Gourt > Science > Environment > Global Change > Desertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities. Modern desertification often arises from the demands of increased populations that settle on the land in order to grow crops and graze animals.
However, there has been major controversy over the definition of the term, as well as its causes. Attempts to define or map areas that are or have turned into desert have been sharply criticized. What is usually less controversial is the fact of biodiversity loss, and loss of productive capacity, such as the transition from grassland dominated by perennial grasses to one dominated by perennial shrubs. In the southwestern deserts of the United States, semiarid ecosystems dominated by perennial bunchgrasses, including blue grama and black grama, have been replaced by shrublands dominated by creosotebush since the early 1900s. The change in vegetation is thought to have induced desertification in this region.
Hat Face
In some regions around the world, deserts are separated sharply from surrounding, less arid areas by mountains and other contrasting landforms that reflect basic structural differences in the regional geology. In other areas, desert fringes form a gradual transition from a dry to a more humid environment, making it more difficult to define the desert border. These transition zones have very fragile, delicately balanced ecosystems. Desert fringes often are a mosaic of microclimates. Small hollows support vegetation that picks up heat from the hot winds and protects the land from the prevailing winds. After rainfall the vegetated areas are distinctly cooler than the surroundings. More on [ Desertification ]
Deserts :: Ecosystems
Drought :: Weather Phenomena
Deserts :: Ecosystems and Habitats
@DougCoupland holycrap! has desertification been THAT unkind to the lower mainland area since I left?!
_theshadow_ (Ryan Copeland) Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:54:04 -0000
@DougCoupland holycrap! has desertification been THAT unkind to the lower mainland area since I left?!
[Random Graphic] Linkages and feedback loops among desertification, global climate change and biodiversity loss http://bit.ly/64bgxf
gridarendal (gridarendal) Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:04:22 -0000
[Random Graphic] Linkages and feedback loops among desertification, global climate change and biodiversity loss http://bit.ly/64bgxf
#Mali: Local Communities Combat Desertification http://allafrica.com/c/-3cF6g #Africa #climatechange #cop15 #cop16
stunetii (Richard Whitehead) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:35:49 -0000
#Mali: Local Communities Combat Desertification http://allafrica.com/c/-3cF6g #Africa #climatechange #cop15 #cop16
Mali: Local Communities Combat Desertification: The Lake Faguibine region in Northern Mali was once a thriving wate... http://bit.ly/4sFkIn
cameroonians (Cameroon Students) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:57:00 -0000
Mali: Local Communities Combat Desertification: The Lake Faguibine region in Northern Mali was once a thriving wate... http://bit.ly/4sFkIn
Mali: Local Communities Combat Desertification - The Lake Faguibine region in Northern Mali was once a thriving wat... http://ow.ly/16d1Rl
CameroonTV (CameroonTV) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:20:51 -0000
Mali: Local Communities Combat Desertification - The Lake Faguibine region in Northern Mali was once a thriving wat... http://ow.ly/16d1Rl
Mali: Local Communities Combat Desertification: The Lake Faguibine region in Northern Mali was once a thriving wate... http://bit.ly/4IBlgk
afriqueactu (Afrique Actu) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:54:21 -0000
Mali: Local Communities Combat Desertification: The Lake Faguibine region in Northern Mali was once a thriving wate... http://bit.ly/4IBlgk
Desertification - FAO website on the topic, with technical and scientific data and information available at FAO, plus internet links. Site available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish languages.
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Forecasting - Text and video reports about remote monitoring in the arid southwest region of United States. General details about desertification, forcasting, desert plants and a photo gallery is also there.
Adaptive Strategies for Sustainable Livelihoods in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) Project - Description of ASALs Project in Africa, along with outputs, findings, significance and bibliography.
Meta Description: [ IISD's Community Adaptation and Sustainable Livelihoods Program ]
Beijing's Desert Storm - Article and photos describe desertification in China, where the desert is on the move. With dunes already 75 kilometers from Beijing, environmentalists fear the sand could swallow the capital in a few years.
Meta Description: [ China's desert storm: Are the sands of time running out for Beijing ]
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Combatting Desertification - Introduction to desertification and ways to combat desertification, details of activities undertaken and contact information. A site by Canadian International Development Agency.
Desertification and Drought - Internet links to sites related to desertification, maintained by University of Arizona.
Drylands: Bright Edges of the World - Smithsonian Institution electronic exhibit about deserts and other arid and sub-humid environments, emphasizing desertification and other degradation and its consequences.
First UN Convention to Combat Desertification - Purpose of meeting was to discuss the problem of land degradation and to offer suggestions to prevent this phenomena. Page includes list of participating countries and their ideas. Took place 29 September - 10 October 1997, Rome Italy.
Land Degradation and Desertification - International Union of Soil Sciences working group site offers conference reports, technical papers and links to other organizations.
MEDACTION: Policies for Land Use to Combat Desertification - Describes a decision support system for land management in Italy and Portugal. Features project description, bibliography and contact details.
Medalus - Programme on Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use - Information about international project, funded by the European Union, to investigate the effects of desertification on land use in Mediterranean Europe.
Monitoring and Early Warning - Maps providing monthly updated, near real time, distributed information on rainfall, actual evapotranspiration, radiation, drought and desertification indices, and crop yield forecasts for Africa and Europe. Includes methodology discussions and links to similar resources.
Meta Description: [ Quantification of drought, crop growth and the estimation of irrigation needs for Africa and Europe. ]
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Past, Recent, and 21st Century Vegetation Change in the Arid Southwest -
Selected Internet Resources on Desertification - Information about intergovernmental organizations, national/regional activities,non-governmental organizations in the field of desertification. Also related reports/news/information sources.
The Sahara and the Sahel Observatory (OSS) - Details about mission, objectives and structure of OSS, an organization striving to build up an African arena for cooperation and exchange to combat desertification and poverty. Available in English and Freanch.
The Second Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification - Page includes summaries of daily discusses, which featured concerned nations from around the world. Past event took place in Dakar, Senegal.
UN Convention to Combat Desertification Information Network - Objective is to provide information services on the subject of desertification. Background on the phenomenon, key international documents, and directory of organizations conducting work in this area.
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UNDP Dryland Web - Office to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNSO) - Works in the overall framework of UNDP's sustainable human development mandate to support dryland development and the implementation of the CCD.
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification - Provides access to the official documents maintained or received by the UNCCD Secretariat and is a general source of information on the topic of desertification for the interested public.
Web Resources on Desertification - Links to web sites providing information on desertification worldwide.
Meta Description: [ Annotated list of web resources on desertification, published in Arid Lands Newsletter No. 40, fall/winter 1996. Links published in this list are periodically checked and updated although new links are not added. ]
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