Introduction to Ordos Sandland Ecological Research Station 1.Name of station Ordos Sandland Ecological Research Station (OSERS), CAS 2.History Ordos Sandland Ecological Research Station (OSERS) was established in December, 1990, jointly by the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Yikezhao League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It is one of the earliest research stations built in the ecotone which suffer from severe desertification. Research activities in this area can be dated back as far as 1986. From then on, ecologists at the station have been dedicating themselves to the research in this region, including field survey, study on plant physiological ecology and soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC). To better support the mining exploitation, better control desertification and expand the experimental and demonstration areas, the research base at Shilongmiao was launched in 1996 according to the pattern developed by Chinese academician, Dr. Zhang Xinshi on controlling and sustainably using desertified lands in semi-arid zones. At present, OSERS consists of two research bases: one is at Shihuimiao and the other at Shilongmiao, covering a total area of 10000 mu. Through over ten years of development, the research bases are provided with various instruments and facilities, such as auto-meteorological site, runoff site, laboratory and computer analysis system. It also has a total area of 1550 m2 for office and living rooms. 3. Natural conditions, including information on administrative and geographical location, elevation, vegetation, soil and climate etc. OSERS lies in the northeastern fringe of Mu-Us Sandland of Ordos Plateau, Inner Mongolia. It is geographically located at N 39°29'37.6", E 110°11'29.4", with an altitude of 1300 mm. Lying in an eco-geographically-complicated transitional zone, it is very sensitive and vulnerable to the impact of environmental change and severely affected by desertification. Climatically, it belongs to the temperate semi-arid grassland zone, with an average annual temperature of 5.7°C. Each year, frost-free period lasts 128 days and the sunshine 2800-2900 hours. Annual rainfall and evaporation reaches 388 mm and 2500 mm respectively. Vegetation types in this area include: (1) grass and brushwood on the szyrt; (2) brushwood on the moving, semi- and stabilized sand dunes; (3) meadow on the bottomland; (4) halomorphic and marshy vegetation. Soil types are composed of: (1) chestnut soil on the szyrt; (2) Wind-induced sand on sand dunes; (3) meadow soil, saline alkali soil as well as marsh gley on the bottomland.