Construction of a Nuclear Test Base in Lop Nur, in northwest China

Old nuclear testing sites in Lop Nur. At the beginning of the article, there is a scrolling map which includes text callouts and inset images to show more detailed images of certain features. This sets up a visual for readers, and the action of the screen moving across the landscape allows us to get a sense of the scale of the project. The authors also labeled features that may not be obviously identifiable from such a distance, such as roads and tunnels, in order to facilitate readers’ understanding.

Facility in Lop Nur speculated to be used for nuclear-related activities. This image provides a closer view of the buildings and rural landscape and their muted tones, allowing readers to visualize the testing site at a more detailed level than the previous scrolling map.

New buildings added or renovated in Malan, the nuclear support base in Lop Nur, since 2017. The map quickly conveys the amount of new facilities that have been put to use, indicating growth in the nuclear testing project.

The structure of this article is effective in displaying satellite images throughout and explaining how they provide evidence that China is building a nuclear test base in this region. The images are especially effective in providing a strong visual for what a nuclear testing site looks like, something that not all readers may be familiar with, and depicting change and increased construction over the last few years. 

The use of remote sensing is important in this situation as it allows for the rest of the world to get information about something that China may not otherwise disclose, in a place that might not otherwise be accessible for journalists. This is something that raises security concerns regarding nuclear weapon use, and satellite imagery enables the development to be tracked.

One of the questions these satellite images do not answer is whether people are affected by this development. The satellite images show a barren, empty landscape around the nuclear satellite, but do not indicate where the nearest towns are and whether they are close enough for people there to be affected by health hazards from nuclear testing. 

From the New York Times, “China Quietly Rebuilds Secretive Base for Nuclear Tests”

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/20/science/china-nuclear-tests-lop-nur.html