<p>&#160;Desertification is one of the main environmental problems in arid and semi-arid areas. In Otindag sandy land, the activation of fixed sand dunes caused by climate change and human activities is the main reason of the development of desertification, and the activation of fixed sand dunes is first manifested by the formation and evolution of blowouts. In recent years, with the increase of high-resolution image data, it has become possible to make use of dynamic monitoring of terrain and landscape changes in small areas, so as to accurately analyze the interaction between terrains and influencing factors on smaller landscape scales, especially dune-interdune scale. We use the high-resolution satellite image data in 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 with the ground survey data as the data source, as well as the ArcGIS software to adopt the visual interpretation method. According to the different developmental positions, the shapes of the blowouts can be divided into saucer, bowl, groove, dustpan and irregular shaped. In the study area, the ways of changes in blowout are mainly based on expansion and amalgamation between 2010 and 2019. The area of blowout increased by 6.47hm<sup>2</sup> from 2010 to 2013. During 2013-2016, the area increased by 4.89hm<sup>2</sup>, following by the next three years, it continued growing by 3.04hm<sup>2</sup>. With little disturbance of human activity, the growth of blowouts in this area is largely affected by the change of climate factors. As the dynamic factor of blowouts, the reduction in sand drift potential, only decreases the development rate and slows down the process. The shapes of the blowout themselves also work as the main influencing factor.</p>
Monitoring Sand Drift Potential and Sand Dune Mobility over the Last Three Decades (Khartouran Erg, Sabzevar, NE Iran)
