The paleoenvironmental significance of spatial distributions of grain size in groundwater‐recharged lakes: A case study in the hinterland of the Badain Jaran Desert, northwest China

Groundwater-recharged lakes in desert hinterlands, unlike those with river runoff, receive sediment solely from wind transport. A study of five such lakes in the Badain Jaran Desert revealed that median and mean grain sizes decrease from nearshore to deep-water zones but do not reach their lowest at lake centers, contrary to runoff-recharged lakes. The median grain size correlates negatively with lake level, offering a low-resolution proxy for lake evolution. End-member modeling identified two sediment sources: wind-transported sediment (EM1) and wave-perturbed sediment post-wind transport (EM2). EM2's modal grain size varies with lake area, while its content positively correlates with lake level, providing a rough indicator of past lake level fluctuations.

Li, Z., Wei, Z., Dong, S., & Chen, Q. (2017). The paleoenvironmental significance of spatial distributions of grain size in groundwater‐recharged lakes: A case study in the hinterland of the Badain Jaran Desert, northwest China. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 43(2), 363–372. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4248