Fig. 1

Geographical location of the Qaidam Basin and study area. (a) Satellite imagery shows the area of the Qaidam Basin (from Google Earth, https://earth.google.com); (b) Distribution of salt lakes in the Qaidam Basin and location of the study area. (modified by Zhao, 2024)38. These maps were created using CorelDRAW software version 2020, https://www.coreldraw.com.