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Arid Land Geography ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (6): 1168-1179.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.368

• Vegetation and Pedology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatiotemporal variation characteristics and management model analysis of saline-alkali land in the Tarim Basin

CAO Zhaolin1(), RAN Duojuan2, SUN Aijun1,3(), LI Yunfeng1, ZHANG Hong1, MENG Fujun1, LI Guohui2, WANG Xingpeng1,3   

  1. 1 College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Tarim University, Alar 843300, Xinjiang, China
    2 Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Center for Territorial Land Rehabilitation and Natural Resources, Urumqi 830000, Xinjiang, China
    3 Tarim Institute of Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Alar 843300, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2025-06-27 Revised:2025-08-21 Online:2026-06-25 Published:2026-06-29
  • Contact: SUN Aijun E-mail:18252589720@163.com;sunaj20@lzu.edu.cn

Abstract:

The Tarim Basin is the primary distribution area of saline-alkali land in China, where severe salinization has become a critical constraint on local agricultural production and ecological security. In this paper, we systematically review the research progress on the formation mechanisms, spatiotemporal change characteristics, and management technologies of saline-alkali land in the Tarim Basin. Our findings indicate that salinization in the Tarim Basin results from the combined effects of natural factors and anthropogenic activities. In recent years, the saline-alkali land area in oasis zones along the basin’s periphery has markedly declined and exhibited an increasingly fragmented spatial distribution; however, the potential for remediation remains substantial. Currently, the basin employs a limited range of management strategies for saline-alkali land. Notable technologies, such as concealed pipe salt drainage and salt-tolerant crop cultivation, have yielded initial positive results, yet an integrated system of comprehensive saline-alkali land management technologies is lacking. Moving forward, it is essential to integrate high-resolution remote sensing technology to establish a dynamic monitoring system for salinization in the Tarim Basin. In addition, an integrated “water-soil-grain-forage-livestock” management model tailored to the regional characteristics of the Tarim Basin should be developed, further advancing low-cost saline-alkali water desalination and recycling technologies and establishing demonstration and pilot zones for saline-alkali land management to strengthen the dissemination of reclamation technologies, thereby achieving comprehensive saline-alkali land management and promoting the sustainable ecological development of the region.

Key words: saline-alkali land, formation mechanism, spatiotemporal distribution, integrated management, Tarim Basin