Morphological characteristics of Kumtagh sand dunes in Beishan,Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

The purpose of this study is to provide the basis for further study of desertification origin and the protection of ecological environment in this region.The morphological characteristics of Kumtagh sand dunes in Beishan of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were analyzed,the Landsat ETM images of morphotype of Kumtagh sand dunes were cut out,and the sharp images were also enhanced.On the basis of SRTM data,the digital elevation mode for Kumtagh sand dunes were obtained by means of three-dimensional analysis module of ArcGIS software.Simple wind figures were drawn according to the local terrain and physiognomic characteristics.The characteristics of each type of sand dune were analyzed in detail.This study results that sand dunes in Kumtagh form a long and narrow S shaped ridge due to the unique natural geographic features,and the dune morphology is diverse and complex.The main types of sand dunes are crescent dune chains and complex longitudinal sand dunes.The single crescent dunes are scattered,the linear dunes are less distributed,and the dendrite dunes are in the early development stage.