Sabina vulgaris is the dominant sand-binding shrub species in the Mu Us Sandy Land. The widely distributed biological soil crusts （BSCs） in Sabina vulgaris community are of great significance to maintain the stability of desert ecosystem. Bacteria are an important part and play important roles in maintaining the structure and function of BSCs. However， the changes of diversity and composition of the bacterial communities with the development of BSCs are not fully understood. In this study， Illumina sequencing was used to analyze bacterial communities’ diversity and composition of four different developmental stages of BSCs （microbial， algae， lichen and moss crusts） and bare sand in Sabina vulgaris community in the Mu Us Sandy Land， and to explore the main environmental factors influencing bacterial community structure. Results showed that in the Mu Us Sandy Land， the diversity of bacterial communities significantly increased with the development of BSCs （P<0.05）， and reached the highest value in the moss crusts. Bacterial communities of BSCs were dominated by the phyla of Proteobacteria， Actinobacteria， Cyanobacteria and Acidobacteria， as their relative abundance accounted for more than 78% of the total bacterial abundance in different developmental stages of BSCs. Bacterial community compositions significantly changed with the development of BSCs. In particular， the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes， which belonged to the oligotrophic bacteria in stress resistance， significantly decreased from bare sand to moss crusts， whereas the relative abundance of Actinobacteria， Acidobacteria， Bacteroidetes and Chloroflexi， which belonged to the eutrophic bacteria， significantly increased. The relative abundance of Cyanobacteria in algae crusts was significantly higher than that in other developmental stages （P<0.05）. The change of bacterial community composition indicated that the community ecological function changed with the development of BSCs， from increasing the stability of soil surface by promoting soil particle cementation to promoting the material circulation of the ecosystem by promoting carbon and nitrogen fixation and litter decomposition. Bacterial communities were sensitive indicators of soil water and nutrient changes during the development of BSCs. Mantel test showed that the bacterial community structure in BSCs was affected by soil water content， total carbon， organic carbon， total nitrogen， nitrate nitrogen and total phosphorus content.

Google Earth engine （GEE） is the most advanced platform for analysis and visualization of geographic big data， which makes remote sensing monitoring surface vegetation break through the limitations of data acquisition， local storage and low processing efficiency. Based on GEE cloud platform to calculate the NDVI of Landsat series satellite images， this paper studied the spatial and temporal variation of NDVI in Minqin oasis from 1987 to 2019， analyzed and predicted the variation trend of NDVI in Minqin oasis through unvariable linear trend analysis， stability analysis and Hurst index. The results shows that： （1） From 1987 to 2019， the annual average NDVI value of Minqin Oasis increased from 0.172 to 0.230 at the speed of 4.6%?（10a）^-1， and the multi-year average value was 0.244， showing an upward trend in 1989-2007 and 2010-2016， and a downward trend in 1987-1989， 2007-2010 and 2016-2019. During the year， NDVI ranged from -0.017 to 0.333， and the highest value was from April to October every year. In terms of spatial changes， NDVI in the periphery of the oasis has increased obviously， and the oasis has expanded to desert. （2） From 1987 to 2019， most areas of NDVI in Minqin Oasis remained basically unchanged. The periphery of the oasis in dam region and Quanshan region， the south of the lake region and Qingtu Lake showed an increasing trend. The urban area of Minqin County in the middle of the dam region and the edge of the oasis in the north of the lake region showed a decreasing trend. Basically unchanged， increasing and decreasing areas account for 81.90%， 16.25% and 1.85% of the total area respectively. （3） From 1987 to 2019， the areas with high NDVI change stability in Minqin oasis are mainly located in the southeast of the dam region， the east of Quanshan region and the north of the lake region； the regions with high volatility are mainly located in the periphery of the oasis in dam region and Quanshan region， the south of the lake region and Qingtu lake. （4） Hurst index shows that the trend of NDVI change in most areas of Minqin Oasis remains unchanged in the future. In the periphery of the oasis in the dam region and Quanshan region， in the north of the lake region and in Qingtu Lake， NDVI is likely to increase. In the middle of minqin County and the north of the lake region， NDVI is likely to decrease. The areas of NDVI basically unchanged， increased and decreased accounted for 71.62%， 12.96% and 15.42%， respectively.

Wind regime is one of the most important factors affecting the development of aeolian landforms. For wind-accumulated landforms （e.g.dunes）， wind also determines the dune types partly. In order to explore the relationship between aeolian landforms and wind， we analyzed the wind pattern in different regions of the Haerteng River for a whole year. The results show that the mean wind speed is 2.78 m·s^-1， and the sand-driving wind mainly occurs in spring and summer with a speed of 7.78 m·s^-1， and the average duration of sand-driving wind events is 4.1 h. Annual drift potential range from 122 to 254 VU， which generally belongs to the intermediate-low wind environment and the index of directional variability （RDP/DP） is mostly intermediate from 0.51 to 0.58. Regional wind regime is different and the western part is intermediate wind environment while central and eastern are low. From the west to the east， the dune types transform from simple （e.g. dome and barchan dunes） to complex （e.g. reticulate and star dunes） with the variation of wind direction and the dune morphology is consistent with wind pattern. Dunes move generally from west to east along the direction of sediment transport. Combined with wind regime and dune distribution， it is speculated that the aeolian landforms of the basin are formed by weathered debris from the eastern mountain that undergo river transportation and wind modification. This study is of great significance for comprehensive understanding the law of regional wind-sand landform differentiation and the relationship between wind regime and sand dunes. It also can provide basic data for further study about the interaction and evolution of dunes.

Plant diversity is the basis for ecosystem structure and function， and climate change has had a profound impact on it， even a serious threat. The decrease or loss of plant diversity necessarily affects the stability of ecosystem structure and function， lead to serious ecological， economic and social consequences. Studies have shown that the response of plant diversity to climate change is controlled by the dynamic balance of temperature and water. This research systematically introduced the effects of climate warming and precipitation pattern change on plant diversity. In this report， the impacts of climate change on plant diversity in different ecosystems， community types and scales （global， regional and local scale） are analyzed and the main factors that influence the difference were summarized. We also propose research hotspots and directions for future plant diversity research in different environmental conditions.

The problem of land desertification in northwest region of China is serious and the ecological environment is severe. It is of great significance to clarify the spatio-temporal variation characteristics and driving factors of vegetation cover in this area for ecological environment protection. In this study， MOD13A3 products in this area were used as the data source to obtain the NDVI sequence set from 2000 to 2019 through the maximum value synthesis method. Trend analysis， anomaly analysis， Hurst index， geographic detector， correlation analysis and residue analysis were used to analyze the spatiotemporal variation characteristics and impact factors of vegetation cover in the study area. The results showed that ：（1） In recent 20 years， the vegetation coverage in the study area showed an overall growth trend， with an increase rate of 0.0027·a^-1 and an average NDVI of 0.252. However， the growth rate of the Yellow River basin area （0.0062·a^-1） is higher than that of the semi-arid grassland area （0.0026·a^-1） and inland arid area （0.0018·a^-1）. （2） The vegetation coverage in the study area is on the rise， accounting for 55.77% of the total area， while the degraded area accounts for 3.76% of the total area. The increased land use types were mainly tillage， forest and grassland. The area with sustainable change trend of vegetation cover accounted for 31.87% of the total area， the sustainable improvement （17.04%） was greater than the sustainable degradation （1.27%）， and the growth and sustainable growth of the Yellow River basin area were the best. （3） The main contributing factors that affect the spatial distribution of vegetation cover are precipitation， temperature， sunshine and relative humidity in order of influence， but the influence degree of each sub-region is slightly different. The spatial distribution of arid areas in the Yellow River basin and inland is most affected by precipitation， and the semi-arid grassland is most affected by sunshine. （4） Vegetation cover changes is mainly driven by natural factors and human activities， and natural factors on the growth of vegetation role in promoting are greater than human activity， and natural factors on vegetation cover change in the rate of contribution are higher. The results of this study can provide reference for assessing the ecological environment change under the background of climate change in northwest China.

We collected and measured aeolian sand samples from the Mu Us Sandy Land and the Hobq Sand Sea of northern China. The data of grain sizes show that aeolian sands in the eastern and western Mu Us Sandy Land are quite different. The aeolian sands in the western Mu Us Sandy Land are much finer and better sorted compared with those in the eastern Mu Us Sandy Land. Aeolian sands in the Hobq Sand Sea show similar grain size characteristics to those of the western Mu Us Sandy Land. We conclude that the initial grain sizes of source materials could be the main factors for the regional variations across these aeolian environments. Local detritus act as an important provenance for aoelian sands of Mu Us Sandy Land and Hobq Sand Sea， and its contribution varies regionally. Influenced by complicated provenances and mixed transportation by winds and rivers， the values of mean grain size （M_z） and sorting coefficient （σ） do not show obviously spatial variations which would be associated with the prevailing wind directions in the study areas.

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.

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.

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 Yellow River Basin is an important ecological region in China， and it is of great significance to explore the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of biodiversity in this basin for regional ecological protection and restoration. In this study， the InVEST model is used to evaluate the habitat quality of the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2018， combined with the spatial autocorrelation model to explore its temporal and spatial changes characteristics. The driving factors of spatial differentiation characteristics of habitat quality are analyzed by using the single factor detection and interactive detection methods of geographic detectors. The results show that： from 2000 to 2018， the average habitat quality index of the Yellow River Basin was 0.631， with a decline rate of 0.16%， and the habitat quality index was high in the west and low in the east. The habitat quality index of the Yellow River Basin exhibits a highly positive spatial correlation characteristic， which shows that the similar values of habitat quality gather in space. The low-value areas of habitat quality are mainly concentrated in the lower reaches of the Yellow River Basin， Guanzhong Plain and Fenhe Valley， while the high-value areas of habitat quality are mainly concentrated in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. Land use cover type is the most important driving factor for the spatial differentiation of habitat quality， with q value of 0.5560. Moreover， the interaction between any two driving factors on spatial differentiation of habitat quality is greater than that of one driving factor alone， and the interaction factors between land use cover types and temperature， elevation， rainfall， slope and NDVI are all greater than 0.5.

The Yellow River Basin is an important part of ecological security strategy in China， and it is a sensitive area of climate change and a vulnerable area of ecological environment. This paper mainly analyzes and reviews the latest research progress on the characteristics， impacts， causes and countermeasures of climate change in the Yellow River Basin： （1） In recent 60 years， the temperature shows an upward trend， with an average warming rate of 0.30 ℃ per decade， and the trend of temperature rise is the most significant in winter and the smallest in summer. The precipitation in the upstream increased， while that in the middle-stream and lower-stream decreased significantly. （2） In recent years， under the joint influence of climate change and human activities， a series of problems have appeared in the Yellow River Basin， such as the reduction of runoff， the degradation of glaciers and frozen soil， the improvement of vegetation coverage， the increase of soil erosion in the ecological fragile areas of upstream and sand-producing areas of the middle-stream. The impact of climatic change on the crops is not only of advantageous aspects but also of disadvantageous， and the pets and diseases increase. The climate warming and the increase of extreme events have brought great challenges to the safe preservation of cultural heritage. （3） The evolution process of climate system in the Yellow River Basin is not only affected by its own internal power and heat， but also by external forcing factors such as atmospheric circulation， sea surface temperature and Qinghai Tibet Plateau. The change of atmospheric composition and land use/cover caused by human activities is an important factor affecting the local climate. （4） In the future， the temperature will still show an upward trend， the precipitation fluctuation will increase， and extreme weather events will occur more frequently in the Yellow River Basin. It is necessary and urgent to take adaptive measures to deal with climate change. These measures mainly include strengthening the scientific research on the impact of climate change and extreme events， improving the ability of forecasting and early warning of extreme weather events， establishing a disaster forecasting and early warning system integrating meteorology， hydrology， ecology， numerical prediction， prevention and control， strengthening the management， allocation and effective utilization of water resources， strengthening the protection of ecological environment， formulating scientific and reasonable agricultural development strategy， and promoting the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.

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.

Due to the differences in historic culture， thinking model and research process， the research perspectives， research content， and research methods of desert tourism at home and abroad are significantly diversified. This paper systematically sorts out the research results of desert tourism at home and abroad. In terms of research perspective， ecological environment， economics and sociology are the starting points for domestic scholars to analyze the desert tourism resource development value， tourism market demand， environmental carrying capacity and other key issues. Foreign scholars， with a wide range of research perspectives， mainly analyze the value of resources based on geomorphology and archeology， analyze the impact on local communities according to anthropology and ethnology， and analyze the distribution characteristics of passenger flow from the perspective of climatology. In terms of research content， desert studies at home and abroad are focused on tourism resource development， sustainable development of scenic spots， tourist behavior characteristics， etc. However， foreign tourists also pay attention to exploring tourist destination evolution patterns and characteristics of tourist source places. In terms of research methods， qualitative research is mostly adopted by domestic scholars. Quantitative research is mainly used for indicator system building， models， and questionnaires. Quantitative research is the main research method for foreign scholars， who obtain information mainly from field surveys and questionnaires for quantitative data modeling， regional comparison discussion and typical case analysis.

In order to explore the windbreak and sand-fixation effects of typical shrub plants in the desert-oasis transitional zone in the middle reaches of the Heihe River， through field investigation and observation experiments， the influence laws of sand-fixation plants Haloxylon ammodendron， Nitraria sphaerocarpa， and Calligonum mongolicum on the quantity and structure of wind-blown sand flow were quantitatively analyzed， and the influence mechanism was analyzed using the principles of aerodynamics. The results showed that the windbreak effect was Haloxylon ammodendron>Calligonum mongolicum>Nitraria sphaerocarpa， and there was a significant difference between the windward side and the leeward side. The windbreak effect of Haloxylon ammodendron was more significant than that of other shrub plants， with the maximum wind speed reduction ratio of 62.9% and the maximum effective protection distance. The sand blocking efficiency of Haloxylon ammodendron， Nitrariasphaerocarpa and Calligonum mongolicum were 60.7%， 51.0% and 46.3% respectively， and the sediment transport rate of each shrub plant decreased with height in a stepwise manner under the same wind speed. The relationship between sediment transport rate of shrub vegetation and wind speed conforms to exponential function or polynomial function. The sediment transport rate increases most rapidly when the wind speed exceeds 7.0 m·s^-1. Comprehensive analysis shows that the wind resistance effect of Haloxylon ammodendron is better than that of Nitraria sphaerocarpa and Calligonum mongolicum， but its near surface wind erosion prevention effect is average. Nitraria sphaerocarpa exhibits good wind erosion resistance due to its low and dense plant structure， but its effective protection distance is the smallest， and its wind erosion prevention effect is poor when the height is large. This result can provide a reference basis for the construction of sand-fixing vegetation in the desert oasis transitional zone in the middle reaches of the Heihe River.

The ecological restoration of mine sites is an important measure to promote the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature， and achieve green and low-carbon development. Mining remnants in arid area are characterized by poor site conditions， low vegetation coverage， and strong soil erosion caused by mining activities. The determination of a scientifically rational restoration model is crucial for the success of ecological restoration. In this study， the typical arid limestone mining remnants in Zhongwei City， Ningxia， were selected as the research object. By comparing the soil temperature， humidity， organic matter， plant survival rate， and relative growth rate of new shoots （RGRs） of seven kinds of ecological restoration plants under different soil matrix reconstruction measures， it aims to screen out the optimal mode for ecological restoration of arid limestone mining wastelands and construct an eco-restoration plan combining soil improvement and vegetation reconstruction. The results show that： （1） Soil matrix reconstruction measures are the prerequisite for ecological restoration of limestone mines， which can effectively improve plant colonization environment. The plant survival rates of different soil matrix reconstruction measures are： soil + organic fertilizer > sand + soil + organic fertilizer > sand + soil + compound fertilizer. （2） The range of soil organic matter was 0.56-2.84 g·kg^-1. Plant species and soil matrix and their interaction had a significant effect on soil organic matter content （P<0.001）. （3） The range of RGRs was 1.51-1.87 mm·cm^-1·month^-1， and there were significant differences in RGRs among different plant species. （4） Through Hierarchical clustering analysis， the most suitable ecological restoration mode for the study area was found to be sand + soil + organic fertilizer （with Calligonum mongolicum or Tamarix ramosissima as the selected plants）. This study proposes a joint ecological restoration scheme from the perspective of soil improvement-vegetation reconstruction， which can provide theoretical basis and practical reference for mine ecological restoration in arid areas.

The Second National Conference on Combating Desert had been held in September， 1959 in Urumqi， which further to demonstrate the attention and expectation from the state's responsibility for prevention and control of aeolian desertification. In the years that followed， the Scientific Investigation Team for Combating Deserts， CAS and relevant provincial （autonomous region） departments carried out a more systematic investigation， experiment， research and practice. This paper focus on following three parts： （1） Based on the experimental investigations in the filed fixed station and semi-fixed station to comprehensive control of the desert， the author discusses some progress and function in the selection and introduction of plant species for moving dune fixing and optimal allocation， the mechanical sand fixation， the moving dune's moisture state and its stabilization and afforestation， the transpiration intensity of the major psammophytes， the process of soil formation in the fixed quicksand area and the dune soil microorganisms， etc. （2） Based on the research results of several major scientific and technological issues in prevention and control of aeolian desertification， the author discusses some main progress and function in the cause of the desert， the relationship between moving regular pattern of sand dune and wind prevention and sand-fixation， the assessment of aircraft seeding， the vegetation types and their evolution law in desert， the psammophytes characteristics， rational use of grassland in desert， the classification of the Gobi Desert and its transformation and utilization， water resources and their utilization， etc. （3） The author expounds briefly the process and the achievements of prevention and control of aeolian desertification during the establishment of the People's Republic of China （PRC） from 1949 to 1965，which affirmed the research objectives， formed the spirit of pioneering dedication and effective research method， and formed preliminarily in theory， practice， team and platform of the desert science. Thus laid the foundation and conditions for the start-up and pioneering of China Desert Science， so that let it enter the development period smoothly.

Based on the MODIS NDVI vegetation index and meteorological data sets， and by utilizing the methods of Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition， trend analysis， and Random Forest Regression， this paper analyzes the spatiotemporal changes in vegetation coverage in the Yellow River Basin from 2001 to 2020 and discusses the driving factors behind the changes. The analysis produced the following findings. （1） The spatial averaged NDVI showed a significant increasing trend across the Yellow River Basin from 2001 to 2020， with a growth rate of 0.055/10a （P<0.05）. The regional growth rates of different land cover types are significantly different. Among them， the growth rate of the conversion of farmland to forest （grass） region is the fastest， followed by the agricultural land region， and the natural vegetation region. （2） Spatially， areas with increased vegetation coverage are mainly distributed in the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi， southeastern Gansu Province， the Hetao Plain of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， and in other areas where the Sloping Land Conversion Program is implemented. Meanwhile， areas with significant decline in vegetation coverage are mainly concentrated in the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomerations， the Huanghuaihai Plain， and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. （3） Regression analysis results show that the overall impact factors such as temperature， carbon dioxide concentration， and precipitation positively promote vegetation growth and the absolute contribution rate will decrease sequentially， while factors such as atmospheric vapor pressure deficit and radiation generally inhibit vegetation growth. The findings of this study provide a reference for assessing the comprehensive impact of climate change on vegetation cover changes across the Yellow River Basin.

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.

A wind tunnel simulation test was carried out on two new type of magnesium cement material sand barriers to evaluate their windbreak and sand fixation benefits. The flow field structure， sediment transport and erosion of the honeycomb and square magnesium cement plate sand barrier were compared. The results show that： （1） Both the square and honeycomb magnesium cement board sand barriers form a deceleration zone. The honeycomb sand barrier has a smaller deceleration zone， and an accelerated jet is formed above the sand barrier. （2） The most obvious deceleration occurs in the first barrier， the wind speed reduction in the second barrier is weakened， and the wind speed reduction in the third barrier is enhanced. After the third barrier， the wind speed reduction continues to increase until a certain distance is reached. The wind speed reduction begins to weaken and tends to be stable as the distance increases. As the wind speed increases， the deceleration area of the sand barrier does not decrease significantly. （3） After the installation of magnesium cement board sand barrier， the reduction rate of total sand transport of honeycomb sand barrier is lower than that of square sand barrier. When the wind speed is not less than 12 m·s^-1， the distribution law of sand transport above the sand surface is summarized into two parts： when it is lower than the height of sand barrier， the distribution of sand transport follows the exponential decay function. When it is higher than the height of sand barrier， the distribution of sand transport follows Gaussian distribution. （4） The sand surface of honeycomb sand barrier is more stable than that of square sand barrier. Combined with field observation and material cost， honeycomb magnesium cement board sand barrier has a wide application prospect in the field of windbreak and sand fixation.

Based on field investigation and literature analysis, the species distribution and flora of the Tengger Desert are systematically studied, and the characteristics of insect communities in the desert area are analyzed. The results show that there are 819 species of insects distributed in the Tengger Desert, belonging to 16 orders, 173 families and 594 genera. The fauna composition of insects is: 645 species of Paleo-Northern species, accounting for 78.75%; 27 species of Oriental species, accounting for 3.30%; and 147 species of widespread species, accounting for 17.95%. The insect distribution area is 730 species in agricultural and forestry areas, 385 species in desert steppe areas, 335 species in fixed and semi-fixed sand areas, and 62 species in quicksand areas. Insect communities in the desert area are divided into three types: mobile dune type, fixed and semi-fixed dune type and desert steppe type.

Based on the spatial data of national and provincial intangible cultural heritage （ICH） projects in Xinjiang， this study integrates relevant physical geographical environment and social， economic and cultural data， and adopts nearest neighbor analysis， kernel density estimation and spatial autocorrelation analysis to study the spatial distribution and agglomeration characteristics of ICH in Xinjiang. The geodetector model was used to explore the physical factors， economic factors and sociocultural factors affecting the spatial distribution of ICH in Xinjiang. The results show that the spatial distribution of ICH in Xinjiang is more in the north and less in the south， mainly concentrated in Kashgar， Yili， Tacheng， Bazhou and Urumqi. Traditional music and Traditional skills are the main categories of ICH， while traditional art， Quyi and drama are less distributed. The ICH of Xinjiang has obvious spatial agglomeration characteristics， and different types of ICH have different agglomeration degrees， among which traditional skills， traditional fine arts， traditional music and folk literature have higher degrees of aggregation. Traditional sports， recreational arts and acrobatics， traditional dance， traditional medicine and Quyi have relatively low levels of concentration. In space， there are the first-level agglomeration groups with Urumqi-Turpan-Korla as the core， the second-level agglomeration groups with Yining and Kashgar as the core， and several third-level agglomeration groups with Tacheng， Hami and Aksu as the centers. The spatial distribution of ICH in Xinjiang is comprehensively affected by natural factors， economic factors and social and cultural factors. Among them， the influence was as follows： Sociocultural factors （0.5494）>Economic factors （0.4597）>Physical factors （0.2285）. The interaction study found that the synergistic effect of natural factors， economic factors and sociocultural factors had a more obvious influence on the spatial distribution of ICH.

Land desertification is one of the most serious environmental problems in the Shule River Basin， and its assessment is of great importance to effectively control desertification. This paper aims to calculate environmental sensitivity index based on MEDALUS model by integrating multi-source GIS and remote sensing data. MEDALUS model takes into account four quantitative evaluation indexes of soil， vegetation， climate and management to identify desertification sensitive areas. Upon which， the causes of desertification sensitivity are analyzed. The main influencing factors of desertification sensitivity are determined by coefficient of variation method. The results show that the desertification situation in the middle and lower reaches of the Shule River Basin is severe， 17.70% of the total study area belongs to the extreme sensitivity zone， 54.34% belongs to the high sensitivity zone. The desertification sensitivity is higher in the central parts of study area， lower in the north， which is mainly controlled by management quality index related to human activities. The desertification sensitivity is gradually increased from the inside to the outside of the oasis， and the distribution is roughly layered， indicating that human activities have a significant impact on desertification. It is necessary to strengthen and consolidate the construction of the oasis edge protection system.

The contradiction between supply and demand of water resources is prominent in the Yellow River Basin of Gansu Province， which in turn exerts considerable pressure on the groundwater environment. Assessing groundwater sustainability for this area provides an important guidance for the high-quality development of the local and even the whole basin. Based on GRACE， GLDAS and groundwater monitoring well data， the variation of groundwater reserves and groundwater sustainability during 2002-2022 were analyzed for this region. The findings indicate significant seasonal fluctuations， substantial year-to-year variances， and a declining trend in the regional groundwater supplies during this period. Groundwater sustainability is generally low， with a tendency to be higher in the north and south and lower in the east and west of this region （SI=0~0.5）. The groundwater sustainability index （SI） for 2002-2022 exhibits a lowering tendency throughout that period of time， with overall high reliability， poor resilience， and high vulnerability. The intensive and extensive exploitation of groundwater for human activities （such as agricultural irrigation and industrial water use） are the key factors contributing to the loss of groundwater sustainability. The rate of groundwater decline and ongoing deterioration has been alleviated by policy initiatives， such as water restrictions and ecological restoration. In the future， the strategies of "saving water rather than withdrawing more for ecological conservation" should be considered to promote the sustainable improvement of groundwater resources in the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin.

Soil salinization is an important environmental problem that threatens lands in arid regions. Using remote sensing technology to dynamically monitor soil salinity and analyze the level and spatial distribution of soil salinity is conducive to grasping the current situation of soil salinization， and providing a theoretical basis for the sustainable utilization of land resources. However， most of the existing studies focus on the field scale， with the increasing scale of soil environmental problems， the extraction of regional patch information cannot macroscopically simulate and display the spatial distribution of the overall soil environment. To solve this problem， taking the Alxa area as an example， combined with remote sensing spectral index and measured soil salt data， this paper built soil salinization inversion model at regional scale by using the partial least squares regression （PLSR） method to realize the accurate simulation and quantitative monitoring of soil salinity in a large area. The results show that the verification accuracy of the model reaches 0.8788， reaching a very significant level， and the prediction results are more consistent with the actual situation， which can accurately simulate the soil salinization in the study area. Due to the comprehensive influence of terrain， climate， landscape type， agricultural activities， and land management， about 20% of the regional soil in Alxa shows varying degrees of salinization， and the most serious soil salinization areas are the riparian zone of the lower reaches of Heihe River， the west side of Yabulai Mountain， and the alluvial fan on the west side of Helan Mountain. This study can provide a feasible method for the rapid monitoring and remote sensing quantitative inversion of soil salinity in a large area， and provide a basis for the treatment of different degrees of salinized soil and land use management in this area.

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.

The rapid and accurate mapping of desert type distribution is of great significance for environmental protection and ecological restoration. However， due to the influence of spectral and resolution factors， the current research on the extraction of information about different desert types is obviously insufficient. In this study， Dulan County of Qinghai Province was selected as a typical area. The desert was classified based on GEE platform and multi-source data， and the classification performance of different classification features combined with three machine learning methods （RF， SVM and CART） was compared and evaluated. The results show that （1） RF outperforms CART and SVM， and the overall classification accuracy using the RF classifier and spectral features， radar features， terrain features and texture features is the highest， with an overall accuracy of 95.68%， a Kappa coefficient of 0.95， an F_M score of 94.28%， and an obtained desert area of Dulan County is 29 039 km2. （2） In the assessment of feature importance scores， elevation and VH contribute more to the desert classification， while other features do not contribute much. （3） Based on the use of spectral data， radar features are the most helpful for identifying gravel and loamy deserts， while terrain features are more suitable for identifying other types of deserts.

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.

The source of dust over the Tibetan Plateau is an important issue in the field of the plateau environment and climate. Previous studies have found that dust over the plateau comes from local release and transport by external deserts， but there are still deficiencies in quantitative analysis and sensible heat analysis of external deserts and seasonal contribution of dust over the plateau. In this paper， WRF-Chem （Weather Research and Forecasting coupled with Chemistry） is employed to study the seasonal distribution and transport of dust over the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas. The results show that the dust column loading seasonal variation trend is consistent with sensible heat in the dust source areas. Dust released by East Asian deserts （Gurbantunggut Desert， Taklimakan Desert， Gobi Desert） and South Asian desert （Thar Desert） accounts for more than 80% of total dust aerosol over the Tibetan Plateau. Dust released by The Taklimakan Desert contributes the most to the dust over the Tibetan Plateau in each season， at 40%. The contribution of Thar desert to plateau dust in spring and summer is relatively significant （about 25%）.

Since the middle of the 20th century， desert tourism has risen and been loved by the public， and the improvement of the ecological environment has also prompted many sightseeing-type desert-themed scenic spots to vacation-type. The number of desert scenic spots in China has increased year by year towards high quality and diversification. However， desert scenic spots also face many difficulties in the development process， such as the financing difficulties caused by high construction cost， short stay for the tourists， single tourism products， insufficient publicity and other problems. Based on the analysis of relevant website data and the comparison of excellent cases at home and abroad， this article makes a forward-looking reflection on the problems existing in desert tourism， and puts forward five solutions， which are to broaden financing channels， strengthen product innovation， reasonably allocate activities and accommodation facilities， create scenic roads and promote with the help of new media.

In order to explore the sand fixation effectiveness and service life of polylacticacid sand barriers， polylacticacid sand barriers were taken on the shifting sand dunes in the desertified rangeland with a high altitude in Maqu County， and the aging test was conducted in Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification. The results showed that the polylacticacid sand barriers were effective in radiation resistance， aging resistance and sand fixation.

Taking 66 cities in the Yellow River Basin as the research object， and selecting 34 indicators from new development philosophy to construct a high-quality development index system， the entropy method was used to calculate the high-quality development level of the Yellow River Basin， and the high-quality development level and the average growth volume and average growth rate of the high-quality development level are used as variables to analyze spatial correlation and pattern evolution characteristics of high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020 by ways of ESDA. The result shows that：（1）Similar high-quality development levels cities in the Yellow River Basin had spatial correlation during the study period， and the high-quality development levels increased amid fluctuations， and the development tended to be balanced. （2） From 2000 to 2015， the average growth volume and average growth rate of high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin had significant spatial correlations， the evolution characteristics tended to shift from strong agglomerations to weak ones and to strong ones， cities with similar growth were close to each other； but in 2015-2020， cities with similar growth were randomly distributed and spatially uncorrelated. （3） The spatial pattern of high-quality development average growth volume and average growth rate changed greatly， with high-value regions migration from the east to middle and then to the west. The number of high-value regions was greater than the number of low-value regions， and the overall high-quality development speed of the Yellow River Basin was relatively fast. Average growth volume hot and cold areas changed from a relative dispersion to a centralized distribution one and then to a decentralized layout one， and the average growth rate of similar cities evolved from relatively scattered to concentrated and contiguous one， and different levels of hot and cold spots were distributed in layers.（4）Regions with relatively weaker development foundations displayed a higher growth rate， and urban agglomerations were still key areas to drive high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. In the future， we should adhere to the new development philosophy， innovate the urban agglomeration cooperation model， and promote the high-quality integrated development of the Yellow River Basin.

The grain-size characteristics of sediments are the key indicators that reflect the sediment sources and the sedimentary environment. The diversity of granular analysis methods restricts the systematic integration and analysis of multi-source data. Based on three groups of aeolian sediment samples (a total of 222), the grain-size parameters including Average Grain-Size (M_z), Sorting-Coefficient (σ), Skewness (SK), and Kurtosis(K_g) are calculated by Folk-Word Graphical-Method, McManus Moment and Friedman Moment Methods. The results show that the linear correlativity of M_z and σ, respectively obtained by the Graphical-Method and the Moment-Method, is prominent in the three groups of samples，which is not related to the sedimentary environment. SK and K_g obtained by the three calculation methods are basically not correlated and non-interchangeable, which is closely related to the differences of sedimentary environment and the morphology of frequency curve of grain-size. Statistically, the numerical significance of K_g should be contrary to that of σ, i.e. negative correlation. Therefore, the Friedman Moment-Method is more applicable. In the process of granularity analysis, we should fully consider the differences in different calculation methods and establish corresponding qualitative grading standards.

Soil quality assessment is the key to effectively protect soil， and it is crucial to ensure ecosystem stability， regional ecological security and sustainable development. The Qaidam Basin is the most serious wind erosion area in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The change of soil system caused by wind erosion has a profound impact on the ecological security barrier and water conservation function of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Based on the analysis of physical and chemical properties of surface soil in typical wind erosion areas of Qaidam Basin， this paper uses principal component analysis to establish the minimum data set， and constructs the comprehensive index of soil quality for soil quality evaluation. The results show that the soil bulk density， calcium carbonate， organic matter， total nitrogen， total phosphorus and available phosphorus content in Qaidam Basin only reach the fourth or fifth grade under the quality classification standard of the second national soil census. The quality of soil physical and chemical indicators is poor. In terms of spatial distribution， the contents of organic matter， total nitrogen， available phosphorus， total phosphorus and sand in the eastern region of Qaidam Basin are higher than those in the western region， while the contents of available potassium and gravel in the western region are higher than those in the eastern region. The minimum data set （ MDS ） of soil quality evaluation in Qaidam Basin includes five indicators ： bulk density， organic matter， total phosphorus， available potassium and sand content. The soil quality comprehensive index （ MDS-SQI ） based on the MDS has good representativeness and applicability. The overall soil quality in Qaidam Basin is poor， and gradually deteriorates from the eastern region to the western region. The soil quality in the study area is divided into grade I-V from good to poor. Grade I-II sampling points are mainly distributed in the eastern region， and the area is small. Grade III-V sampling points are mainly distributed in the central and western regions. The wind erosion intensity in Qaidam Basin is significantly negatively correlated with MDS-SQI， and the prevention and control of soil wind erosion in Qaidam Basin is an important measure to curb the continuous deterioration of soil quality.

Biological soil crusts （BSCs） is a complex of microorganism， cyanobacteria， lichen and moss that occur on or within top few centimeters of the soil surface. BSCs usually distributes in the dryland regions， and is an organizing principle in drylands. As the pioneers occurred in the desert ecosystems， BSCs can improve the stability of sand surface， fix carbon and nitrogen， increase soil fertility， and maintain soil moisture. In addition， BSCs plays a crucial role in the restoration of degraded soil surface. This article introduced the biological mechanism to fix sand through the ecological relationships between species replacements and the changes in ways of sand grain binding. The local dominant species （such as Microcoleus vaginatus， Syntichia caninevis and Bryum argenteum） in the field are recommended for the BSCs rehabilitation. Mass cultivation can be attained via the steps from species isolation in the laboratory to factory production in greenhouse， thus proving abundant inoculum for field growth. We also explored the species composition， physical and chemical assistance models during the field inoculation， and suggested that we need assess the growth according to surface stability， soil nutrient and species diversity of artificial BSCs. Last， we introduced the developments in sand fixation though artificial BSCs in China， and the experiences and challenges of BSCs rehabilitation. Our reviews suggest that artificial BSCs rehabilitation is a prospecting option for the ecological restoration.

It is important to study the characteristics of species diversity and the relationship between species diversity and environment in sandy land communities to maintain the structure and function of sandy land ecosystem. Based on the community and environmental data of 83 plots in the Otindag Sandy Land， this study analyzed the community species diversity and its influencing factors by quantitative ecology method， and explored the characteristics of species diversity and its environmental explanations in the Otindag Sandy Land. The results showed that： （1） The main communities are Form. Ulmus pumila， Form. Caragana microphylla， Form. Salix gordejevii and Form. Prunus pedunculata. The main environmental factors affecting the community distribution in this area are precipitation in the growing season， temperature， soil total nitrogen and total potassium content. The difference of precipitation significantly affectes the distribution pattern of the community. （2） The distribution of plant diversity in the Otindag Sandy Land shows regular changes. The diversity indices increases with the increase of longitude and altitude， Patrick index and Shannon-wiener index decreases with the increase of latitude， Simpson index and Pielou index increases with the increase of latitude. Patrick index， Simpson index and Shannon-wiener index are significantly positively correlated with precipitation in the growing season， soil organic carbon and available nitrogen contents， and negatively correlated with mean temperature， accumulated temperature above 0 ℃ and wind speed in the growing season. None of the environmental variables is significantly correlated with Pielou index. The results of this study elucidate the rules of species diversity and plant community distribution in the Otindag Sandy Land， as well as their relationships with key environmental factors， which are beneficial to improve the diversity and stability of plants in the sandy land and enhance the ecological function of vegetation in the sandy land.

The Otindag Sandy Land is reported to be one of the most seriously desertified areas in China. In this paper， we reviewed 220 published peer-reviewed studies conducted in the Otindag Sandy Land since 1980s and discussed existing shortcomings and challenges. Indicators， major methods and key finding were summarized from three aspects including the aeolian desertification and its driving forces， the eco-environmental impacts， and the sustainable use of desertified lands in the Otindag Sandy Land. The number of related papers increased abruptly from 2003. Results indicated that the aeolian desertification of the Otindag Sandy Land intensified from late 1980s to 2000， but showed a reverse trend after 2000. Climate change is the key factor triggering regional desertification. Overgrazing and vegetation construction are the direct and dominant human factors for the expanding or shrinking of the desertified lands. The aeolian desertification had impacts on dust weather and various ecosystem services such as forage provision， erosion control. Studies on plant adaptability and evaluations of desertification control technology provided theory support for local desertification combating. Future research needs to further focus on government’s needs to accurately propose scientific questions， enrich research scales and scientific methods， in order to correctly understand the complex desertification process， and to provide scientific support for the sustainable use of desertified lands in drylands.

Carbon is one of the primary elements， and the carbon cycle is an important link between nature and social systems. There are two pathways of natural carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems， one is plant carbon assimilation， the other is soil carbon assimilation. People always pay attention to the plants organic carbon sequestration， and little attention on the soil inorganic carbon sequestration. In this paper， we reviewed the research progress on C₄ woody plants which have strong carbon sequestration ability， and soil inorganic carbon sequestration in desert region of China. Comprehensive analysis of the anatomical structure observation， δ¹³C values and gas exchange characteristics， it was concluded that the desert plants Haloxylon ammodendron and Calligonum mongolicum are typical C₄ woody plants. The assimilation shoots of H. ammodendron has a large number of crystal-containing cells， while the assimilation shoots of C. mongolicum has many mucilage cells. The inorganic carbon sequestration capacity of deserts in an arid region has not been for a properly explained. By analyzing the soil inorganic carbon density and their storage in gravel desert （gobi）， sand desert， and silt desert， Su Peixi et al. proposed the concept of soil carbon assimilation for the first time in 2018， and three stages of soil carbon assimilation were given to explain the phenomenon of soil inorganic carbon sequestration. Compared with the plant carbon assimilation， soil carbon assimilation is the major pathway of carbon sequestration in desert. Finally， we prospected the research direction of desert C₄ woody plants and soil carbon assimilation， and discussed the possible contributions to China's carbon neutral goal before 2060.

The global environment has undergone profound changes since the industrial revolution. Due to the poor stability， anti-interference and self-recovery abilities of ecosystems， global change has led to the decline of natural resource supply capacity， land degradation， biodiversity reduction， frequent disasters， and increased ecosystem risks in ecologically vulnerable regions. Therefore， it is urgent to implement researches on global change risk in ecologically vulnerable regions. This study mainly summarized the researches on the risk sources and the impact of global change on ecologically vulnerable areas of China， as well as the response to global change. The study then put forward the future strategies for global change to promote the in-depth understanding of the response of ecosystem to global change and improve the ability to cope with global change in typically and ecologically vulnerable regions of China. The risk of global change in ecologically vulnerable regions comes from the impact of environmental change on complex systems of natural， social， and economic. Global change has a great impact on the ecosystem of ecologically vulnerable regions， with climate change as the main symbol and human activities as the main driving force. Global change causes extreme climate events， frequent disasters， land degradation， the reduction of vegetation productivity and biodiversity， the melting of glaciers and frozen soil， and the change of water resources pattern， which may intensify under the continuous impact of global change in the future. However， the implementation of ecological construction project has significantly improved the ecological environment. In the future， we should strengthen the researches on the coupling of natural， social， and economic systems， the monitoring of resources and environmental factors， and the risk assessment and early warning of global change.

Desert ecosystem is the major components in the arid area of Northwest China， which is one of the most typical fragile ecosystems. Sand burial has an important impact on the survival and colonization of plant， distribution and composition of vegetation in this area， as well as the function and structure of desert ecosystem. This study compared the physiological and growth differences of the typical desert plants， Haloxylon ammodendron， Tamarix chinensis， Nitraria tangutorum and Calligonum mongolicum under light sand burial and no sand burial， and explored the reasons for the differences from the aspects of soil salinity， soil moisture and soil temperature. The results showed that the photosynthetic rate of H. ammodendron， T. chinensis， N. tangutorum and C. mongolicum under sand burial were generally higher than that of no sand burial， and the transpiration rate was significantly lower than that of no sand burial， and the water use efficiency was also higher than that under no sand burial. The plant height of H. ammodendron， T. chinensis，C. mongolicum and N. tangutorum under sand burial was significantly lower than that of no sand burial， but the ground diameter， crown width and leaf area index were generally higher than those of no sand burial. The main reason was that soil clay content and soil moisture under sand burial were higher than those under no sand burial. Whereas soil temperature and soil salt under sand burial was lower than that under no sand burial. The research can provide a theoretical basis for vegetation reconstruction and restoration in desert.

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.