China Transforms 'Biological Void' of Taklamakan Desert into Significant Carbon Sink Through Massive Afforestation

Global - Ekhbary News Agency

China Transforms 'Biological Void' of Taklamakan Desert into Significant Carbon Sink Through Massive Afforestation

A monumental ecological engineering endeavor by China has successfully converted the periphery of the Taklamakan Desert, one of the world's largest and driest sandy expanses, into a thriving carbon sink. New research indicates that this vast region now absorbs more carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere than it releases, marking a significant triumph in the global fight against climate change and desertification. The findings challenge long-held perceptions of arid landscapes and offer a potential blueprint for ecological restoration worldwide.

For decades, the Taklamakan Desert, spanning approximately 130,000 square miles (337,000 square kilometers) and encircled by towering mountains that block moist air, has been characterized by extreme aridity, rendering it largely a "biological void." Its expansion since the 1950s, fueled by China's rapid urbanization and agricultural growth, exacerbated land degradation and increased the frequency of sandstorms, posing severe environmental and economic challenges. However, a multi-decade national initiative has begun to reverse this trend with remarkable success.

The cornerstone of this transformation is China's ambitious Three-North Shelterbelt Program, colloquially known as the "Great Green Wall." Initiated in 1978, this colossal project aimed to plant billions of trees across northern China, particularly around the margins of the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts, with a target completion date of 2050. To date, over 66 billion trees have been planted, dramatically increasing China's forest cover from a mere 10% in 1949 to more than 25% today. The effort to encircle the Taklamakan Desert with vegetation was reportedly completed in 2024, a testament to the program's enduring scale and commitment.

A groundbreaking study, published on January 19 in the prestigious journal PNAS, provides compelling evidence of the ecological impact of this afforestation. Researchers meticulously analyzed 25 years of ground observations and satellite data, including precipitation levels, vegetation cover, photosynthetic activity, and CO2 fluxes within the Taklamakan Desert. Their findings were further bolstered by data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Carbon Tracker, which offers global insights into CO2 sources and sinks.

"We found, for the first time, that human-led intervention can effectively enhance carbon sequestration in even the most extreme arid landscapes, demonstrating the potential to transform a desert into a carbon sink and halt desertification," stated Yuk Yung, a co-author of the study and a distinguished professor of planetary science at Caltech, also serving as a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His comments, shared with Live Science, underscore the unprecedented nature of this achievement.

The study reveals a clear long-term trend: expanding vegetation along the desert's edges directly correlates with a significant increase in CO2 uptake. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced during the wet season, from July to September, when precipitation levels average approximately 0.6 inches (16 millimeters) per month – 2.5 times higher than in the dry season. This enhanced moisture availability boosts vegetation growth, greenness, and photosynthetic activity, subsequently reducing atmospheric CO2 levels over the desert from 416 parts per million (ppm) in the dry season to 413 ppm in the wet season.

While previous research hinted at the Taklamakan's potential as a carbon sink, those studies primarily focused on CO2 absorption by desert sand, a mechanism considered less stable under rising global temperatures due to the potential release of CO2 as air in sand expands. The current study, however, shifts focus to the robust and sustainable carbon sequestration achieved through planted vegetation, providing a more optimistic outlook for long-term climate resilience.

The "Great Green Wall" project, while facing debates regarding its effectiveness in mitigating sandstorms, has undeniably demonstrated its capacity to create a stable carbon sink. "Based on the results of this study, the Taklamakan Desert, although only around its rim, represents the first successful model demonstrating the possibility of transforming a desert into a carbon sink," Yung reiterated. This model holds immense promise for other arid regions grappling with desertification and the urgent need for carbon sequestration, offering a tangible example of large-scale ecological engineering yielding profound environmental benefits. The success at Taklamakan could inspire similar initiatives globally, contributing significantly to climate change mitigation efforts.

Ekhbary News Agency