Purpose <p>Understanding soil nitrogen cycle processes and their responses to climate change under human influence represents a significant knowledge gap in refining land management and enhancing ecosystem functionality. This study aimed to investigate how soil temperature and moisture fluctuations affect soil nitrification, ammonification, and mineralization processes across different land-use types, and to explore the regulatory roles of human activity intensity and soil properties.</p> Methods <p>Through field sampling and laboratory incubation experiments, we examined the responses and mechanisms of nitrogen nitrification, ammonification, and mineralization to soil temperature-moisture changes across four land-use types (Gobi desert grasslands, artificial sand-fixing shrubs, poplar shelterbelt forests, and reclaimed farmlands) in a typical arid region of northwest China.</p> Results <p>Increased soil temperature and moisture synergistically enhanced net nitrification and mineralization rates while concurrently suppressed net ammonification. Land-use type is the dominant factor regulating nitrogen cycle processes and their response to soil temperature and moisture. Nitrogen mineralization was primarily driven by nitrification and decoupled from ammonification. Moderate human activity intensity enhanced temperature-moisture sensitivity of nitrogen nitrification and mineralization. Importantly, land-use types and soil microclimate changes influence nitrogen mineralization processes and their climatic sensitivity through direct effect and, predominantly, through the mediation of key soil attributes such as texture and nutrient availability.</p> Conclusion <p>Our findings conclude that optimizing land management and soil temperature-moisture regulation based on land-use types is crucial for enhancing nitrogen mineralization processes in arid ecosystems, and that high-intensity human activities should be avoided to prevent negative impacts on nitrogen mineralization.</p>