Geomorphic Distribution Modeling of Desert Pavements: Towards a Global Desert Pavement Potential Index

Desert pavements, characterized by a stone layer over fine eolian materials, are key geomorphological features in arid regions and play a critical role in the global dust cycle. Despite their importance, quantitative evidence regarding their global distribution remains limited. This digital object contains raster files and R scripts providing a preliminary assessment of desert pavement distribution using a GIS-based multiple-criteria decision analysis (GIS–MCDA) framework. Key environmental factors, including climate, topography, vegetation, soil texture, and anthropogenic disturbance, were incorporated into a global favorability index at a 1 km × 1 km resolution. Validation against 20 documented desert-pavement research sites revealed a significant association with high index values, with 15% of sites exhibiting an index ≥0.90 and 80% ≥0.75. The model estimates that up to 25.7 million km², or 19.0% of the Earth’s land surface, holds potential for desert pavements. These results provide a foundation for future studies, emphasizing the need for localized, high-resolution research and the integration of geomorphometric and remote-sensing techniques with machine-learning models. This initial global assessment underscores the utility of GIS–MCDA in geomorphic distribution modeling and highlights the importance of refining global environmental datasets for arid landscapes.荒漠砾幂（desert pavement）以细粒风成物质表层覆盖砾石层为典型特征，是干旱区关键地貌单元，在全球尘埃循环中发挥着至关重要的作用。尽管其生态与地貌意义重大，但目前关于其全球分布的定量研究证据仍较为匮乏。本数据集包含栅格数据文件与R脚本，基于地理信息系统的多准则决策分析（GIS-MCDA）框架，对荒漠砾幂的全球分布开展了初步评估。研究纳入气候、地形、植被、土壤质地及人为扰动等关键环境因子，构建了分辨率为1 km × 1 km的全球适宜性指数。通过对20个已公开记载的荒漠砾幂研究样点进行验证，结果显示该指数与荒漠砾幂的实际分布存在显著相关性：其中15%的点位指数≥0.90，80%的点位指数≥0.75。模型估算结果表明，全球约有2570万平方千米的陆地面积（占地球陆地总面积的19.0%）具备形成荒漠砾幂的潜力。本研究结果为后续相关研究奠定了基础，同时强调了开展局地高分辨率研究的必要性，以及将地貌测量技术、遥感技术与机器学习模型相融合的重要方向。此次初步的全球评估证实了GIS-MCDA在地貌分布建模中的应用价值，同时凸显了优化干旱区全球环境数据集的重要性。