Crossword Genius

One marsh turning into desert (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gobi

'desert' is the definition.
(I know that Gobi is a desert)

'one marsh turning' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'marsh' becomes 'bog' (a bog is a marshy area).
'turning' says the letters should be written backwards.
'i'+'bog'='ibog'
'ibog' backwards is 'GOBI'.

'into' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for gobi that I've seen before include "Desert in China/Mongolia; cauliflower (Ind.)" , "Mongolian/Chinese desert" , "The . . . . Desert is a barren plateau of S Mongolia and N China" , "very dry place" , "Asian desert region" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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