Heavy Metals Distribution Characteristics in China Desert Regions
Description
Heavy metal pollution is a critical environmental issue that threatens global ecological security and has garnered significant scholarly attention worldwide. However, little is known about these pollutants in the vast desert regions of China. By integrating field sampling and published topsoil data (N=1667), we divided the 14 deserts/sandy lands to four regions according location and climate conditions. This study takes desert regions across China as the research object, which distribute discontinuously between 76°14′E to 124°29′E longitude and 35°50′N to 49°34′N latitude. It covers vast arid and semi-arid zones, including eight major deserts: the Gurbantunggut Desert (GD), Taklamakan Desert (TAD), Badain Jaran Desert (BJD), Tengger Desert (TED), Kumtag Desert (KD), Qaidam Basin Desert (QBD), Kubuqi Desert (HD), and Ulan Buh Desert (UBD), as well as four major sandy lands: the Hulunbuir Sandy Land (HSL), Hunshandake Sandy Land (HBSL), Horqin Sandy Land (OSL), and Mu Us Sandy Land (MUSL). In addition, the research area is extended to typical desertified regions such as the Hexi Corridor (HC) and the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin (YZR) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Based on the geomorphological and tectonic background as well as geographical location, China’s deserts and sandy lands can be subdivided into four categories: western deserts (Taklamakan Desert, Gurbantunggut Desert, Kumtag Desert, Hexi Corridor), central deserts (Badain Jaran Desert, Tengger Desert, Ulan Buh Desert, Kubuqi Desert, Mu Us Sandy Land), eastern deserts (Hunshandake Sandy Land, Horqin Sandy Land, Hulunbuir Sandy Land), and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau deserts (valley sandy lands in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, Qaidam Basin Desert).