Groundwater contributions in water-salt balances of the lakes in the Badain Jaran Desert, China

Groundwater-fed lakes are essential for the ecology in arid and semiarid regions. As a typical arid region, the Badain Jaran Desert (BJD) is famous in the world for the presence of a large number of groundwater-fed saline lakes among the mega dunes. Based on the up to date geological surveys and observations, this study analyzed the groundwater contributions in water-salt balances of the lakes in the desert. We found different types of springs, including the sublacustrine springs that indicate an upward flow of groundwater under the lakebed. A simplified water balance model was developed to analyze the seasonal variations of water level in the SumuBarunJaran Lake, which revealed an approximately steady groundwater discharge in the lake and explained why the amplitude of seasonal changes in lake level is less than 0.5 m. In addition, a salt balance model was developed to evaluate the salt accumulations in the groundwater-fed lakes. The relative salt accumulation time is 800–7,000 years in typical saline lakes, which were estimated from the concentration of Cl−, indicating a long history evolution for the lakes in the BJD. Further researches are recommended to provide comprehensive investigations on the interactions between the lakes and groundwater in the BJD.