Salinity is an important factor in carbon emissions from an inland lake in arid region.

Saline lakes, serving as the ultimate destination for most hydrological systems, accumulate substantial amounts of nutrients and organic matter from basins, and act as vast carbon reservoirs. These lakes exhibit exceptionally active biogeochemical cycling processes of carbon dioxide (CO) and methane (CH), and constitute integral components of the global carbon cycle. However, understanding of greenhouse gas emissions from saline lakes remains unclear mostly due to scarce data. In this study, we obtained CO and CH diffusive fluxes and biogeochemical parameters during ice-free period of 2021 at Bosten Lake, which is a representative inland saline lake located in China's arid region. Results revealed that Bosten Lake was a significant source of atmospheric gas carbon emissions, with average diffusion emissions of 12.645 ± 3.475 mmol m d for CO and 0.279 ± 0.069 mmol m d for CH. Temporally, field measurements found a positive correlation between conductivity (Spc, a proxy of salinity) and CO emissions (R = 0.50, p < 0.01). Furthermore, the CH diffusive fluxes increased with the trophic state index (TSI, R = 0.31, p < 0.01). Spatially, exogenous inputs led to the spatial heterogeneity of carbon emissions. Our results highlighted that temporal variations in salinity constitute a crucial factor influencing CO emissions, and the saline lake has greater global warming potential compared to freshwater. The study provides an in-depth analysis of greenhouse gas emissions and driving factors in saline lakes of arid regions, and supports a further understanding of the carbon cycle in different types of lakes.