Spatiotemporal Variations and Key Driving Factors of Dust Storms in China’s Source Regions from 2000 to 2024

The Taklimakan Desert (TD), located in the Tarim Basin, and the Gobi Desert (GD), spanning northern China and southern Mongolia, are the two major dust source regions in East Asia, with substantial influence on China’s atmospheric environment and ecosystem. Using dust storm day (DSD) observations from national meteorological stations between 2000 and 2024, along with meteorological variables and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), this study examines the spatiotemporal trends of dust storms and their key driving factors in both source regions. The TD and GD regions exhibit high levels of dust storm activity in China, with a distinct decreasing gradient from the source areas to downstream regions observed across all seasons. Trend analysis of DSD reveals distinct temporal patterns: the TD region experienced a moderate decline (−0.11 d/a) followed by a fluctuating increase (0.04 d/a), while the GD region exhibited a sharp drop (−0.32 d/a) and a subsequent marked resurgence (0.09 d/a). Seasonally, dust storm events in the TD region were frequent in both spring and summer, whereas in the GD region they were concentrated almost entirely in spring. In both source regions, spring dust storm events were closely linked to wind speed and the frequency of strong wind days. However, in summer, precipitation played a more suppressive role in the GD region, while wind remained the primary driver in the TD region. Between 2001 and 2013, both regions experienced a reduction in barren land area, aligning with a decline in dust storm events. In contrast, barren land in the GD region expanded from 2013 to 2023, accompanied by a significant increase in dust storm events. Notably, in the GD region, spring and summer NDVI values were negatively correlated with DSD, indicating stronger vegetation control over dust emission. In contrast, this relationship was weaker in the TD region, underscoring distinct ecological–meteorological interactions between the two desert systems.