Fractional vegetation cover data (FVC) based on the annual maximum NOAA/AVHRR NDVI (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer normalized difference vegetation index) data and the ground meteorological data have been used to analyze the relationship between the temporal and spatial evolution of ecological landscape pattern and climate change in Xinjiang Autonomous Region

China from 1982 to 1993.It is found that during this period

the average oasis cropland or low-damp forest-shrub meadow area occupies 7.5% of the whole region

desert 25.70%; temperate semi-arbor desert 21.70%; temperate shrub and semi-shrub desert (8.36%;) alpine subalpine desert steppe 7.71%; temperate gramineous and ruderal steppe 7.63%; mountain forest steppe 2.13%; high-cold barren 8.93%; high-cold low semi-shrub desert 9.08%; water/ice 1.26%. Compared with the 30-year (1961-1990) climatology

the 12-year average annual surface air temperature and precipitation over the whole region increase by 0.28℃ and 23.6 mm respectively. The maximum increase of precipitation did not occur over the mountain region

instead it occurs over the region with a concentrated distribution of oases

suggesting the positive role of oases in adjusting regional climate. The area of temporal steppe also increased with the growith of precipitation and temperature. Together

these results demonstrate that

during the 12-year period

the condition of vegetation cover was improved and large-scale desertification did not occur in Xinjiang.