In order to adapt to the characteristics of rapid and frequent changes of the Yellow River Delta wetland, improve the strength of data interpretation, and provide necessary references for the scientific planning, management and protection of the Yellow River Delta, the temporal and spatial changes of wetland were studied from the perspective of intensive observation and the driving factors were quantitatively analyzed based on the Landsat image intensive observation of the Yellow River Delta wetland in 15 periods from 1986 to 2021, The results show that: (1) the Yellow River Delta wetland has the characteristics of fluctuation and stage change, the natural wetland reduces 1 579.07 km², the loss rate of mudflat and meadow shrubs is more than 60%, while the area of artificial wetland increases by 1 210.67 km²; (2) the expansion of farmland, construction land and constructed wetland is significantly correlated with the shrinkage of natural wetland, with the correlation coefficients of -0.682, -0.963 and -0.976, respectively. After 2009, the impact of reclamation weakens due to the return of farmland to wetlands; (3) the correlation coefficient between sediment transport and natural wetland area is 0.614, which plays a dominant role in hydrological factors, the sedimentation effect of estuary is stronger than that of ocean erosion effects before 1993 and then reversed. (4) Elevated temperatures and drought events have exacerbated wetland losses.