The Landscape pattern changes of desertoasis in the northern Tianshan Mountains based on GISA case study of Balikun County in the Xinjiang Province

Based on the data from LandsatTM image in the years of 2000 and 2007, GIS was used to study the landscape pattern changes of the desert oasis region in the Kazakh Autonomous County of the northern slope of Tianshan Mountain. This study showed the reduction area of water areas and rangeland areas was 623.42 and 14 566.72 ha, respectively, the increase area of unused land, farmland, settlement and industryused land was 9 397.30, 3 090.15， 259.57 and 2 443.12 ha, respectively; however, the dominant landscape type was still rangeland and unused land from 2000 to 2007. Landscape diversity index during 8 years increased 0.80 from 0.74, meanwhile the evenness index increased 0.40 from 0.35 and landscape composition increased from 8.40 to 9.40, indicating landscape diversity, landscape composition, and rangeland fragmentation increased from 2000 to 2007. The landscape dimensions increased and stability decreased, and the relatively stability of each landscape types was settlement and industryused landwater areafarmlandwoodlandrangelandunused land.