撒哈拉地区沙尘气溶胶南北空间型分布特征及其成因

本次研究利用MODIS、CALIPSO等卫星观测资料以及MERRA-2再分析资料分析了2007–2017年撒哈拉地区气溶胶光学厚度的空间分布特征。结果表明,撒哈拉地区气溶胶光学厚度的空间分布具有明显的季节变化,夏季沙尘气溶胶光学厚度高值区位于撒哈拉北部地区,高达0.6以上;而冬季沙尘气溶胶光学厚度高值区位于撒哈拉南部地区,最大值约为0.5。此外,撒哈拉地区在不同季节的主要气溶胶类型均为沙尘,但在撒哈拉南部地区沙尘气溶胶光学厚度对总气溶胶光学厚度的贡献有明显的季节性差异。基于CALIPSO体积退偏比的研究结果表明,在撒哈拉南部地区,夏季人为气溶胶占比大,气溶胶粒子趋于球形,冬季气溶胶粒子的退偏比则明显高于夏季,粒子非球形程度更高。夏季撒哈拉北部地区位于脊前槽后的位置,以南地区近地面主要为偏西风,携带了大量水汽的气流由大西洋吹向撒哈拉地区,使撒哈拉南部地区进入雨季,增强了沙尘气溶胶的沉降,因此夏季撒哈拉地区沙尘气溶胶光学厚度分布北高南低;冬季高压控制着撒哈拉北部地区,撒哈拉南部地区近地面盛行偏东风,且冬季温度偏低,容易形成逆温,不利于沙尘气溶胶和局地污染物扩散,导致沙尘气溶胶光学厚度南高北低。此外,局地温度变化也进一步促进了撒哈拉地区沙尘气溶胶空间分布的季节性差异。     

Dust fallout characteristics within global dust storm major trajectories

Satellite images from 2000 to 2010 were used to identify major dust trajectories within seven major deserts in the world. The fallen dust from these trajectories were collected and analyzed. The fallen dust rates tend to be lower downwind. The average samples of the world's fallen dust are negatively skewed trimodal with dominancy of silt size fractions (61 %). Most of the fallen dust within major dust trajectories is fining downwind. The fallen dust from the eastern zones (Taklimakan, Gobi, and Australian deserts) are characterized by higher percentages of feldspars and clay minerals, low carbonate content, and grain surface area in comparison to the Western zones (Sahara and Arabian deserts). The Western Sahara Desert dust is differentiated by the highest depositional rates and average quartz percentage (66 %). The dust samples in this zone contain low carbonates and grain surface area compared to dust from the Eastern Sahara Desert. The dust samples within Northern Arabia and Ethiopian-south Arabia zones show the highest average of carbonate amounts and grain surface area.     

Synoptic features associated with dust transition processes from North Africa to Asia

Aerosol index data from the total ozone mapping spectrometer satellite and reanalysis data from the National Center for Environmental Prediction and the National Center for Atmospheric Research are useful in the study of synoptic properties of the dust storms that carry dust from North Africa to Asia during the spring season for the period 1979 to 2006. In this study, we analyzed the synoptic properties of dust cases that pass through the transition zone between North Africa and Asia. We identified the dust cases to study by looking, inside transition zone, at events with an aerosol index greater than 2. We then divided the identified cases, depending on the spread and strength of the dust inside the transition zone, into seven categories ranging from weak events to moderate events to violent events. We found the common synoptic characteristics in all these categories as follows: The high pressure belt located over northern Africa allows the low pressure belt located over the South African Sahara to move northward; a pressure gradient between these two atmospheric systems directs from south to north; an increase in the pressure gradient leads to increased in both of the event’s dust and the amount of dust moves to North Africa from the Sahara; an additional pressure gradient between the western Azores high pressure system and the low pressure system located over the Arabian Peninsula directs from west to east; the stronger the pressure gradient, the greater the amount of dust in the event and moving a large amount of dust from Northeast Africa to Asia. To verify that these characteristics capture the essence of dust events from North Africa to Asia, we checked if they were also common to two additional extremes categories and two extremes events. The results confirmed the continued existence of these common characteristics.     

亚洲粉尘的源区分布、释放、输送、沉降与黄土堆积

根据亚洲粉尘关键区域(中国沙漠、黄土高原、青藏高原和中国历史降尘区)大气气溶胶中15～28种元素的浓度-粒度分布、沉降速率和通量分析,以及元素示踪系统的进一步解析,发现中国北方沙漠存在两个粉尘地-气交换较活跃区域,即中国西部沙漠和北部沙漠高粉尘区,且证明这两个区域及其邻区是亚洲粉尘和黄土高原黄土主要源区的中心区域;通过对5个亚太区域粉尘沉降量的模式估算,得出亚洲粉尘释放总量每年约为800Tg,约相当于全球沙漠排放总量的一半;粉尘与黄土的对比表明,亚洲粉尘区域尺度输送受季风环流控制,但间冰期时并不取决于尘暴过程,而全球尺度输送主要由高空西风完成,无论冰期、间冰期均受尘暴过程控制;粉尘通量的结果表明干沉降是粉尘在黄土区沉降的主要过程,且晚第四纪粉尘沉积的再改造份额不超过其沉积总量的10%;元素示踪系统应用于风成黄土,发现在间冰期北部沙漠源区输出的粉尘量增加,而在冰期西部源区输出的粉尘量增加.这种晚第四纪亚洲粉尘“源区摆动”的快速变化其实是全球千年尺度气候变化的一环,并可视为过去北半球大气环流长期变化的代用序列.     

Regional modeling of dust storm of February 8, 2015 in the southwest of Iran

According to World Meteorological Organization report in 2015, the southwest of Iran has become one of the dust sources in the region. And the objective of this research is to study the dust storms originating in this region. For this purpose, based on the weather data of 14 stations, the dust storms of the region were investigated, and the dust storm of February 7, 2015, was selected due to its very high concentration of dust particles (66 times the normal values). For the analysis of source areas and storm paths, the FNL data was used. The regional models of Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System (NAAPS), Barcelona Supercomputing Centre-Dust Regional Atmospheric Model 8b (DREAM 8b), Non-hydrostatic Multiscale Model Barcelona Supercomputing Center (NMMB/BSC), and hybrid single-particle Lagrangian integrated trajectory (HYSPLIT) were used to study and analyze the selected storm. The results showed that the dust event in February 8, 2016, has been the result of the polar front jet stream (PJF) caused by western immigrant system that had been over the Sahara in Africa, the deserts of Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and finally southwest of Iran in making the extreme dust event. According to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data and point models of NAAPS, optical depth was very high. The DREAM 8b and NMMB/BSC models confirmed the impact of the local factors and closeness to the dust source regions. The backward tracking of the model with the HYSPLIT model showed three tracks transporting the dust particles to the region. This software also showed that the dust particles occupied an atmospheric tunnel of 1.5 km in diameter.     

Characteristics of atmospheric dust deposition in snow on Glacier No. 4, Mt Bogeda, China

Wind-blown mineral dust derived from the crustal surface is an important atmospheric component affecting the Earth’s radiation budget. Deposition of dust particles was measured in snow on the Glacier No. 4, Mt Bogeda, in the eastern Tian Shan, China. The mean number concentration of dust particles with 0.57 < d < 26 μm in the snowpack is 279 × 10³ mL^?1, with a mean mass concentration of 1,480 μg kg^?1. Dust number size distribution showed the dominant particles with d < 2 μm, while volume size distribution showed single-modal structures having volume median diameters from 3 to 25 μm. Results were compared with the data from other sites in the Tian Shan and various northern hemisphere sites. A backward trajectory model was also employed to examine the transport process of dust particles in this region. Most of the air mass originated from the southern and northwestern regions, e.g., the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut deserts in springtime, during the Asian dust period, which may bring plentiful aerosol dust particles from the sandy deserts. Transport of dust from western Chinese deserts to adjacent mountains is in agreement with a growing body of evidence on the importance of dust inputs to alpine regions.     

Several distinct wet periods since 420 ka in the Namib Desert inferred from U-series dates of speleothems

The scarcity of numerical dates of the arid areas in southern Africa is a challenge for reconstructing paleoclimate. This paper presents a chronological reconstruction in the central part of the Namib Desert, Namibia, for the last 420,000 yr. It is based on ²³⁰Th/U dates (TIMS) from a large stalagmite and a thick flowstone layer in a small cave located in the hyper-arid central Namib Desert. The results provide for the first time evidence of three or possibly four succeeding wet periods of decreasing intensity since 420 ka through which speleothem deposited at approximately 420–385 ka, 230–207 ka and 120–117 ka following the 100-ka Milankovitch cycle. Speleothem growth was not recorded for the Holocene. These wet periods interrupted the predominantly dry climate of the Namib Desert and coincided with wet phases in deserts of the northern hemisphere in the Murzuq Basin, Sahara, the Negev, Israel, the Nafud Desert, Saudi Arabia, and the arid northern Oman, Arabian Peninsula.     

Atmospheric dust aerosols over the Eastern Pamirs: major element concentrations and composition

This study measured the major element concentrations and compositions of atmospheric dust aerosol samples collected weekly for nearly 2 years at Mt. Muztagata, a remote and high-elevation site (38°17′N, 75°01′E, 4,430 m) in the Eastern Pamirs. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP–MS) results show that on the weekly timescale, air at Muztagata contained average element Al concentrations of 842 ng m⁻³ between June 2004 and December 2005, and 509 ng m⁻³ between June 2005 and April 2006. The dust load over the Eastern Pamirs appears to be far lower (by more than an order of magnitude) than those in northern China. The Muztagata dust aerosols show Ca/Al ratios (~0.7) and Fe/Al ratios (~0.7) that differ from that in northern China. The general homogeneity exists in the major element compositions, expect Ca/Al ratios which show minor but clear seasonal variations. Element ratios vary with aerosol concentration. Results indicate that concentrations and compositions of Asian dust change significantly between different emission regions, and confirm that major element ratios can be used to efficiently characterize the dust aerosols composition at different sites in northern China.     

Nd and Sr isotopic characteristics of Chinese deserts: Implications for the provenances of Asian dust

Silicate Nd-Sr isotopes of the fine-grained fractions of the 10 major deserts and sandy lands in North China and the loess in Chinese Loess Plateau were systematically investigated. Wide ranges in Nd-Sr isotopic compositions have been observed. The results of the <75 μm silicate fractions show that the Nd-Sr isotopic compositions of each desert are quite homogeneous and unique. According to the geographic distribution of the deserts and their Nd-Sr isotopes of both the <75 and <5 μm silicate fractions, three isotopic regions of Chinese deserts can be identified: (A) the deserts on the northern boundary of China, with the highest ε_Nd(0) > −7.0; (B) the deserts on the northern margin of Tibetan Plateau, with ε_Nd(0) ranging from −11.9 to −7.4; and (C) the deserts on the Ordos Plateau, with the lowest ε_Nd(0) < −11.5. The distribution of the threes isotopic regions is controlled by the tectonic setting in North China, which implies that the materials of the deserts are derived from the locally eroded rocks from the surrounding mountains and the Nd-Sr isotopic signatures of these deserts could be quit stable over the past million years on the sub-tectonic time scales if there is any desert at those times. The Nd-Sr isotopic compositions of the loess are mostly close to those of the deserts in isotopic region B, suggesting that the main source regions of the last glacial loess in the Chinese Loess Plateau are Badain Jaran Desert, Tengger Desert, and Qaidam Desert. Also, the comparison between the Nd-Sr isotopes of the <5 μm silicate fractions of the deserts and the ancient dust falls in the North Pacific and Greenland show that the Asian end members of these dust falls are derived most from the deserts in the isotopic region B and less from those in the isotopic region C.     

Geochemistry and mineralogical composition of the airborne particles of sand dunes and dust storms settled in Iraq and their environmental impacts

Five dust storms that occurred in 2008 (15 March, 11 April, 28 April, 25, May and 26 June) in addition to the many sand dunes disseminated in the Western Desert of Iraq are sampled. The worse dust storm that occurred in Iraq in 11 April, 2008 covered 75% of the Iraq area and deposited 6.9?million tons approximately as a total weight of fallout during just 8?h, declining temperature 6°C. During the episodes of dust storms, visibility decreased enormously, no more than 30?m. Many people were taken to hospitals after sustaining breathing problems. Some of them died. Clay fraction is the dominant part in the dust storms forming 70% besides a little silt (20.6%) and sand (9.4%), then classified as mature arkose of clay to sandy clay, whereas sand dunes are formed from 72.7% sand, 25.1% silt and 2.19% clay, then classified as mature arkose of silty sand. Sand dunes have much maturity. Mineralogical composition of dust storms and sand dunes are Quartz (49.2%, 67.1%), feldspar (4.9%, 20.9%), calcite (38%, 5%), gypsum (4.8%, 0.4%), dolomite (0.8%, 1%) and heavy minerals (3.2%, 6.6%), respectively. Heavy mineral suites in the dust storms are represented by zircon, pyroxene, hornblende, chlorite and magnetite; whereas the sand dunes are represented by zircon, tourmaline, garnet and pyroxene, concentrated within sand fraction. Heavy minerals according to satellite images revealed the dry land of Sahara Desert in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula as well as Syria and Jordan were a major source of the dust storms that have occurred in Asia, including Iraq.     

Adsorption of copper(II) from aqueous solution by Beidellite

Dry lakes, degraded sandy grasslands, abandoned farmland and mobile dunes which are widely distributed throughout the arid areas of northern China have been investigated in this work. Gain-size distribution of the surface sediments of Manas lake in Junggar basin, Juyan lake in the Alxa plateau, Zhuye lake in Minqin basin and most deserts (such as Mu Us desert, Otindag desert, Horqin desert and Hulun Buir desert) in China have been analyzed. The results show clay with particle sized <10 μm on the surface sediments of dry lakebed and sandy grassland developed from dry lakebed, respectively, account for >60% and ∼50% of the total mass. Since the tiny particles on the surface of abandoned farmland are blown away easily and rapidly, the content of clay particles in Minqin basin is <14%. The grain-size distribution of mobile dunes in northern China mainly consists of particles >63 μm and few particles <10 μm. Consequently, although sand/dust storms originate primarily in the western deserts, the gobi areas of the Alxa plateau, the north and east of Hexi Corridor and in central Mongolia, the widely distributed dry lakebeds, sandy grasslands and abandoned farmland adjacent to the deserts also contribute to aeolian dusts. Hence, the material sources for sand dust storm in East Asia include inland deserts, but also dry lakes, sandy grasslands and abandoned farmland, which are widely distributed throughout the arid inlands of northern China.     

A review on the research of modern aeolian dust in Central Asia

The Central Asian Arid Zone (CAAZ) located in the temperate desert belt of the Northern Hemisphere is one of the most important sources for global aeolian dust and aerosol. It is widely acknowledged that aeolian dust plays a vital role in the Earth system through participating in the energy and material budget of the planet. Except for the existed natural desert areas, the newly human-induced deserts that originally used to be the bed of terminal lakes (like the Aral Sea, Caspian Sea, Balkhash Lake, etc.) are becoming the much more significant sources for aeolian dust/salt in this region. Dust and associated aerosols have complex impacts on local ecological system and human health for its special chemical composition. In recent years, a slight declining trend of dust storm frequency in the region was reported, which may be explained by the weakened human disturbances in desert areas or climate variations. The dust dynamics in the CAAZ represent considerable variations in both spatial and temporal distribution, which makes it harder to forecast the dust events and mitigate its damages to ecosystems and social economics. Nevertheless, there is not much evidence of its climatic and environmental impacts both on the regional and global scales. Therefore, further related studies and regulation measures in the region are essential and emergent, as well as the strengthening cooperation between the associated countries and organizations.     

Geochemical and mineralogical evidence for Sahara and Sahel dust additions to Quaternary soils on Lanzarote,eastern Canary Islands,Spain

Africa is the most important source of dust in the world today, and dust storms are frequent on the nearby Canary Islands. Previous workers have inferred that the Sahara is the most important source of dust to Canary Islands soils, with little contribution from the Sahel region. Soils overlying a late Quaternary basalt flow on Lanzarote, Canary Islands, contain, in addition to volcanic minerals, quartz and mica, exotic to the island’s bedrock. Kaolinite in the soils also likely has an exotic origin. Trace‐element geochemistry shows that the soils are derived from varying proportions of locally derived basalt and African dust. Major‐element geochemistry, clay mineralogy and interpretation of satellite imagery suggest that dust additions to the Canary Islands come not only from the Sahara Desert, but also from the Sahel region.     

Properties of dust source material and volcanic ash in Iceland

The volcanic origin, primarily basaltic, of most of the surface material in Iceland influences its physical properties and appearance. Size distributions, shape analyses and melting experiments were made for surface material collected in high-erosion dust source areas and fresh volcanic ash deposits to determine whether they differ from one another and from dust from other major dust sources. The major differences found between Icelandic dust and dust from other major dust sources in the world, such as the Sahara, are in the particle shapes, lower density and darker colour. Icelandic dust particles greater than 20 μm retain volcanic morphological properties that are also found in fresh volcanic ash. Dust and fresh volcanic ash particles less than 20 μm are crystalline and blocky in nature, similar to the dust from other global source regions. The finer grained (<20 μm) Icelandic particles will have similar suspension and transport behaviours and be similarly hazardous to health and infrastructure as non-Icelandic dust. The coarser particles (>20 μm) will have different suspension and transport behaviours than other dusts due to the volcanic morphology. Icelandic surface material has between 5% and 30% glassy particles compared to fresh volcanic ash which has more than 50% glassy particles. Glassy particles were observed to melt at a lower temperature than the mineral grains; and, as a result, volcanic ash is found to be more threatening to aircraft engines than the typical dust from Iceland. Icelandic dust was observed to be blocky, or plate-like in the respirable size fraction, suggesting similar health hazards as dust from other regions.     

基于碎屑锆石的黄土高原—毛乌素交界区石峁黄土粉尘物源估算*

对于黄土高原粉尘物质的来源以及沙漠和河流对粉尘的贡献,仍未达成一致的认识。本研究以毛乌素东神木市石峁剖面为研究对象,利用碎屑锆石年龄谱,对末次冰消期以来的风成粉尘堆积和河流沉积物展开源区分析,并使用逆蒙特卡罗模型进行物源的定量计算。结果显示,粒径分布和阴极发光(CL)图像显示石峁黄土为典型风成沉积。其粗颗粒碎屑锆石(>40 μm)年龄峰值集中在190~300 Ma、300~600 Ma、1700~1900 Ma和2300~2600 Ma,年龄谱显示近源(局地基岩碎屑)、中源(黄河河沙)和远源(阿拉善地区沙漠)均有贡献; 定量计算表明,三者分别贡献71%、21%和8%的风成粗颗粒。中、近源中,黄河及其支流侵蚀基岩后搬运沉积的漫滩物质成为粉尘输移的中转站,为黄土的形成提供了主要的物源。光释光测年结果表明,石峁剖面河流沉积物及其上覆的黄土物质分别形成于倒数第2次冰消期和末次冰消期,两者之间的沉积间断可能指示了末次冰期至冰消期的侵蚀事件,导致了河滩物质暴露,从而形成了潜在的局地尘源。这些结果表明,包括黄河干支流在内的河流系统对黄土粉尘有重要的物源贡献。     

基于碎屑锆石的黄土高原—毛乌素交界区石峁黄土粉尘物源估算*

对于黄土高原粉尘物质的来源以及沙漠和河流对粉尘的贡献,仍未达成一致的认识。本研究以毛乌素东神木市石峁剖面为研究对象,利用碎屑锆石年龄谱,对末次冰消期以来的风成粉尘堆积和河流沉积物展开源区分析,并使用逆蒙特卡罗模型进行物源的定量计算。结果显示,粒径分布和阴极发光(CL)图像显示石峁黄土为典型风成沉积。其粗颗粒碎屑锆石(>40 μm)年龄峰值集中在190~300 Ma、300~600 Ma、1700~1900 Ma和2300~2600 Ma,年龄谱显示近源(局地基岩碎屑)、中源(黄河河沙)和远源(阿拉善地区沙漠)均有贡献; 定量计算表明,三者分别贡献71%、21%和8%的风成粗颗粒。中、近源中,黄河及其支流侵蚀基岩后搬运沉积的漫滩物质成为粉尘输移的中转站,为黄土的形成提供了主要的物源。光释光测年结果表明,石峁剖面河流沉积物及其上覆的黄土物质分别形成于倒数第2次冰消期和末次冰消期,两者之间的沉积间断可能指示了末次冰期至冰消期的侵蚀事件,导致了河滩物质暴露,从而形成了潜在的局地尘源。这些结果表明,包括黄河干支流在内的河流系统对黄土粉尘有重要的物源贡献。     

用扫描电镜技术识别广州市大气颗粒物主要种类

利用扫描电镜技术对大气颗粒物的来源进行识别，采取手动分析与自动分析两种方法，得出的结果在总趋势上相互一致。手动方法和自动方法各有特点。自动分析在细颗粒，特别是含硫颗粒分析方面有优势，而手动分析在形貌观测和确定有机粗颗粒污染状况方面有独到之处。实验结果表明，大气颗粒物的来源是多样的，治理措施也应是综合性的，既要注意工业点源的污染治理和排放控制，如燃煤飞灰，钙质颗粒富铁颗粒等，也要注意面源排放，如土壤扬尘和碳质颗粒，碳质颗粒的来源复杂，可以是工业过程，燃烧过程，机动车尾气，生物质燃，树木自然排放。     

黄土高原风尘沉积的物质来源研究:回顾与展望

黄土高原风尘沉积是青藏高原构造隆升和东亚季风系统共同影响下的产物。由于风尘物质的来源变化,不仅反映了亚洲内陆的干旱化过程,而且同过去大气环流格局变迁关系密切,因而,风尘物质来源的示踪一直是黄土研究的热点问题之一。文章首先回顾黄土来源的示踪方法、黄土物质的可能源区以及黄土物源在构造和轨道时间尺度上的变化特征3个方面取得的研究进展,然后探讨目前物源研究存在的问题及未来的研究展望。     

阿拉善高原干涸湖床沉积物与华北地区沙尘暴

文章通过内蒙古阿拉善高原古居延泽干涸湖床沉积物、周缘活动沙丘、沙质草原地表土壤及古代弃荒土地的粒度组成分析,论述干涸湖床沉积物对沙尘天气的影响。古居延泽湖床沉积粒度分析结果表明,干涸湖床的地表湖相沉积物粒径小于10μm的颗粒占64%以上,可以在一般风暴条件下在大气中搬运几千公里,这意味着西北地区干涸湖床产生的粉尘在风暴作用下可以横扫整个东亚北部地区。中国西北地区冬、春季多西北风造成沙尘暴或扬沙天气,西部沙漠、沙地或沙质草场遭遇强风时沙尘被席卷进气流,但其中粗砂粒扬起的高度、搬运的距离有限,当风力稍稍减弱,粗颗粒砂粒沉降,而粉尘继续悬浮运移。当强风途径下一个沙区时新的沙尘加入,沙尘暴呈“接力方式”继续向东南部移动。     

Improved provenance tracing of Asian dust sources using rare earth elements and selected trace elements for palaeomonsoon studies on the eastern Tibetan Plateau

The Asian Monsoon forms an important part of the earth’s climate system, yet our understanding of the past interactions between its different sub-systems, the East Asian and Indian monsoons, and between monsoonal winds and other prevailing wind currents such as the Westerly jet, is limited, particularly in central Asia. This in turn affects our ability to develop climate models capable of accurately predicting future changes in atmospheric circulation patterns and monsoon intensities in Asia. Provenance studies of mineral dust deposited in terrestrial settings such as peat bogs can address this problem directly, by offering the possibility to examine past deposition rates and wind direction, and hence reconstruct past atmospheric circulation patterns. However, such studies are challenged by several issues, most importantly the identification of proxies that unambiguously distinguish between the different potential dust sources and that are independent of particle size. In addition, a single analytical method that is suitable for sample preparation of both dust source (i.e. desert sand, soil) and receptor (i.e. dust archive such as peat or soil profiles) material is desirable in order to minimize error propagation derived from the experimental and analytical work. Here, an improved geochemical framework of provenance tracers to study atmospheric circulation patterns and palaeomonsoon variability in central Asia is provided, by combining for the first time mineralogical as well as major and trace elemental (Sc, Y, Th and the rare earth elements) information on Chinese (central Chinese loess plateau, northern Qaidam basin and Taklamakan, Badain Juran and Tengger deserts), Indian (Thar desert) and Tibetan (eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau) dust sources.Quartz, feldspars and clay minerals are the major constituents of all studied sources, with highly variable calcite contents reflected in the CaO concentrations. Chinese and Tibetan dust sources are enriched in middle REE relative to the upper continental crust and average shale but the Thar desert has a REE signature distinctly different from all other dust sources. There are significant differences in major, trace and REE compositions between the coarse and fine fractions of the surface sands, with the finest <4 μm fraction enriched in Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, MnO, MgO and K₂O and the <32 μm fractions in Sc, Y, Th and the REE relative to the coarse fractions. The <4 μm fraction best represents the bulk REE geochemistry of the samples. The provenance tracers Y/∑REE, La/Er, La/Gd, Gd/Er, La/Yb, Y/Tb, Y/La, Y/Nd and to a certain extent the europium anomaly Eu/Eu^∗ (all REE normalized to post-Archean Australian shale, PAAS) are particle size-independent tracers, of which combinations of Y/∑REE, La/Yb, Y/Tb, Y/La and Eu/Eu^∗ can be used to distinguish the Thar desert, the Chinese deserts, the Chinese loess plateau and the Tibetan soils. Their independence upon grain size means that these tracers can be applied to the long-range provenance tracing of Asian dust even when only bulk samples are available in the source region. Combinations of La/Th, Y/Tb, Y/∑REE, Sc/La and Y/Er distinguish the Tibetan soils from the Chinese loess plateau and the Chinese deserts. La/Th and notably Th/∑REE isolate the signature of the Badain Juran desert and the combination of Sc/La and Y/Er that of the Taklamakan desert. The similarity in all trace and REE-based provenance tracers between the northern Qaidam basin and Tengger desert suggests that these two deposits may have a common aeolian source.