Field Observations of Windblown Sand and Dust in the Takimakan Desert, Nw China, and Insights Into Modern Dust Sources

Abstract

Despite the importance of desert dust at global and regional scales, its exact provenance is often unclear. The Taklimakan Desert in northwest China is a common source of high‐frequency regional dust storms and is also a large source of global dust production. On the basis of field observations and the determination of the fraction of aeolian dust in surface samples, we characterized the relative intensity of windblown sand/dust processes in the Taklimakan and the volume of dust emitted (PM10) during these processes. Major dust sources were degraded lands on the eastern desert margin, the Gobi and alluvial, fluvial and aeolian sediments occurring on the desert margin. These areas have high PM10 emission capacity due to high‐surface PM10 concentrations and intensive windblown sand/dust activity. Despite having intensive windblown sand activity, the central desert had lower PM10 dust emission capacity (<1·6 kg day−1 m−2 in spring, <0·08 kg day−1 m−2 in other seasons) due to lower surface PM10 fraction. The dry Taitema Lake bed was a source of potentially high dust emissions (at least 4·4–17 kg day−1 m−2 for the monitoring period) due to the intensity windblown sand/dust activities, despite low PM10 concentrations. The dry river beds on the southeastern desert margin had lower dust emission potential due to low PM10 concentrations and windblown sand/dust activity. Most dust emission sources lie in the paths of prevailing winds, leading to aeolian dust transported to and deposited in the desert hinterland or Hotan, Yutian and Minfeng areas, where wind stream convergence leads to high‐frequency dust storms. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Characterizing Sand and Dust Storms (SDS) Intensity in China Based on Meteorological Data

“…Easterly winds flowing into the Tarim Basin from the east open area also play an important role in generating SDS activities in the Taklimakan Desert. Therefore, most of the SDS events occurring in the Taklimakan Desert would deposit into the desert, especially in the Hotan, Yutian, and Minfeng regions, where the convergence of the two prevailing winds lead to high-intensity sand and dust storms [47,58]. In addition to the ground surface SDS routes, the Taklimakan Desert is also regarded as a source of long-distance SDS events in the remote North Pacific Ocean, where dust particles are raised by strong upward winds that climb over the mountains [48].…”

Evaluation of soil fertility in the succession of karst rocky desertification using principal component analysis

“…Some mountain areas of central Hunan province, China, which are included in the largest karst geomorphologic distributing areas in southwestern China, were covered with evergreen broad-leaved forest historically but now are under deforestation and over-reclamation (Huang and Cai, 2007;Xiong et al, 2009). Climate changes and anthropogenic driving forces (land overuse) are responsible for the development of aeolian/sandy desertification (Wang et al, 2013a;Wang et al, 2013b) which can cause dust storms (Wang and Jia, 2013) and soil and water losses (Cerdà and Lavée, 1999) and also play important roles in the aggravation of karst rocky desertification (Li et al, 2009b;Yan and Cai, 2015). This has gradually attracted nation-wide attention in China, so that the government and researchers are taking active measures to meliorate rocky desertification land through sustainable management (Bai et al, 2013;Huang et al, 2008).…”

Provenance and Geochemical Characteristics of the Silt and Clay Fraction in the Taklamakan Desert, Northwestern China

“…Meanwhile, compared with downwind desert landforms, the degraded lands on the northwestern and northeastern margins of the desert are in an environment with less wind energy and greater vegetation cover, which reduces the intensity of windblown sand and dust and contributes little silt and clay to the Western (III) and Northeastern (II) deserts. Conversely, more diverse sources of silt and clay (e.g., fluvial, alluvial and lacustrine sediments) are found on the margins of the Western (III) and Northeastern (II) deserts, from which silt and clay can be winnowed by intense aeolian processes (Zhu et al, 1981;Yang et al, 2007;Wang & Jia, 2011). Thus, the silt and clay fraction of the Western (III) and Northeastern (II) deserts mainly originate from internal sediments with a high silt and clay fraction.…”