大、小苏干湖：咸淡相连的高原“姊妹湖”
Lakes nurture ecological wetland in Gobi Desert, NW China's Gansu

11月16日，一群水鸟在甘肃省阿克塞县大苏干湖省级候鸟自然保护区活动觅食（无人机照片）。入冬以来，位于甘肃省酒泉市阿克塞哈萨克族自治县境内的“姊妹湖”——大、小苏干湖陆续封冻。大、小苏干湖由祁连山冰雪融水汇聚而成，虽一水相连，却呈现“上游小苏干湖为淡水湖、下游大苏干湖为咸水湖”的独特现象。它们共同在广袤戈壁中滋养出一片生机盎然的生态湿地，成为我国候鸟迁徙路线上重要的中转站和繁殖栖息地之一。[新华社记者 郎兵兵 摄]

A drone photo taken on Nov. 16, 2025 shows water birds foraging at the Dasugan Lake Provincial Migratory Bird Nature Reserve in Kazak Autonomous County of Aksay, Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province. Dasugan Lake and Xiaosugan Lake are connected and are both formed by the meltwater from the Qilian Mountains. A unique phenomenon is that the upstream Xiaosugan Lake is a freshwater lake, while the downstream Dasugan Lake is a saline lake. Together, they nurture a vibrant ecological wetland in the vast Gobi Desert, serving as an important stopover and breeding habitat for migratory birds along China's migration routes. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)