DESERTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
SUBMITTED BY
WAHEEDULLAH : 3633
AAMIR RAUF : 3634
MUHAMMAD AZHAR : 3666
YASIR KHAN : 3668
SUBMITTED TO : UROOJ
DESERTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
DESERTIFICATION:
Desertification is the process of turning the productive/cropland into desert.
It is also the situation of the desert expansion, which means desert is continuously
expanding to the surrounding area.
It is also known by the land degradation process that involve slight to very severe
degradation of soil resource, and is due to men’s activities.
Many countries around the world suffer from the problems caused by desertification but
in the region of Africa, the effects are greatest.
CAUSES OF DESERTIFICATION:
There are two types of important causes of desertification.
HUMAN ACTIVITIES:
Deforestation: is the permanent removal of trees to make room for something besides
forest. This can include clearing the land for agriculture or grazing, or using the timber
DESERTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
for fuel, construction or manufacturing. Forests cover more than 30% of the Earth's land
surface
Population growth: the population in some desert areas is increasing. In places where
there are developments in mining and tourism, people are attracted by jobs. An
increased population is putting greater pressure on the environment for resources such
as wood and water.
Removal of wood: in developing countries, people use wood for cooking. As the
population in desert areas increases, there is a greater need for fuel wood. When the
land is cleared of trees, the roots of the trees no longer hold the soil together so it is more
vulnerable to soil erosion.
Overgrazing -a situation in which there are too many cows or other animals eating grass in an
area, which damages the environment, an increasing population results in larger desert
areas being farmed. Sheep, cattle and goats are overgrazing the vegetation. This leaves
the soil exposed to erosion.
DESERTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Soil erosion - Soil erosion is the displacement of the upper layer of soil; it is a
form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of
erosive agents, that is, water, ice, snow, air, plants, animals, and humans. this is
made worse by overgrazing and the removal of wood. Population growth is the primary
cause for soil erosion.
Mining: for desertification. Large amounts of resources have to be extracted by
industries to meet our demand for material goods. For mining, large areas of land
have to be used, which causes deforestation as well as pollution of the nearby
areas.
DESERTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Climate change - the global climate is getting warmer. In desert regions conditions are
not only getting warmer but drier too. On average there is less rain now in desert regions
than there was 50 years ago.
CLIMATE VARIABILITY:
Drought:
When rainfall is less than normal for a period of weeks to years, water levels in lakes and
reservoirs fall, and the depth to water in wells increases. If dry weather persists and
water-supply problems develop, the dry period can become a drought.
Natural Disaster: There are some cases where the land gets damaged because
of natural disaster, including drought. In those cases, there isn’t a lot that people
DESERTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
can do except work to try and help rehabilitate the land after it has already been
damaged by nature.
Increase in soil erosion:
Soil erosion is the displacement of the upper layer of soil; it is a form of soil
degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive
agents, that is, water, ice, snow, air, plants, animals, and humans.
Flooding: Increases in deforestation can result in increased flooding and therefore
expansion of wetlands or floodplains. Water in wetlands then cuts off the oxygen
supply to the soil. This results in anaerobic fermentation, which forms large amounts
of methane, a greenhouse gas from the flooded forests.
Change in pattern of rain: It finds that overall rainfall does not diminish
with deforestation, but precipitation patterns shift. But it turns out that removing
forests alters moisture and air flow, leading to changes, from fluctuating rainfall
patterns to rises in temperatures that are just as hazardous, and happen right away .
EFFECTS OF DESERTIFICATION:
Farming becomes next to impossible
If an area becomes a desert, then it’s almost impossible to grow substantial crops
there without special technologies. This can cost a lot of money to try and do, so
many farmers will have to sell their land and leave the desert areas.
Decrease in Crop Yields
DESERTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
A major effect of desertification is the decrease in crop yields. Once land turns
from arable to arid, it is often on longer suitable for farming purposes anymore.
In turn, many farmers may lose their livelihood, since they often solely rely on
farming as their single source of income. If their land becomes arid, they may no
longer be able to provide sufficient crop yields to make a living out of it.
Hunger
Without farms in these areas, the food that those farms produce will become
much scarcer, and the people who live in those local areas will be a lot more likely
to try and deal with hunger problems. Animals will also go hungry, which will
cause even more of a food shortage.
Flooding
Without plant life in an area, flooding is a lot more imminent. Not all deserts are
dry; those that are wet could experience a lot of flooding because there is nothing
to stop the water from gathering and going all over the place. Flooding can also
negatively affect the water supply, which we will discuss next.
Poor Water Quality
If an area becomes a desert, the water quality is going to become a lot worse than
it would have been otherwise. This is because plant life plays a significant role in
keeping the water clean and clear; without its presence, it becomes a lot more
difficult for you to be able to do that.
Migration:
The desertification implies the destruction of the livelihood of farmers. This
problem becomes even worse when large areas of land that are currently used for
farming will then no longer be suitable for farming due to a lack of water triggered
by global warming. This results in serious migration movements.
DESERTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Strategies to reduce desertification
Prevention is much more cost-effective than rehabilitation. Desertification can be
reduced by adopting the following strategies:
Planting more trees - the roots of trees hold the soil together and help to
reduce soil erosion from wind and rain.
Improving the quality of the soil - this can be managed by encouraging
people to reduce the number of grazing animals they have and grow crops
instead. The animal manure can be used to fertilize the crops grown. Growing
crops in this way can improve the quality of the soil as it is held together by the
roots of plants and protected from erosion. This type of farming is
more sustainable.
Water management - water can be stored in earth dams in the wet season
and used to irrigate crops during the dry season. This is an example of
using appropriate technology to manage water supplies in the desert
environment.
Magic stones (or bunds) are circles of stones placed on the ground to hold
water on the soil rather than letting it run quickly over the surface.
Drip irrigation is where water drips slowly onto the ground from pin-sized
holes in a hose lying on top of the soil. This minimizes water loss, maximizes
effectiveness and can be delivered via a solar pump.
Drip irrigation, where water drips slowly from a hose
DESERTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
DESERTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
DESERTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE