Lop Nur Lake was a huge lake located at the eastern end of the Tarim Basin,Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region,northwest China.According to the aerial photography taken in 1958,there was obvious water observed within the western part of Lop Nur Lake,or the West Lop Nur Lake.However,there was no sign of water on the Landsat MSS image acquired in 1972.The eastern part of Lop Nur Lake was shown as an “Ear” feature on the Landsat MSS image and is well known since then.Lop Nur Lake lost its last water before 1972 according to the Landsat MSS image and early field reconnaissance carried out by Chinese scientists since 1980s.Lop Nur catchment was an important section of the ancient “Silk Road”,famous in history as the prosperous communication channel of Eastern and Western culture.The shorelines of Lop Nur Lake shown on remote sensing images left important traces for the study of environment change and evolution.The increasing worldwide concerns of global warming remind us that it is important to take into account the history of climate change in the Lop Nur region over a period of millennia.