Abstract: On the basis of TM image interpretation, this study was to monitor the dynamic change of land desertification with an area of 8 355.20 km² in Minin Oasis and its peripheral areas during the period from 2003 to 2008. The results show that land desertification was serious and its area accounted for more than 80% of the monitored area. The desertification land in Minqin Oasis was divided into two types, i.e. the wind-eroded desertification and salinized desertification, and it was distributed in the oasis and its peripheral areas in a zonal way. In 2003, the total area of land desertification in the monitoring area was 671 333.08 hm². and accounted for 80.35% of the total area; in 2008, it was reduced to 670 396.13 hm². and accounted for 80.24% of the total. During the period from 2003 to 2008, the area of land desertification was reduced by 936.95 hm². and occupied 0.11% of the total in the monitoring area, in which the areas of wind-eroded desertification land and salinized desertification land were 0.49 hm². and 936.45 hm². respectively. Viewing from the desertification degree, the areas of serious desertification land and slight desertification land were reduced by 4 347.15 hm². and 172.00 hm². respectively, but the area of moderate desertification land was enlarged by 3 582.21 hm². The reduced desertification land was mainly distributed in the oasis and its peripheral zonal regions of 0-2 km and 4-6 km in width, in which the area of reduced desertification land was the largest in the peripheral zonal region of 0-2 km, then in the oasis, and it was the smallest in the peripheral zonal region of 4-6 km; the enlarged desertification land was mainly distributed in the peripheral zonal region of 2-4 km and 6-20 km in width, and the enlarged extent was small. The desertification index of the Minqin Oasis was 2.256 5 in 2003 and 2.249 3 in 2008 respectively, it was between the moderate index and the serious one, and it was slightly decreased. Therefore, the development of land desertification was holistically kept within limits.

Key words: land desertification, evaluate, desertification types, monitoring of dynamic change, Minqin, Oasis