Monitoring recent trends in the area of aeolian desertified land using Landsat images in China’s Xinjiang region

China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is located in a region with an arid climate, and suffers from severe aeolian desertification. Aeolian desertified land (ADL) is widely distributed in the region and strongly constrains sustainable socioeconomic development. In this study, we used Landsat MSS, TM, and ETM images from 1975, 1990, 2000, and 2010 to classify the intensity of aeolian desertification in four categories (slight, moderate, severe, and extremely severe). Using these data, we developed an ADL database and use it to discuss the evolution of ADL during the study period, along with the desertification and restoration processes and the causes of the desertification. We found 47,833 km2 of ADL in 2010, most of which (more than 57%) was rated as extremely severe or severe. The area of ADL increased by 2228 km2 between 1975 and 1990 (by 4.67%). In contrast, some areas of ADL have been restored, so that the area of ADL has decreased since 1990: by 930 km2 from 1990 to 2000 (1.86%) and by 1223 km2 from 2000 to 2010 (2.49%). Based on the analysis of effects of climate changes and human activities in the region, aeolian desertification was principally driven by human activities in this area; climatic variations had less effect on the area of severe desertification. And the driving force need for more detailed quantitative analysis with more frequent remotely sensed data.