Abstract:
This study aimed to assess the changes in oasis patterns and the ecological structure of water consumption in Xinjiang, China. Remote sensing information and statistical analysis were applied to study the evolution patterns of Xinjiang's oases and water consumption in the province from the 1990s onward. In doing so, we aimed to reveal the proportional relationship between the socioeconomics and ecology of water consumption. The results showed that the ratio of artificial to natural oases increased from 0.625∶1 to 1.3∶1. Overall, the consumption of artificial and natural oases showed a fluctuating growth trend: the consumption of artificial and natural oases was 125.0 and 45.8 billion m
3, respectively, in 1990, increasing to 18.22 and 7.19 billion m
3, respectively, by 2018. Spatially, the consumption of Xinjiang's oasis water was higher in the north and lower in the south. The total ecological water consumption in Xinjiang was 32.97 billion m
3. Furthermore, the water consumption of natural ecosystems is was 21.80 billion m
3, and the ratios to the total available amount of water amount are were 49.6% and 32.8%, respectively.