『Abstract
An ongoing project monitors saline dust transportation and accumulation
in the Western Junggar Basin to determine the rate and chemical
composition of dust inputs to soils and their impact on snow/ice
melt and vegetation degradation of the surrounding areas. The
1-year record from ten dust trap sites in the Ebinur region of
northwest China reveals that yearly deposition rates fluctuate
strongly between different sampling sites. The mass accumulation
rates (fluxes) of the dust, including water-soluble solutes and
trace element, range from 79 to 381 g m-2 year-1.
With increasing distance from the dry lake bed, dust deposition
gradually decreases. The salinity of the dust ranges from about
43 to 185 g kg-1 and the mass-soluble salt fluxes range
from 4 to 61 g m-2 year-1. The types of
water-soluble salt are different at different sampling sites.
In all samples, the major types of water-soluble salts in the
dust are sulfates and chlorides. Sulfate and chloride are the
major anions while sodium and calcium are the main cations, and
nitrate was not found in any dust samples. Potentially toxic trace
elements such as Cs, Cr, Pb, Mn, As, Cu, and Ni are present in
all samples, with high levels of Cr, Pb, Mn, Cu, and Ni. The dust
is a chemical dust in that it consists of dense fine sulfates,
chlorides and potentially toxic elements, and causes serious air
pollution, resulting in soil salinization and vegetation degradation
and accelerating snow/ice melt.
Keywords: Playa (dry lake bed); Saline dust storm, Deposition
rate; Chemical composition』
1. Introduction
2. Regional environments
3. Materials and methods
3.1. Monitoring and sampling
3.2. Analysis of dust
4. Results
4.1. Dust deposition rate
4.2. Chemical composition of the aeolian dust
4.2.1. Types and content of water-soluble solutes in the dust
4.2.2. Potentially toxic trace elements
5. Discussion
5.1. Strong wind and dust sources
5.2. Topographic variations and vegetation cover
5.3. Characteristics and ecological effects of the saline dust
5.4. Limitations of the study
6. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References