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Arid Land Geography ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (10): 1695-1706.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.152

• The Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatio-temporal variation and influencing factors of Turpan-Hami region oasis in the past 40 years

ZHOU Ziyu1,2(), DANG Ruoyuan1,2, YANG Shuyu3, WANG Lei4, XU Jiliang1,2, LI Jingwen1,2, AN Lizhe1,2()   

  1. 1. College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
    2. State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources, Beijing 100083, China
    3. School of Economics and Management Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
    4. School of Marxism Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
  • Received:2025-03-21 Revised:2025-04-24 Online:2025-10-25 Published:2025-10-27
  • Contact: AN Lizhe E-mail:zhouziyu@bjfu.edu.cn;anlizhe@bjfu.edu.cn

Abstract:

As a strategic hub along the Silk Road Economic Belt, the Turpan-Hami region plays a vital role in maintaining ecological balance and supporting economic development through its evolving oasis systems. This study examines the spatiotemporal characteristics of oasis variations and their driving factors in the Turpan-Hami region, using land use datasets, socioeconomic indicators, and ArcGIS-based oasis delineation techniques. The main findings are as follows: (1) Over four decades, total oasis expansion reached 1651.47 km2, with phased development patterns: Moderate growth of 222.50 km2 during 1980—2000, expansion of 440.71 km2 with marked fluctuations during 2000—2010, followed by accelerated stabilization at 988.26 km2 during 2010—2020. (2) Spatially, the most significant transformations occurred in Aiding Lake Township of Gaochang District and the Alagou River Basin in Turpan City, while in Hami City expansion concentrated on the urban fringe of Yizhou District and the Tianshan Mountain-fed agricultural oases in Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County. (3) The oasis centroid shifted notably, gradually migrating from Shanshan County of Turpan to Yizhou District of Hami, with distinct spatial heterogeneity in trajectory patterns across subregions. (4) Snow water equivalent and socioeconomic factors jointly influenced oasis dynamics, with snow water equivalent identified as the dominant driver. Oasis evolution in Hami showed stronger correlations with socioeconomic indicators (e.g., GDP), whereas in Turpan natural determinants, including snow water equivalent and total water availability, played the primary role. These findings provide an empirical basis for developing sustainable strategies and optimizing water resource governance in this ecologically fragile region.

Key words: oasis, spatio-temporal variation, shift of center of gravity, geographic detectors, Turpan-Hami region