Desertification

World map from 1998 showing global desertification vulnerability

Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become arid.[1][2] It is the spread of arid areas caused by a variety of factors, such as overexploitation of soil as a result of human activity and the effects of climate change.[3][4] Geographic areas most affected include the Sahel region in Africa, the Gobi Desert and Mongolia in Asia as well as parts of South America. Drylands occupy approximately 40–41% of Earth's land area and are home to more than 2 billion people.[5]

Effects of desertification include sand and dust storms, food insecurity, vegetation patterning and increasing poverty. There are many possible countermeasures such as reforestation, soil regeneration, desert reclamation and managed grazing.

Throughout geological history, the development of deserts has occurred naturally. In recent times, the influences of human activity, improper land management, deforestation and climate change on desertification is the subject of many scientific investigations.[6][7][8]

  1. ^ "Desertification | Description, Causes, & Impacts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Desertification - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Sustainable development of drylands and combating desertification". Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  4. ^ Zeng, Ning; Yoon, Jinho (1 September 2009). "Expansion of the world's deserts due to vegetation-albedo feedback under global warming". Geophysical Research Letters. 36 (17): L17401. Bibcode:2009GeoRL..3617401Z. doi:10.1029/2009GL039699. ISSN 1944-8007. S2CID 1708267.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Liu, Ye; Xue, Yongkang (5 March 2020). "Expansion of the Sahara Desert and shrinking of frozen land of the Arctic". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 4109. Bibcode:2020NatSR..10.4109L. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-61085-0. PMC 7057959. PMID 32139761.
  7. ^ An, Hui; Tang, Zhuangsheng; Keesstra, Saskia; Shangguan, Zhouping (1 July 2019). "Impact of desertification on soil and plant nutrient stoichiometry in a desert grassland". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 9422. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.9422A. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-45927-0. PMC 6603008. PMID 31263198.
  8. ^ Han, Xueying; Jia, Guangpu; Yang, Guang; Wang, Ning; Liu, Feng; Chen, Haoyu; Guo, Xinyu; Yang, Wenbin; Liu, Jing (10 December 2020). "Spatiotemporal dynamic evolution and driving factors of desertification in the Mu Us Sandy Land in 30 years". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 21734. Bibcode:2020NatSR..1021734H. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-78665-9. PMC 7729393. PMID 33303886.

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