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  • © 2022

Combating Aeolian Desertification in Northeast Asia

  • The first comprehensive book addressing a multitude of aspects of aeolian desertification and dust storm
  • Provides solutions based on international frameworks to tackle the desertification and dust storm challenge
  • Presents a long time-series monitoring of aeolian desertification in Northeast Asia

Part of the book series: Ecological Research Monographs (ECOLOGICAL)

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
  2. Overview of Aeolian Desertification

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Environmental and Ecological Setting in Northeast Asia

      • Tao Wang, Mandakh Nyamtseren
      Pages 17-58
    3. Driving Factors of Aeolian Desertification

      • Tao Wang, Xian Xue, Bing Liu, Heqiang Du
      Pages 75-97
    4. Aeolian Desertification Processes

      • Tao Wang, Xueyong Zhao, Tonghui Zhang
      Pages 99-128
    5. Impacts of Aeolian Desertification and Dust Storms on Ecosystems, Economic Development, and Human Health

      • Yasunori Kurosaki, Toshihiko Kinugasa, Mandakh Nyamtseren, Shulin Liu, Shinji Otani
      Pages 129-158
  3. Measures to Combat Aeolian Desertification

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 159-159
    2. Engineering Measures to Combat Aeolian Desertification

      • Xian Xue, Kecun Zhang, Weimin Zhang
      Pages 181-200
    3. Biological Measures to Combat Aeolian Desertification

      • Xueyong Zhao, Xiaoan Zuo, Yuqiang Li, Xinping Liu, Shaokun Wang, Juanli Chen et al.
      Pages 201-217
    4. Integrated System to Combat Aeolian Desertification and Disasters

      • Weimin Zhang, Lihai Tan, Kecun Zhang, Xian Xue
      Pages 219-241
  4. Successful Stories for Combating Aeolian Desertification from Countries in Northeast Asia

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 257-257
    2. Implementation of Measures to Combat Aeolian Desertification in Mongolia

      • Tao Wang, Mandakh Nyamtseren, Jing Pan
      Pages 279-293
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 311-317

About this book

This book presents the definition of aeolian desertification and uncovers its processes, driving factors, and consequences, and focuses on measures to effectively combat aeolian desertification in Northeast Asia.

Aeolian desertification in Northeast Asia is of great concern for its destructive influences on the environment and society not only in the local but also in faraway areas. The topics of this book are addressed by compiling theoretical review, remote sensing monitoring, synoptic analysis, and laboratory and field studies in China, Japan, and Mongolia.

This is the first comprehensive book to address the aeolian desertification in Northeast Asia. Readers can learn the basic theory of aeolian desertification and the primary causes of this environmental problem. More critical is the successful practical countermeasures to combat desertification which can be referred to by various stakeholders who concern the aeolian desertification in Northeast Asia.

To meet the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations adopted in 2015, especially its Goal 15.3 to achieve a land degradation-neutral world by 2030, desertification combating actions should be taken cross country borders. This book is not only intended for environmental professionals but also for people who are affected and concerned about desertification and land degradation. The concept and processes in this book will serve as a ready reference to understand the aeolian desertification with countermeasures and successful preventing stories that can be referred to.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China

    Tao Wang, Xian Xue

  • Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan

    Atsushi Tsunekawa, Yasunori Kurosaki

About the editors

Dr. Tao WANG is a professor at Northwest Institute of Eco-environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CSA). He obtained his doctoral degree from Lanzhou Institute of Desert Research, CAS. He has been at the forefront of aeolian desertification and disaster research and control since 1983, and obtained encouraging results on the status, causes, blown sand physics and biology process, development, and reversal trend of aeolian desertification in Northern China. His work has helped the national policy maker and organ of authority to take notice of aeolian desertification and provided theoretical foundation and technique system for implementation of national layout and projects to combat aeolian desertification and disaster. He served the UNCCD for years as member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of Third Scientific Conference (SAC, UNCCD) and as member of Science-Policy-Interface (SPI) of the UNCCD.

Atsushi Tsunekawa is a professor at Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University (Japan). He graduated from the Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Tokyo, after which he joined the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan. Currently, he serves as a professor at the Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, and also serves as a head of Strategic Management Office of International Platform for Dryland Research and Education, Tottori University. His primary scholarly interests are developing sustainable land management (SLM) technologies and approaches to restore degraded land and improve farmers’ livelihood, and monitoring and modelling of terrestrial ecosystems under climate change using remote sensing and GIS. He has been selected as a Science and Technology Correspondent from Japan to the Committee on Science and Technology of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.


Xian Xue is a professor at Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER), Chinese Academyof Sciences. She obtained her PhD in physical geography from the Graduate School at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2002. As the head, she currently leads the Department of Desert and Desertification in the NIEER, the Dryland Salinization Station of NIEER, and the Salinization Research Station of Gansu Province. Prof. Xue’s main research fields are desertification and restoration, and climate and environmental change in arid and cold regions. Her interest focuses on the dynamic process and mechanism of desertification and its rehabilitation. One of her current research is exploring the impact of global warming and human activity on land degradation in the arid and alpine ecosystems. Her other work is to explore restoration possibilities of degraded land in the drylands by integrating water management, sustainable agriculture, and biological techniques with her team.


Yasunori Kurosaki is a professor at Arid Land Research Center (ALRC), Tottori University, Japan. He obtained his PhD from Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba. His main research theme is elucidation of the aeolian dust emission mechanisms. Prof. Kurosaki began his research at the Meteorological Research Institute, Japan Meteorological Agency, in 2001, and he has continued it at Chiba University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Tottori University. He has elucidated the causes of aeolian dust emission that change with time and place in drylands of Northeastern Asia mainly by analyzing meteorological observatory data and GIS data such as satellite data. He has also studied it by field surveys in the Gobi Desert. His interest and the purpose of his research are to apply his elucidated mechanisms to improve numerical aeolian dust models and to prevent wind erosion and aeolian dust damage.


Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access