Abstract:Nitratia tangutorum nebkhas is a desert landscape which was shaped by aeolian sand. Study on response of morphological characteristics and distribution of Nitraria tangutorum nebkhas to sand supply can provide a basis for further study of its formation and evolution. This study was conducted at an area where had a massive Nitratia tangutorum nebkhas at the southern margin of the Badain Jaran Desert. The morphological characteristics and distribution pattern of the nebkhas were investigated and analyzed. The results showed that the nebkhas in early stage and developmental stage accounted for 24.0% and 42.2%, respectively, of the total nebkhas. The mean distance between adjacent nebkhas was only 9.8 m. Along prevailing wind direction, the distances between adjacent nebkhas changed rapidly from big to small, keeping it for a distance and then enlarged slowly. The densities changed conversely. Under the influence of high sand supply and resulted strong soil erosion and deposition transformation, the stabilization process of Nitraria tangutorum Nebkhas was slowed down, the parameters of all the morphological characteristics were small. Correlation analysis showed that there were significant correlations between nebkhas height, length, width, windward slope length, leeward slope length, and basal area (P < 0.01). The results indicate that under the abundant supply of sand, the Nitratia tangutorum nebkhas in this area were in its early and middle stage of the whole growth phase, and showed big density with small shape landscape traits.