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Aeolian Carbon Salts in the Taklamakan and Badanjilin Deserts in Northwestern China and Their Potential Role in Global Carbon Cycle

Received: 13 January 2017    Accepted: 31 January 2017    Published: 1 November 2017
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Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that a significant loop in the carbon cycle may be hidden in the global desert areas (both low latitude and middle latitude). Due to the complexity of salt formation involved in atmosphere-landscape relation, there are few study involved into the pool of secondary carbonates in world desert soils, particularly in arid areas in northern China. Large sandy deserts in the middle latitudes of northwestern China were investigated in this study. The physical and geochemical examinations are carried out into soluble carbon salts in modern and ancient dune sediments from the inland deserts in northwestern China, with the aim to explore the composition of carbon salts in aeolian sediments and their possible environmental implications for global carbon cycle. The results show that the aeolian salt has high alkalinities, which are mainly determined by evaporitic alkaline earth carbonates. The carbonates are secondary salt in origin and are possibly introduced from the atmosphere into the pedosphere by a carbon-fixation process. Owing to the high capability to neutralize atmospheric carbonic acid, large desert area, and the strong potential of carbonate preservation in soil under arid climate, the middle-latitude Chinese deserts can be potentially qualified as a significant contributor to the global carbon cycle. But the low-latitude deserts in tropic areas may be not able to provide such a contribution.

Published in American Journal of Biological and Environmental Statistics (Volume 3, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajbes.20170302.12
Page(s) 26-35
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This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Global Carbon Cycle, Evaporitic Carbon Salt, Aeolian Sediment, Carbon-Fixation Process, Middle-Latitude Desert, Northwestern China

References
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    Bing-Qi Zhu. (2017). Aeolian Carbon Salts in the Taklamakan and Badanjilin Deserts in Northwestern China and Their Potential Role in Global Carbon Cycle. American Journal of Biological and Environmental Statistics, 3(2), 26-35. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbes.20170302.12

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    Bing-Qi Zhu. Aeolian Carbon Salts in the Taklamakan and Badanjilin Deserts in Northwestern China and Their Potential Role in Global Carbon Cycle. Am. J. Biol. Environ. Stat. 2017, 3(2), 26-35. doi: 10.11648/j.ajbes.20170302.12

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    AMA Style

    Bing-Qi Zhu. Aeolian Carbon Salts in the Taklamakan and Badanjilin Deserts in Northwestern China and Their Potential Role in Global Carbon Cycle. Am J Biol Environ Stat. 2017;3(2):26-35. doi: 10.11648/j.ajbes.20170302.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajbes.20170302.12,
      author = {Bing-Qi Zhu},
      title = {Aeolian Carbon Salts in the Taklamakan and Badanjilin Deserts in Northwestern China and Their Potential Role in Global Carbon Cycle},
      journal = {American Journal of Biological and Environmental Statistics},
      volume = {3},
      number = {2},
      pages = {26-35},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajbes.20170302.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbes.20170302.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajbes.20170302.12},
      abstract = {Previous studies have suggested that a significant loop in the carbon cycle may be hidden in the global desert areas (both low latitude and middle latitude). Due to the complexity of salt formation involved in atmosphere-landscape relation, there are few study involved into the pool of secondary carbonates in world desert soils, particularly in arid areas in northern China. Large sandy deserts in the middle latitudes of northwestern China were investigated in this study. The physical and geochemical examinations are carried out into soluble carbon salts in modern and ancient dune sediments from the inland deserts in northwestern China, with the aim to explore the composition of carbon salts in aeolian sediments and their possible environmental implications for global carbon cycle. The results show that the aeolian salt has high alkalinities, which are mainly determined by evaporitic alkaline earth carbonates. The carbonates are secondary salt in origin and are possibly introduced from the atmosphere into the pedosphere by a carbon-fixation process. Owing to the high capability to neutralize atmospheric carbonic acid, large desert area, and the strong potential of carbonate preservation in soil under arid climate, the middle-latitude Chinese deserts can be potentially qualified as a significant contributor to the global carbon cycle. But the low-latitude deserts in tropic areas may be not able to provide such a contribution.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Aeolian Carbon Salts in the Taklamakan and Badanjilin Deserts in Northwestern China and Their Potential Role in Global Carbon Cycle
    AU  - Bing-Qi Zhu
    Y1  - 2017/11/01
    PY  - 2017
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbes.20170302.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajbes.20170302.12
    T2  - American Journal of Biological and Environmental Statistics
    JF  - American Journal of Biological and Environmental Statistics
    JO  - American Journal of Biological and Environmental Statistics
    SP  - 26
    EP  - 35
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2471-979X
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbes.20170302.12
    AB  - Previous studies have suggested that a significant loop in the carbon cycle may be hidden in the global desert areas (both low latitude and middle latitude). Due to the complexity of salt formation involved in atmosphere-landscape relation, there are few study involved into the pool of secondary carbonates in world desert soils, particularly in arid areas in northern China. Large sandy deserts in the middle latitudes of northwestern China were investigated in this study. The physical and geochemical examinations are carried out into soluble carbon salts in modern and ancient dune sediments from the inland deserts in northwestern China, with the aim to explore the composition of carbon salts in aeolian sediments and their possible environmental implications for global carbon cycle. The results show that the aeolian salt has high alkalinities, which are mainly determined by evaporitic alkaline earth carbonates. The carbonates are secondary salt in origin and are possibly introduced from the atmosphere into the pedosphere by a carbon-fixation process. Owing to the high capability to neutralize atmospheric carbonic acid, large desert area, and the strong potential of carbonate preservation in soil under arid climate, the middle-latitude Chinese deserts can be potentially qualified as a significant contributor to the global carbon cycle. But the low-latitude deserts in tropic areas may be not able to provide such a contribution.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

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