The enigma and complexity of landscape dynamics in Chinese deserts: From case studies to big data

Drylands occupy ~41% of the global land surface and are home to more than two billion people (reynolds et al. 2007). In recent decades, global warming and intensified human activities have exacerbated the environmental degradation or desertification in drylands, threatening nations' economies and sustainable development. Additionally, deserts are an important yet poorly understood component of the Earth system, with dust released from these regions affecting the global biogeochemical cycle and climate. Early-career researchers (Ecrs) at Zhejiang University and elsewhere in china are currently investigating sedimentary archives from the interior of chinese deserts in the eastern Asian desert belt (Fig. 1) to explore complex landscape dynamics through time.