Playas are one of the major sources of saline and alkaline dust in northern China, which release a large amount of sand and dust material every year, severely impacting the quality of the atmosphere, production and life on the Inner Mongolian Plateau in northern China. The surface characteristics of playa activation processes influence the horizontal salt migration flux, but the salt transmission volume of playas is almost unknown in dry salt lakes in a typical steppe. The functional relationship between horizontal salt dust transmission volume and the grain size content was ascertained for four different surfaces at situ sites in the Chagan Nur playa in northern China. After collecting salt dust from four surfaces (crust, broken crust, activated and sandy saline surface) formed during different stages of the desiccation process, the salt dust transmission was assessed based on the wind velocity profile, grain size, and total wind erosion particulate matter (TWEP) profiles above the playa surfaces. The particle size gradually increased from the center of the lake to the shore, while the water content decreased. The wind speed, friction velocity, and roughness of the four surfaces were as follows: sandy saline surface