For the study of the phenomenon of the Algerian High Plains turning into a desert, two approaches were used. The first consists of the processing of data measured on the level of weather stations located on the soil and the second by the use of a model allowing the interpolation and the extrapolation of data measured at 700 Hpa towards the soil, taking into account the terrain conditions. The two methods showed that the dominant winds are in the northern and western sectors, suggesting that the wind is not the principal factor in the progress of the sand towards north. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.