Desert: environmental issues, the living desert

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2018-03-26 07:08:14

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The Desert — in dry areas with high temperature performance, and low humidity. Researchers believe such a place on earth territories of geographical paradoxes. Geographers and biologists say that they themselves desert — this is the main environmental problem of the Earth, or rather desertification. The so-called process of loss of natural complex of permanent vegetation, the impossibility of natural regeneration without human intervention. Find out what area the map is desert. Environmental problems of this natural area, set in direct connection with human activities.

Country of geographical paradoxes

Most dry areas of the globe lies in the tropical zone, they receive from 0 to 250 mm of rain per year. Evaporation is usually ten times the amount of precipitation. Often the drop does not reach the earth's surface, evaporate in the air. In the rocky Gobi desert and Central Asia in winter the temperature drops below 0 °C. Significant amplitude — a characteristic feature of desert climate. During the day it can be 25–30 °C, in the Sahara can reach 40–45 °C. Other geographical paradoxes deserts of the Earth:

  • Precipitation not wetting the soil;
  • Dust storms and whirlwinds without rain;
  • Inland lake with a high salt content;
  • Sources that are lost in the Sands, giving rise to streams;
  • The river with no mouth, dry river beds and dry accumulation in deltas;
  • The wandering lake with constantly changing contours of the coast;
  • Trees, shrubs and grass without leaves, but with thorns.

desert environmental challenges

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Largest desert in the world

Extensive areas devoid of vegetation, related to undrained areas of the planet. It is dominated by trees, shrubs and grass with no leaves or no vegetation, which reflects the term "wilderness." Photos posted in the article, give an idea of the harsh conditions of the dry areas. The map shows that the desert located in the Northern and southern hemispheres in a hot climate. Only in Central Asia this natural area is located in the temperate zone, reaches to 50° N. lat. The largest deserts of the world:

  • Sugar, Libyan, Kalahari and Namib in Africa;
  • Monte, Patagonian and Atacama in South America;
  • Great Sandy and Victoria in Australia;
  • Arabian, Gobi, Syrian, RUB al-Khali, the Karakum, the Kyzylkum desert in Eurasia.

Areas Such as semi-desert and desert on the world map, are generally 17 to 25% of the total land area of the globe, and in Africa and Australia — 40% of the area.

desert map

Drought on the coast

The Unusual location characteristic of the Atacama and Namib. These barren arid landscape located on the shore of the ocean! The Atacama desert located in the West of South America and surrounded by the rocky peaks of the Andes mountain range, reaching a height of more than 6500 m In the West, the territory washed by the Pacific ocean with its cold Peruvian current.

The Atacama desert-the most lifeless desert, here are the record low rainfall — 0 mm. a Little rain once in several years, but common in winter looming fog from the ocean. In this arid region is home to about 1 million people. The population is engaged in animal husbandry, surrounded by pastures and meadows, all high mountain desert. The photo in the article gives an idea about the harsh landscapes of the Atacama.

ecological problems of deserts and semi-deserts

Types of deserts (environmental assessment)

  1. Arid-zonal type, typical for tropical and subtropical zones. The climate in this area is hot and dry.
  2. Anthropogenic — is the result of direct or indirect human impact on nature. There is a theory that explains that it is a desert, environmental issues which are related to its extension. And due to all this activities of the population.
  3. Populated — the land on which there are permanent residents. There are transit rivers, oases, which are formed in the places of underground waters.
  4. Industrial — areas with extremely poor vegetation cover and fauna, due to industrial activity and disturbance of the natural environment.
  5. Arctic — snow and ice expanses at high latitudes.

Environmental problems of deserts and semi-deserts in the North and in the tropics similar in many ways: for example, there is a lack of rainfall that is the limiting factor for plant life. But for the icy expanses of the Arctic is characterized by an extremely low temperature.

Desertification — a loss of continuous vegetation

About 150 years ago, scientists have noted an increase in the area of the Sahara. Archaeological excavations and palaeontological studies have shown that it is not always in this area was just desert. Environmental problems, then, was the so-called “drying” of the Sahara. So, in the XI century agriculture in North Africa could go up to 21° latitude. For seven centuries the Northern border of agriculture moved South to the 17th parallel, to the XXI century has shifted even further. Why is desertification? Some researchers have explained this process in Africa, “drying” of climate, and other given data about the movement of the Sands, sleepy oases.The sensation was the work of Stebbing “Wilderness man-made”, published in 1938. The author gave details on the progress of the Sahara to the South and explained the phenomenon of improper agriculture, in particular cattle trampling grass vegetation, unsustainable agricultural farming systems.

desert photo

Anthropogenic cause of desertification

Studies of sand movement in the Sahara, scientists have found that during the First world war, the area of agricultural land and the number of cattle has decreased. Trees and shrubs then re-emerged, that is, the retreating wilderness. Environmental problems are currently compounded by the almost complete absence of such cases, when areas withdrawn from agricultural use for natural regeneration. Conducted reclamation measures and reclamation on a small area.

To desertification often leads human activity, the reason “drying” is not climatic, and anthropogenic, associated with the excessive exploitation of pastures, the excessive development of road construction, unsustainable agriculture. Desertification under the influence of natural factors can occur at the boundary of the existing dry areas, but less frequently than under the influence of human activities. The main causes of anthropogenic desertification:

  • Mining of minerals by open method (in quarries);
  • Grazing without recovery of pasture productivity;
  • Cutting down of forest plantations, the fixing of the soil;
  • Improper irrigation (irrigation);
  • Increased water and wind erosion:
  • The drying up of reservoirs, as in the case of the disappearance of the Aral sea in Central Asia.

the world is a desert

Environmental problems of deserts and semi-deserts (list)

  1. Water Shortage — the main factor that increases the vulnerability of desert landscapes. Strong evaporation and dust storms lead to erosion and further degradation of marginal soils.
  2. Salinity-the increase in the content of soluble salts, the formation of salt licks and salt marshes, virtually unusable for plants.
  3. Dust and sand storms — the movement of air, rising from the earth's surface a considerable amount of fine clastic material. On the salt flats the wind carries salt. If Sands and clays enriched with iron compounds, appear yellow-brown and red dust storms. They may cover hundreds or thousands of square kilometers.
  4. “Devils in the desert” — dusty and sandy whirlwinds, lifting into the air a huge number of small debris to a height of several tens of meters. Sandy pillars are at the top of the extension. Different from tornadoes by the lack of Cumulus clouds that bring rain.
  5. Dust bowl — areas where there is catastrophic erosion due to drought and uncontrolled plowing of the land.
  6. Blockage, the accumulation of waste — strangers to natural environment objects that do not decompose or emit toxic substances.
  7. Exploitation and pollution by man in the extraction of minerals, development of animal husbandry, transport and tourism.
  8. Reduction of the area occupied by the plants of the wilderness, the impoverishment of the fauna. The loss of biodiversity.

the living desert

The living desert. Plants and animals

Harsh conditions, limited water resources and barren desert landscapes are changing after the rains. Many succulents, such as cacti and jade, are able to absorb and store the bound water in the stems and leaves. Ceremonie other plants such as saxaul and wormwood, develop long roots reaching the aquifer. Animals are adapted to obtain the moisture they need from food. Many representatives of fauna have switched to nocturnal to avoid overheating.

The world around us, the desert in particular, is experiencing the negative impact of the activities of the population. Is the destruction of the natural environment, the man himself can not enjoy the gifts of nature. When animals and plants lose their usual habitat, it also affects the lives of the population.


Article in other languages:

BE: https://tostpost.com/be/nav-ny-gramadstva/22831-pustynya-ekalag-chnyya-prablemy-zhycce-pustyn.html

DE: https://tostpost.com/de/news-und-gesellschaft/22841-w-ste-umweltprobleme-das-leben-der-w-ste.html

ES: https://tostpost.com/es/noticias-y-sociedad/22859-desierto-los-problemas-ambientales-la-vida-del-desierto.html

KK: https://tostpost.com/kk/zha-aly-tar-o-am/22821-sh-l-ekologiyaly-m-seleler-m-r-pustyni.html

PL: https://tostpost.com/pl/aktualno-ci-i-spo-ecze-stwo/22780-pustynia-problemy-rodowiskowe-ycie-na-pustyni.html

PT: https://tostpost.com/pt/not-cias-e-sociedade/22781-deserto-os-problemas-ambientais-a-vida-um-deserto.html

TR: https://tostpost.com/tr/haber-ve-toplum/22828-l-evre-sorunlar-hayat-l.html

UK: https://tostpost.com/uk/novini-ta-susp-l-stvo/22810-pustelya-ekolog-chn-problemi-zhittya-pustel.html






Alin Trodden - author of the article, editor
"Hi, I'm Alin Trodden. I write texts, read books, and look for impressions. And I'm not bad at telling you about it. I am always happy to participate in interesting projects."

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