Grain-size composition of the surface sediments in Chinese deserts and the associated dust emission

•Sediment grain-size compositions of 12 Chinese deserts are presented.•Dust emission from 12 deserts was estimated based on sand transport and clay content.•Total dust emission of the Chinese deserts was 70.6 Tg y-1 from 2010 to 2019.•There are 3 main dust emission source areas that coincide with dust storm centers.•Chinese deserts are a crucial component of dust emission in Asia.