Atmospheric chemistry and physics • Vol 25 • No 19
Toxic dust emission from drought-exposed lake beds – a new air pollution threat from dried lakes
2025
Abstract. Many lakes worldwide are shrinking rapidly due to climate change and human activities. Pollutants accumulated in dried lake bed sediments may be released into the atmosphere as dust aerosols. However, whether lake bed dust carries sufficient toxic materials and exceeds threshold atmospheric concentrations to pose a significant health risk is currently unknown. Recently, Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake, the largest lakes in east China, experienced record-breaking droughts, with 99 % and 88 % areas exposed t…