Sr and Nd isotopic composition of dust in Dunde ice core, Northern China: Implications for source tracing and use as an analogue of long-range transported Asian dust

This study presents the Sr and Nd isotopic composition of dust from a shallow Dunde ice core (38°06′N, 96°24′E, 5325 m a.s.l.), Northern China, in order to trace its source regions and the provenance of long-range transported (LRT) Asian dust. Dunde dust samples show similar Sr (87Sr/86Sr averages 0.719982 and varies between 0.715220 and 0.721874) and Nd (εNd(0) averages − 10.6 and ranges from − 11.1 to − 9.9) isotopic composition to desert sand from Taklimakan and Qaidam, revealing that the Tarim and Qaidam Basins are the most possible source areas for Dunde dust, while the contribution from Badain Jaran and Tengger seems very small or unlikely. Our results indicate that materials from Taklimakan can be entrained from the Tarim Basin and transported to Qilian Shan by Westerlies under the present climate. The Sr–Nd isotopic composition of Dunde dust, which is a good analogue for the long-range transported Asian dust, resembles that of North Pacific and Greenland dust, indicating that the important provenance of end members of the Asian dust seems to be Taklimakan on a regional scale.