and water-saving agricultural technology. Its primary objective is to harness the abundant solar energy resources in deserts for clean energy production while simultaneously preventing desertification through a multi-scale spatial layout of engineering， ecological measures， and photovoltaic sand control units （i.e， individual power stations）. This comprehensive strategy aims to enhance the ecological environment and achieve a mutually beneficial outcome for both productivity and ecology. Drawing on relevant literature and the practical experience of our research group， this paper provides a comprehensive review of the development trajectory of photovoltaic desertification control technology. It introduces the concept and benefits of the photovoltaic- soil-vegetation coupling system to enhance understanding， while elucidating the fundamental principles， specific measures， and practical significance of this technology. Furthermore， it presents future prospects for research and implementation. The aim of this review is to provide valuable guidance for the further optimization of photovoltaic desertification control technology and its large-scale application.

The Horqin-Otindag Sandy Land is one of the areas with the most severe land desertification in China. Understanding spatiotemporal patterns of land desertification is an important foundation for scientific desertification control. The study took the Horqin-Otindag Sandy Land as the study area. Based on the MOD13Q1 NDVI data， meteorological data， socio-economic data， the spatiotemporal patterns of land desertification and their driving factors were revealed from 2000 to 2020 using Sen+Mann Kendall trend analysis， strip analysis， geographical detectors and other methods. The results showed that： （1） The land desertification intensity was much more serious in the west than that in the east. Slight desertification appeared in the junction of the Horqin Sandy Land and the Otindag Sandy Land. （2） From 2000 to 2020， land desertification in the study area showed a significant reversal trend in general. The desertification reversed area accounted for 73.59% of the total study area， which mainly distributed in the middle east of Otindag Sandy Land and the southeast of Horqin Sandy Land. The desertification area with deterioration trend accounted for 11.17%， which was scattered in the study area. （3） The annual precipitation and population density are the dominant factors affecting the spatial pattern of land desertification during the study period. The interaction of all factors shows bivariate enhancement， among which the precipitation and soil type interaction most obvious. We suggested to strengthen cross regional cooperation and coordination under the premise of scientific assessment of regional resource and environment carrying capacity， strengthen the governance of Otindag Sandy Land， optimize the industrial structure of Horqin Sandy Land， promote the coordinated development of ecology and economy， and promote the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains， rivers， forests， fields， lakes， grass and sand. This study could provide a theoretical basis for the ecological restoration and sustainable utilization of desertified land in the study area.

It has attracted extensive attention that the climate in the arid region of Northwest China is warming and wetting， but further research is needed on the magnitude， trend and spatial performance of this phenomenon. The Hexi Corridor is located in the eastern part of the arid region in China， which is an important area along "the Belt and Road". In this paper， 7 meteorological stations in Wuwei， Minqin， Yongchang， Zhangye， Linze， Gaotai and Jiuquan respectively， located in the plain area of Hexi Corridor， were selected to analyze the characteristics of temperature and precipitation change from 2000 to 2020. The results show that the average temperature has increased by 0.53 ℃/10yr， representing a decreasing trend from east to west； the change rate of average maximum temperature is 0.22 °C/10yr， and the change rate of average minimum temperature is 0.40 °C/10yr. There is no significant change trend in annual precipitation during 2000-2020， but the interannual fluctuation of year rainfall increases. The annual precipitation of <5 mm，5-10 mm， 10-15 mm， 15-20 mm， and >20 mm is 58.8 mm， 38.3 mm， 22.1 mm， 12.7 mm， and 16.1 mm respectively； and each level of precipitation accounts for 39.69%， 25.87%， 14.93%， 8.60% and 10.90% of the annual precipitation. In the past 20 years， the frequency of different precipitation events， their contribution to precipitation， and the number of precipitation days did not change much. The temperature increase in the eastern part of the Hexi Corridor was larger than that in the western part， but the change in precipitation did not show a difference between the eastern part and the western part. Overall， the climate of the Hexi Corridor had a trend of warming in the past 20 years， but the trend of wetting is not obvious.

Dusty weather is an extreme weather phenomenon that occurs frequently in the northern China. It leads to a turbidity of the air and a sharp decline in visibility， causing adverse effects on various aspects of human society. Dust aerosols transported into the atmosphere by strong winds also have a significant impact on weather and climate by modulating atmospheric radiation budget and cloud microphysics. Accurate identification and forecasting of dusty weather are of great significance in ecological protection and climate change mitigation. This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent research on methods for identifying and forecasting dust events. Important methods are described in detail， and their advantages and disadvantages are analyzed and compared. Finally， this paper summarizes the research achievements related to the identification and forecasting of dusty weather and proposes valuable future research directions.

The sandy region to the east of the Yellow River in Ningxia is a transitional region in the agro-pastoral ecumenical zone in northern China. Understanding the law of the development of desertification in this region is helpful to coordinate the local man-land relationship and guide the implementation of ecological construction project. The Landsat data were used to extract the information of desertification land for five periods of 2000， 2005， 2010， 2015 and 2020 in the sandy region to the east of the Yellow River in Ningxia， then the temporal and spatial characteristics of desertification land were analyzed by combining the barycenter transfer model， and the effects of climate change and human activities on regional desertification evolution were stripped and recombined by multiple regression residual analysis method. The results show that the overall area of desertification land in the sandy region to the east of the Yellow River in Ningxia decreased， the degree of desertification was reduced， and the desertification was reversed from 2000 to 2020. The degree of desertification in the northern part of the region was more serious than that in the southern part. The barycenter of all kinds of desertification land moved northward， and the degree of desertification reversal was more significant in the south than in the north. Regional desertification reversal is mainly influenced by climate change and human activities.

When restoring or rebuilding sandy vegetation in arid areas， precipitation and shallow groundwater are two key factors in determining vegetation stability， because vegetation can only be stable and sustainable in its windbreak and sand fixation function when the water demand of vegetation， precipitation and groundwater replenishment are in balance. In this paper， Mu Us Sandy Land and Horqin Sandy Land， which are typical sandy lands in eastern deserts of China， were selected， and vegetation coverage data， meteorological station data， groundwater data and field survey data with continuous time phases were used， the dynamic changes of sandy moisture and the balance between vegetation water demand and water supply were calculated. The results showed： （1） Mu Us Sandy Land and Horqin Sandy Land had the highest correlation between VC during the growth season and P in the previous year and the current year， separately. The response of each grid buffer zone to groundwater is also abundant in a one-year lag and different vegetation types have different lag times in responding to changes in P and groundwater. （2） The monthly vegetation water demand and average monthly W of vegetation in these two sandy areas showed an increasing trend in each growing season， with significant spatial variation； （3） The main source of water demand for vegetation in the Mu Us Sandy Land and Horqin Sandy Land is groundwater， and declining groundwater levels may causes unsustainable vegetation； the Mu Us Sandy Land is more dependent on precipitation and the Horqin Sandy Land is more sensitive to groundwaterfor natural geographic differences. （4）The vegetation stability of two sandy areas is cyclical， varying from 2-24 years depending on local ground conditions.

This study utilizes the Wind Erosion Prediction System （WEPS） algorithm， combined with multi-source geographical data， to calculate soil wind erosion and PM₁₀ in the core area of the battle against desertification along the Hexi Corridor-Taklimakan Desert edge since 2000. It analyzes the spatiotemporal variation characteristics and primary influencing factors. The results indicate that within the total study area of 806 700 km2， the multi-year average wind erosion modulus is 3 553 t·km^-2， with high wind erosion concentrations observed in the southeastern margin of the Taklamakan Desert and the central Hexi Corridor. Overall， due to decreasing wind speeds， increasing vegetation cover， and increased precipitation in the study area， the wind erosion modulus exhibits a downward trend， with an average decrease rate of 41 t·km^-2 per decade， and the area experiencing reduction accounts for 48% of the total. Meanwhile， the annual average PM₁₀ emission is 3.11×10⁷ t， with an average annual rate of 38.53 t·km^-2. Among the seasons， spring exhibits the highest wind erosion modulus， accounting for 47% of the annual total. Correlation analysis reveals that wind speed， vegetation cover， and soil moisture are key influencing factors， with wind speed contributing over 90% to wind erosion.

The characteristics of regional sandstorms in Northwest of China from 2000 to 2020 were analyzed using ground observation data， and based on climatic dynamic factors， temperature， precipitation and NDVI data to analyse the causes of regional sandstorms changes in Northwest of China. The study results show that from 2000 to 2020， the annual total number of days of regional sandstorms in Northwest of China showed a fluctuating downward trend， and there were two high （low） frequency periods. Spring is the season of high incidence of regional sandstorms， of which the total number of days in April is the highest， reaching 47 days. Compared with the first ten days and the middle ten days of the month， regional sandstorms are more likely to occur in the last ten days of each spring months. The Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang and central-western Inner Mongolia and the Hexi in Gansu are frequent areas of regional sandstorms in Northwest of China with total number of days more than 10 days， and the total number of days in most other places of Northwest of China is less than 8 days. The area index and intensity index of the polar vortex in the northern hemisphere and the polar vortex intensity index in Asia have a significant positive correlation with the number of days of regional sandstorms. The transition of the northern hemisphere polar vortex from an expansion period to a contraction period and the weakening of its intensity are important climatic dynamic factors for the reduction of regional sandstorms in Northwest of China. The annual （spring） precipitation and average NDVI in Northwest of China are significantly negatively correlated with the number of days of regional sandstorms. In the past 21 years， the climate in most parts of the northwest region has tended to be warm and humid， and the vegetation cover has improved as the main trend. The transformation is conducive to the shrinkage of the desertified area and reduces the occurrence of non-imported sandstorms.

Badain Jaran desert and Tengger Desert are the second and third largest mobile deserts in China. The dynamic monitoring of barchan dunes in the joint zone of the two deserts can reveal the formation and evolution law of dunes in this area， and provide scientific support for the study of aeolian geomorphology development in the joint zone of deserts. The barchan dunes in the joint zome of Badain Jaran Desert and Tengger Desert were monitored by Google Earth high-resolution historical images， and the dune migration rate and morphological changes in this area were analyzed. The results showed that the average migration rate of dunes is 5.88-19.55 m?a^-1 in the study area， with an average of 10.03 m?a^-1. The moving direction of sand dunes ranges from 109°to 135°， and the average moving direction is 122°. During the dune movement， the dune morphological changes are more complex. Before and after the movement， except for the reduced height of the sand dunes， the length， width， perimeter and basal area and the windward slope of the barchan dunes generally tends to increase. Wind regime provides dynamic conditions for dune movement. The moving direction of sand dunes is consistent with resultant drift direction. The wind direction in the study area is mainly NW and WNW， and the migration rate of south arm of barchan dune is significantly higher than that of north arm due to the influence of WNW direction sand transport. In addition， the dynamic change of dune is also controlled by the morphology of dune itself. There is a significant negative correlation between dune migration rate and dune morphology parameters （windward slope length， height， width， perimeter and basal area） in the study area （P<0.01）. The difference of vegetation cover and dune density leads to the difference of dune migration rate. Before and after dune movement， the variation of morphological parameters is complicated. The variation of sand source richness and the change of dune shape caused by interdune shrub are the main reasons for the complexity of dune shape change. The annual sand transport flux of the sand dune junction belt is 170-521 t?m^-1， the average of the annual sand transport flux is 301 t?m^-1.

Using two-year-old Populus euphratica seedlings as test materials， the study of P. euphratica under different salt stress （0， 100， 200， 300， 400 mmol·L^-1 of NaCl） and different drought stress （0， 7， 14， 21， 28 day） was conducted. The results showed that：In terms of the antioxidant enzyme system， with the increase of salt stress and drought stress， the activities of protective enzymes SOD， POD and CAT increased first and then decreased. The reaction speed and duration of different protective enzymes were different in response to drought stress and salt stress. The protective enzymes of P. euphratica were comprehensively regulated to form the defense function of the whole antioxidant enzyme system. As for the osmotic regulation system， with the increase of salt stress and drought stress， the content of soluble sugar continued to increase， and the response speed and duration of its accumulation to different levels of salt stress and drought stress were different. The osmotic balance was maintained by the continuous accumulation of organic matter to form the long-term protection function of the osmotic regulation system. In the cell membrane system， with the increase of salt stress， MDA content first decreased and then slowly increased， basically maintaining a low level， while with the increase of drought stress， MDA content continued to increase. Under salt stress and mild drought stress， P. euphratica can maintain the integrity of cell membrane structure and function through adaptive regulation to realize the protective effect of the cell membrane system. Under salt stress and drought stress， the antioxidant enzyme system， osmotic regulation system， and cell membrane system were adapted to enhance the salt tolerance and drought resistance of P. euphratica. The study on physiological response of P. euphratica to salt stress and drought stress is of great significance for the cultivation and recovery of the seedlings in the lower reaches of the Heihe River.

In recent years， with the rapid expansion of highway construction area in China， some problems about wind force disasters on highway have appeared under special environmental conditions， which seriously threaten the safety of highway traffic. The compound disaster of snow drift and blown sand on Kete Highway in Altay Prefecture of Xinjiang just is a special seasonal wind-driven disaster. It is found that the occurrence of this kind of disaster is related to the regional disaster-pregnant environment with the reginonal east gale and abundant sand & snow sources in winter， as well as the layout of sand control system， the configuration of subgrade section and the artificial disturbance such as sand or snow stacking. In accordance with the principle of adapting measures to local conditions， fortifing against harm， complying with nature and addressing both symptoms and root causes， strengthening protection ability， and linking mechanical control with plant control have been formed in order to comprehensively control the blown sand disaster in spring and sand-snow compound disaster in winter. A comprehensive treatment scheme of road side terrain leveling， resistance-solid-transport structure protection system construction and later scientific management and protection has been formulated. This research results can provide a scientific plan for the disaster prevetion of Kete Highway， and also provide a reference for similar disaster control in other areas.

Water productivity refers to the quantity or value of products produced by per unit volume or value of water resources. Improving water productivity is an important direction for the sustainable development of desert oasis. The Hexi Corridor is not only an important ecological barrier of northwestern China， but also a typical irrigated agricultural area in the northwestern China. After more than 70 years of development， the Hexi Corridor has made very significant achievements in oasis irrigation agriculture， national economic development and ecological protection construction. However， low agricultural water productivity still affects the development of oasis profoundly. This paper combs the current status of utilization of water and soil resources in the Hexi Corridor， analyzes the characteristics of oasis soil organic matter and water holding capacity as well as their relationships with water productivity， and proposes the approaches to improve oasis water productivity by increasing soil organic matter and soil water holding capacity. In order to protect the safety and stability of the Hexi Corridor ecological barrier and the sustainable development of oasis agriculture， it is recommended that respecting the process of oasisization in oasis management， protecting irrigated desert soil resources， and restricting the conversion of irrigated desert soil cultivated land with good productivity into non-cultivated land strictly； determining the areas that should be prioritized for improvement according to the soil condition， especially the soil with surface organic matter of 1.0%-1.8% and field capacity between 20% and 25%； in order to realize the improvement of agricultural water productivity in the oasis of the Hexi Corridor.

The 10 years period of “Culture Revolution” from 1966 to 1976 had hindered the practice on prevention and control of aeolian desertification and the development of desert science to a certain degree. Nonetheless， relied on the foundation laid over the past decade， the science， technology and engineering teams from all levels of national to provincial and local carried on with scientific research， technological development and engineering implementation， field long-term observations and experiments， laboratory sample analysis and data statistics， blowing sand wind tunnel experiment， summary of results and writing of papers and monographs， etc. These efforts had obtained a batch of achievements， in which some of typical progress can be expressed as follows. （1） The construction and application of blowing sand wind tunnel created the pioneering work of wind tunnel experiment for prevention and control of aeolian desertification and research on law of wind-blown sand movement in China. （2） Some new results have been made in process and prevention of wind-sand disaster to the desert railway by systematically conducted on engineering technology experiments and theoretical research. （3） The work exchange meeting on desert control research of Chinese Academy of Sciences had successfully held in Lanzhou in March of 1975， which timely concluded and presented the theoretical and practical achievements and levels. （4） Systematically summarized the results of scientific investigations， observations， experiments， research， and practice， so that many scientific papers have been published as well as a series of monographs compiled and edited. There were some encouraged results of exploration and innovation on the distribution and general characteristics of deserts， causes of desert formation， source of sand material rising right on the spot， feature of wind-blown sand movement， formation and evolution mechanism of sand dunes in China and the development of aeolian geomorphology， morphological characteristics and movement patterns of sand dunes， regionalization of aeolian geomorphology and several landform issues for preventing blown sand disaster in the Taklamakan Desert. Other system summary results also delivered such as the management of farmland wind-blown sand disaster， railway's prevention and control of wind-blown sand damage， desert railway engineering construction as well as the successful experiences and effective measures from the Xinjiang， Gansu and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. All of the achievements and progress promoted the theoretical exploration and systematic composition of desert science in China.

Horqin Sandy Land， located at the southeast end of the agro-pastoral ecotone in North China， should have been a landscape of sparse forest grassland with abundant water and grass. However， it has become one of the most seriously desertified areas in the modern era， due to the fragile ecological environment conditions combined with the influence of climate change and unreasonable human activities. During the great practice of desertification prevention and control in China， Horqin Sandy Land has taken the lead in realizing the benign reversal of desertification. Whereas， the situation of desertification prevention and control in this region is still severe under the background of global change. This paper focused on the typical countermeasure model and its effectiveness achieved in the past decades of sand control and prevention in Horqin Sandy Land， summarized the action plans of various provinces and regions since the launch of the decisive battle against desertification in Horqin Sandy Land， discussed the main problems and challenges facing by sand control and prevention in the new period， and put forward targeted ecological sustainable restoration countermeasures. The aim was to provide scientific and technological support for the high-level protection and restoration of the ecological environment and high-quality economic and social development in the Horqin Sandy Land.

To explore change rule of plant community structure， function and aboveground biomass within arid and semi-arid grasslands in China， particularly under changing precipitation regimes during the growing season， field simulation control experiments were conducted in fixed sand dunes and sandy grasslands in 2022. The experimental treatments included： a reduction of water by 60% from May to September （P_60-）， an increase of water by 60% during the same period （P₆₀₊）， a 100% water reduction from May to June （P_100-） and a 100% water increase in the same two months （P₁₀₀₊）. This study analyzed changes in plant community characteristics （species diversity， vegetation coverage， plant density， and aboveground biomass）， plant community functional traits （height， leaf thickness， specific leaf area， leaf dry matter content， and leaf carbon and nitrogen content）， and soil physical and chemical properties （soil water content， pH， conductivity， mechanical composition， and carbon and nitrogen content）. The correlations with aboveground biomass were also examined. The results indicated that drought conditions （P_60- and P_100-） increased the prominence of annual C₄ plants such as Chloris virgate and Tribulus terrestris（P<0.05）， while diminishing the role of perennial plants like Cleistogenes squarrosa （P<0.05）. In fixed dunes， extreme early-season drought （P_100-） led to an increase in the Simpson dominance index （P<0.05） and a decrease in the Shannon-Wiener diversity index （P<0.05）. Conversely， drought throughout the growing season （P_60-） increased aboveground biomass（P<0.05）. In sandy grasslands， drought （P_60- and P_100-） reduced vegetation cover and plant density（P<0.05）. The increase in aboveground biomass under drought conditions was primarily due to the increased dominance of species with larger biomass. Moreover， differences in soil water content and fine sand content between the fixed sand dunes and sandy grasslands could negatively or positively impact aboveground biomass. This effect is mediated through influences on the Shannon-Wiener diversity index and plant community height. Therefore， shifts in precipitation regimes during the growing season altered species composition， vegetation characteristics， and soil physicochemical properties in the grassland communities of the Horqin Sandy Land. These changes affected aboveground biomass and consequently transformed the structure and function of the grassland ecosystem in this region.

Soil wind erosion is an important threat to the global ecological and environmental security of arid and semi-arid area. Vegetation can effectively reduce the risk of soil wind erosion by reducing wind speed and capturing soil particles. At present， people's understanding of the optimal pattern and coverage of vegetation controlling soil wind erosion still needs to be deepened. With the help of a mobile wind tunnel in the field， this article measured the response of surface sediment transport rate and wind sand flow structure to the coverage of herbaceous plants （Astragalus adsurgens）. The results show that： （1） When the vegetation coverage is small， the distribution curve of wind sand flow structure follows the exponential function distribution law. With the increase of vegetation coverage， the curve shape appears differentiation. （2） Vegetation coverage can effectively reduce the intensity of soil wind erosion and raise the height of sand transport. （3） The surface aerodynamic roughness and vegetation coverage follow a logarithmic function variation law， and their growth rate gradually decreases and eventually approaches zero with the increase of vegetation coverage. There is a threshold phenomenon in the aerodynamic roughness of the underlying surface. （4） The optimal coverage of Astragalus adsurgens for controlling soil wind erosion is about 30%， which can effectively suppress about 90% of wind erosion below a height of 20 cm.

Grassland is a crucial part of terrestrial ecosystem and plays an important role in maintaining regional ecological security. Soil multifunctionality （SMF） is a comprehensive index to measure the provided soil multiple functions， which has imperative significance for assessing grassland ecosystem function and regional sustainable development. However， the current SMF studies are still in the initial stage， and the objects in studies are mostly farmland ecosystems， while there are relatively few studies on grassland and other natural ecosystems. In addition， there is few ecolgoists to elucidate the relationship among SMF of grassland ecosystems， plant and soil microorganisms， as well as the effect of global change on SMF in grassland ecosystems. Therefore， this paper discusses the study progress of SMF from five aspects： the concept of SMF， quantitative indicators and methods， the relationship among plants and soil microorganisms and SMF， the impact of global changes on SMF and the spatial variability of SMF， and reviews the change and mechanisms of SMF in grassland ecosystems. Based on the existing problems in the existing studies， the following topics should be focused on： （1） Unified SMF quantitative methods； （2） The transformation mechanism of SMF at different spatial scales； （3） SMF driving mechanism of different grassland ecosystems； （4） Impacts of global changes such as precipitation increase， climate warming and nitrogen deposition， and land use change on SMF； （5） The relationships and interactions between above-ground ecological functions and SMF； （6） Effects of root functional traits on SMF and contributions of plants to SMF at different scale levels； （7） The contribution of rare species of microorganisms and plant-soil animal-soil microbial multitrophic linkage on SMF.

Sandy lands， as vital components of terrestrial ecosystems， possess unique structures and functions. In the agro-pastoral transitional zone of northern China's semi-arid and semi-humid regions， sandy lands have undergone rapid human-induced changes， both positive and negative. These changes are primarily reflected in phases of "destructive utilization" and "protective restoration utilization". Extensive development models have caused issues such as land desertification， over-exploitation of water resources， and ecological imbalance. This study focuses on the Horqin Sandy Land， Mu Us Sandy Land， Hunshandake Sandy Land， and Hulunbuir Sandy Land. It reviews literature and research findings on the regional differentiation characteristics of natural elements in typical semi-arid sandy lands， the spatiotemporal evolution of desertified land and its driving forces， and the co-evolution of vegetation-soil characteristics. Given the current state of land desertification and its management amidst climate change and human activities， future research should prioritize the coordination of human-land relationships in sandy lands under policy guidance， enhance ecological restoration and vegetation stability based on regional water balance， and scientifically advance key ecological engineering projects， such as those in the Horqin Sandy Land and Hunshandake Sandy Land， thereby promoting sustainable development across ecological， economic， and social systems in semi-arid sandy lands.

The effect of dust storm on human living and production do not speak for themselves. Dust storm occurrence days decreased in recently 70 years， but it had been obviously increased since 2021， and attracted a lot of attentions. However， all the published papers were based on simulation or dust geochemistry， and almost no field data. We used field measurement of sand transport， PM₁₀ concentration and transported aeolian sediment grain size to explain the dust hazard in the dust sources during a strong dust storm. Our results indicated that： （1） Wind velocity was much larger in the dust sources than national weather station data. （2） PM₁₀ concentration can reach to 100 mg·m^-3， and is also larger than national measured data. （3） Sand transport reached to 10 kg·m^-1·h^-1， and dust can be transported longer distance. （4） The mean grain size of transported aeolian material was 0.07 mm， and coarse sand frequency can reach to 9%， and PM₁₀ frequency can reach to 8%. Coarse sand impacted on erodible land surface and caused more dust come into air and supplemented dust concentration in the sources. （5） Sand transport rate increased about 2 times， PM₁₀ concentration increased 2.90 time， and PM₁₀ frequency increased 1.29 time on disturbed land surface than undisturbed land surface， which means that protected gobi land surface can greatly decreased dust material during dust storm.

Focused on the variation of particle size characteristics of surface sand before and after sandstorms in the Taklamakan Desert hinterland， we conducted a systematic particle size analysis of surface sand， including parameter calculation， particle size component separation and function fitting. The results show that： （1） The average particle size of the surface sand sample is 143 μm， dominated by fine and very fine sand， which together accounted for 87.02%； after the sandstorm， dominated by very fine sand and fine sand， which together accounted for 79.44%. （2） The average particle size of the sandstorm sample is 82 μm， dominated by powdery sand and very fine sand， which together accounted for 80.89%. （3） After the sandstorm， the average particle size of the surface sand decreased by 46 μm， and the content of clay， powder and very fine sand increased， indicating that the large amount of fine-grained material carried by the dust storm had an important influence on the particle size characteristics of the surface sand. （4） The variation of sand particle size with height is mainly controlled by wind speed， with wind speed thresholds ranging from 7.7 m·s^-1 to 8.4 m·s^-1. In three-dimensional space， the second-order polynomial surface model can well fit the function relationship between the average sand particle size and the average wind speed.

Saline soil in arid regions is important land resources in China， and their improvement and utilization are an important element in promoting the green and sustainable development of China， which is related to national food security and ecological safety. Microorganisms， as an important part of soil ecosystem， play an important role in the improvement and management of saline soils and improving the salt tolerance of plants. Intensive study on soil microbial diversity， community structure and functional characteristics in arid saline soils and the related factors can provide important microbial references for the restoration and ecological reconstruction of saline soil in arid regions. The paper organized the overview of saline soil in arid regions， analyzed the characteristics of microbial diversity， community structure and ecological function in saline soils， elaborated the related factors of saline environment on soil microbial communities， and put forward the problems in microbial research in arid saline soil and the future development direction. This review can provide references for the development and utilization of saline soil and microbial resources management in arid regions in China.

Clarifying the relationship between vegetation diversity and soil physical and chemical properties is the premise for vegetation protection and desertification control in sandy land. Vegetation community characteristic， soil physical and chemical properties and their relationship were studied in the typical area of Hedong Sandy Land in Ningxia. The results showed that there were 41 species， which belongs to 34 genera， 15 families. There were 29 genera only have one species and 11 families only have one genus. Herbaceous plants accounted for an absolute advantage， with a total of 36 species， accounting for 87.80 %. Only 5 shrubs were recorded and no tree distributed in the study area. The species diversity indices （0.60-1.07） and the evenness indices （0.46-0.68） are both low， while the predominant indices （0.46-0.68） were relatively high， which reflected that the vegetation composition in the studied area was simple and the dominant species have significant impacts on the community characteristics. The soil in this area was mainly alkaline soil， with some area been strongly alkaline soil， but the soil has a low salt content. The soil organic matter content （1.68-2.80 g·kg^-1） and total nitrogen content （0.12-0.20 g·kg^-1） were equivalent to those in Horqin Sandy Land and Maowusu Sandy Land， but the available phosphorus content （0.41-1.85 mg·kg^-1） had an order of magnitude difference with Horqin. Which indicates that there might have been phosphorus limitation on formation and distribution of vegetation in Hedong Sandy Land. Redundancy analysis （RDA） was applied， and the results showed that soil properties could effectively explain the vegetation community characteristics in Ningdong Sandy Land. The interpretation rate of the first sorting axis reached 75.87%， with a total interpretation rate of 49.20% for total nitrogen， organic matter， and C∶N of surface soil. This showed that surface soil organic matter and nitrogen had important impacts on vegetation formation and distribution in the Hedong Sandy Land. By further analysis， it was found that vegetation coverage has extremely significant negative correlation with surface soil water content and also has significant negative correlation with soil nutrients. The vegetation height has significant negative correlation with surface soil organic matter and total nitrogen content. There was a negative correlation between species richness and species diversity indices and soil nutrients in Hedong Sandy Land.

The morphological change and migration of dunes contain the key information of regional aeolian environment and landform evolution， which is an important issue in aeolian geomorphology. In this paper， the rectangular dune networks and square dune networks in the southern edge of Tengger Desert are taken as an example， we used wind data and Google Earth satellite images to monitor the morphological changes of reticulate dunes from 2009 to 2020 and analyze their migration characteristics. The results showed that： （1）The prevailing wind direction in the southwest and southeast of Tengger Desert are northwest wind. The secondary wind direction in the distribution area of rectangular dune networks is southeast wind， and that of square dune networks is east wind and southeast. The wind regime features are belonging to low wind energy environment and intermediate wind direction variability. The wind energy environment in the southwest is stronger than that in the southeast. The wind power in the study area showed a decreasing trend in recent ten years. （2） The length and spacing of ridges of reticulate dunes are increasing， and the height of rectangular dune networks is increasing， while that of square dune networks is decreasing. The orientation of the primary ridge is shifted to the east， and the secondary ridge is shifted to the south， while the overall morphology of the dunes remains stable. （3） The average migration rate of rectangular dune networks is 1.57-1.71 m·a^-1， and that of square dune networks is 1.63-2.01 m·a^-1. The average migration direction of dunes is similar to the resultant drift direction. The volume of dune is the main reason affecting the difference of migration speed.

The northern agro-pastoral ecotone is the second largest ecological security barrie， which is a typical ecological fragile zone in northern China. In this study， based on field investigation and indoor analysis， the spatial distribution pattern of soil physicochemical properties in the planted forest in the northern agro-pastoral ecotone was discussed. Combined with climatic factors and tree species identities， the differences of soil physicochemical properties between trees and shrubs and thevariations of soil physicochemical properties in the planted forest with climate gradient were analysed. The results show that： （1） The overall soil of the plantation in the agro-pastoral ecotone was weakly alkaline， the electrical conductivity was 153.55±3.02 μS·cm^-1， the soil bulk density ranged from 0.53 to 2.28 g·cm^-3， the soil water content was 12.54%±0.62%， and the soil total carbon and nitrogen contents were 13.74±0.61 g·kg^-1 and 0.88±0.05 g·kg^-1， respectively. （2） From west to east， soil acidity increased， soil bulk density decreased， soil water content increased， total carbon content decreased， and total nitrogen content increased. （3） On the climate gradient， soil pH， conductivity and bulk density were negatively correlated with precipitation， while soil water content， total carbon and total nitrogen were positively correlated with precipitation. The soil total carbon and total nitrogen contents were negatively correlated with temperature and aridity index. （4） On the regional scale， soil pH of tree soil was significantly lower than that of shrub soil， and soil total carbon and nitrogen contents of shrub soil were higher than those of treesoil.

Wetland is the most biodiverse ecosystem on Earth， and wetland vegetation plays a crucial role in maintaining the stability and functionality of these ecosystems， so mastering wetland vegetation types and distribution characteristics is extremely important for biodiversity conservation. Due to factors such as lacking or unsystematic vegetation community information and remote sensing resolution， the research on vegetation distribution in arid wetlands is limited. Taking the Sugan Lake wetland in the northern part of the Qaidam Basin of the extremely arid region in northwest China as the study area， based on the field vegetation survey data of 116 points and 626 unmanned aerial vehicle image sample points data， Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar （Synthetic Aperture Radar， SAR） data and Sentinel-2 Multispectral Imager imagery （MultiSpectral Instrument， MSI） data were used to construct a new remote sensing feature database. The vegetation in Sugan Lake wetland was classified and mapped using the Random Forest algorithm. The results show that： （1） The combination of SAR and MSI data can improve the accuracy of wetland vegetation classification， with overall accuracy of wetland vegetation classification exceeding 0.81 for the years 2019-2023， and Kappa coefficients of 0.82， 0.84， 0.86， 0.82， and 0.82 respectively. （2） From 2019 to 2023， the area of Sugan Lake wetland remained stable， with a vegetation distribution area of 783.90 km2. The distribution area ofreed （Phragmites australis） communities increased by 28.49 km2， and the area of leymus （Leymus secalinus） communities increased by 27.21 km2. In contrast， the coverage of triglochin palustre （Triglochin palustre） and eleocharis palustris （Eleocharis palustris） communities decreased by 64.49 km2. It is preliminarily considered that increased runoff and grazing prohibition policies are important reasons for the changes in wetland vegetation distribution. This study provides an effective method for surveying vegetation in arid area wetlands. High-quality dynamic monitoring of wetland vegetation offers theoretical references for the construction of ecological civilization and restoration measures.

Salt stress is one of the important abiotic stresses affecting plant growth in arid region， which affects plant energy metabolism processes and in turn adversely affects plant growth and development. Stable energy supply is closely related to salt tolerance of plants. Based on it， the energy metabolism processes of plants in the conditions of osmotic stress， ion stress， nutrient deficiency， oxidative stress and photosynthetic damage were systematically reviewed from three stages of seed germination， vegetative growth and reproductive growth. The aim is to provide theoretical basis and reference for improving the salt tolerance of plants and the rational utilization of saline land in arid regions.

China has achieved remarkable prevention and control effects of aeolian desertification in northern China， and has shown an overall reversal trend since 2000. The Yellow River Basin is an important barrier to national ecological security， and its aeolian desertification prevention and control is a key link in consolidating the foundation for high-quality development of the basin. Based on the background of the overall reversal of aeolian desertification in northern China since 2000. The aeolian desertification process in the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020 was discussed in this study， and the dominant factor which driving the dynamics of aeolian desertification in the basin and their relative contributions were analyzed using the quantitative method. The results showed that： （1） The aeolian desertification land in the Yellow River Basin mainly consisted of moderate and severe aeolian desertification lands， and was concentrated in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin. From 2000 to 2020， the total aeolian desertification land decreased by 7 529 km² （5.6%） in the Yellow River Basin. In detail， the serious aeolian desertification land continued to decrease by 47.1%， while the increasing trend of the slight， moderate， and severe aeolian desertification lands slowed down significantly after 2010. （2） In space， the aeolian desertification land was mainly distributed in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin， and the total aeolian desertification land further shrank to the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020. The reversed aeolian desertification land with a large distribution area of 2020， 35 542 km² （26.5%）， and the developed aeolian desertification with a scattered distribution area of 2 823 km² （2.1%） was mainly concentrated in the Hobq Desert， Mu Us Sandy Land， and the source area of the Yellow River. The reversal or development of aeolian desertification was dominated by the transfer to the aeolian desertification land with a lighter or a higher desertification degree， and the transfer has also slowed down significantly after 2010. （3） The area jointly driven by climate change and human activities accounted for 89.67% of the aeolian desertification dynamic area of the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020， and that driven by individual climate change or individual human activities only accounted for 7.30% and 3.03%， respectively. The relative contribution of human activities （54.91%） was generally higher than that of climate change （45.09%）， but this relative contribution of human activities decreased with the increase of the relative contribution of climate change in different periods. This work can provide a decision-making basis and reference for the key desertification control in the ecological protection and high-quality development strategy of the Yellow River Basin， and can also provide significant theoretical support for realizing the high-quality development of the Yellow River basin.