Badain Jaran Desert lakes rest at the feet of Earth’s tallest sand dunes, under almost no rain.
So why doesn’t the moving sand bury the water? The answer lies in a daily swing of the wind.
In China’s Badain Jaran Desert, calm lakes sit beside towering dunes with almost no rain. You see where their water comes from and how an uneven daily swing of the wind may keep the sand from closing over them.
#BadainJaran #DesertLakes #SandDunes
Sources:
1. Frontiers | Hydrological Evolution of a Lake Recharged by Groundwater in the Badain Jaran Desert Over the Past 140 years — (accessed 2026-10-25)
2. Satellite-based estimates of groundwater depletion in the Badain Jaran Desert, China | Scientific Reports — (accessed 2026-10-25)
3. Local Circulation Maintains the Coexistence of Lake-dune Pattern in the Badain Jaran Desert | Scientific Reports — (accessed 2026-10-25)
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