Past desertification processes of Minqin Oasis in arid China

Abstract

Irrigated farming has affected most natural oases in western China since the Han Dynasty employed advanced agricultural techniques in dryland areas. To date, little is documented about the process through which these oases were modified by human systems. In this study, a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating analysis of historical documents, archaeological field surveys, satellite imagery, and GIS data was used to understand desertification processes in the Minqin Basin in Gansu Province, China, over the historical period. Results suggest that initial reclamation efforts around the Minqin Oasis were launched in the Han Dynasty (121 BC–220 AD) and culminated in the Wei and Jin Dynasty (220–420). During the following 800 years from the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–581) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), farmland disappeared and became desert when the region was taken over by nomadic people. The second period of intense development occurred in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and was followed by another more aggressive development in the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), which resulted in the largest reclaimed area in history. Oases were constantly reclaimed and subsequently abandoned and desertified over the whole historical period. The causes were complex, but the major cause was related to dynastic transition that often resulted in changes in national policies.

Keywords:

• desert reclamation
• desertification
• dynastic change
• land-use change
• land-cover change
• dryland degradation

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, No. 2009CB421306), Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 40401060), and projects funded by NASA (NNG05GD49G and NNX08AH50G). Special thanks to Ms. Dresden Kalin for her detailed edits of the manuscript.