BEIJING (AP) – Sandstorms whipped across a wide swath of China on Monday, forcing residents to don masks and scarves to protect themselves from the unhealthy grit.

It was the latest sign of the effects of desertification - overgrazing, deforestation, urban sprawl and drought have expanded deserts in the country’s north and west.

The shifting sands have gradually encroached onto populated areas and worsened the sand storms that strike cities, particularly in the spring.

Winds blowing from the northwest were sweeping sand from the Xinjiang and Ningxia regions, as well as Gansu and Inner Mongolia provinces across China’s arid north. The sand and dust were even carried to parts of southern China.