Evaluation of oasis stability in the lower reaches of the Tarim River

 Oasis stability in the lower reaches of the Tarim River was assessed at the landscape scale (including changes in landscape pattern and land use in the oasis) and at the regional scale (including the cold-island effect and NDVI of the oasis) based on the methods of landscape ecology, GIS and Remote Sensing (RS). Thematic Mapping (TM) remote sensing images from 1990, 2000 and 2009 were employed along with the related meteorological and hydrological data pertaining to the reclamation area of the oasis in the lower reaches of the Tarim River. The results indicated that landscape heterogeneity and oasis complexity increased between 1990 and 2000. The comprehensive index of the degree of land use, the average index of the cold-island effect, NDVI value and oasis stability all decreased. However, the change trends in the indices referred to above were opposite between 2000 and 2009, and oasis stability was enhanced to some extent.