Fourth, it outlines the current approaches to studying land degradation and desertification. Dust eroded from exposed soil can be transported long distances, affecting other ecosystems and altering air quality. Burning fossil fuels releases gases and chemicals into the air. It is necessary not only to protect the rangelands that are particularly sensitive natural ecosystems, but also to find major destructive driving forces which are the combination of different factors that transform degraded rangelands into desert. Barrow, in International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2009. Possibly the most pervasive health consequences of desertification are reductions in air quality caused by the buildup of dust particles in the air. In these cases, people rely on food aid from the international community. Almost 30 of the environmental rollbacks that the Trump administration has set in motion in the last 3½ years affect regulations to protect air quality. V.P. Desertification is a major challenge in the drylands. Figure 3. In a similar way to how temperature affects the air quality, humidity levels that are too-high or too-low can result in negative effects. Land degradation decreases the carbon storage capacity of soils and plants, which releases carbon into the air, and therefore contributes to climate change. Human activities such as agriculture, pastoralism, and deforestation in drylands often push predisturbance ecosystems over thresholds to alternative stable states that are resistant of further disturbance. A vicious cycle has begun in many areas: as the land degrades through misuse, it is worked or grazed ever more intensively, so its degradation is exacerbated; and as the returns from âoldâ land diminish, ânewâ land is brought under cultivation or under grazing in marginal or even submarginal areas. Fig. Climate feedback. Figure 1. Over the last 40 years or so desertification has mainly been attributed to human mismanagement, although environmental factors are sometimes wholly or partly to blame â frequently acting as a trigger. D. Hillel, C. Rosenzweig, in Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment, 2005. The transformation of a natural ecosystem into an agroecosystem is not necessarily destructive if the latter is managed sustainably and productively, and if it coexists harmoniously alongside natural ecosystems that continue to maintain biodiversity and to perform vital ecologic functions. Desertification affects the world’s most vulnerable populations. And in an especially destructive feedback loop, air pollution not only contributes to climate change but is also exacerbated by it. Perhaps better than âland degradationâ is the term âsemiarid ecosystem degradation.â A semiarid ecosystem encompasses the diverse biotic community sharing the domain. F. Desertification and land degradation Land-use change, land-use intensification and climate change have contributed to desertification and land degradation. It has been argued that desertification should be recognized only when degradation is irreversible. John Oswald, Sarah Harris, in Biological and Environmental Hazards, Risks, and Disasters, 2016. Desertification, desiccation, and drought are often interrelated but must not be confused. While there are places where the edge of the desert can be seen encroaching on fertile land, the more pressing problem is the deterioration of the land due to human abuse in regions well outside the desert. The latter problem emanates not from the expansion of the desert per se but from the centers of population outside the desert, owing to human mismanagement of the land. The role of social factors is also important. Desertification occurs in rich and poor countries, where there is high or low population, in communist or capitalist states, and it can be found in quite wet and cool environments. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128150559000126, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123948472000152, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780080449104000869, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444522726004074, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0123485304004471, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444522726006541, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123822253000359, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0123485304000898, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124095489119232, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128152263000338, Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, 2013, Walter G. Whitford, ... Benjamin D. Duval, in, Ecology of Desert Systems (Second Edition), Biological and Environmental Hazards, Risks, and Disasters, International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, Ecosystems in semiarid and arid regions around the world appear to be undergoing various processes of degradation commonly described as â, HYDROLOGY, FLOODS AND DROUGHTS | Deserts and Desertification, Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences (Second Edition), Desert Conservation and Management: Development Impacts, Thar Desert, India, Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, A Conceptual Model of the Relationship Between Plant Distribution and Desertification Trend in Rangeland Ecosystems Using R Software, Hamid Reza Pourghasemi, ... Mohsen Hosseinalizadeh, in, Spatial Modeling in GIS and R for Earth and Environmental Sciences, Glenn, Smith, & Squires, 1998; UNEP, 1991; Zucca, Della Peruta, Salvia, Sommer, & Cherlet, 2012, Manzano, Návar, Pando, & MartÃnez, 2000; Mwangi & Swallow, 2008; Steffens, Kölbl, Totsche, & Kögel-Knabner, 2008, Bartha, Campetella, Canullo, Bódis, & Mucina, 2004, Aguiar & Sala, 1999; Schlesinger et al., 1990; Valentin, dâHerbès, & Poesen, 1999, Dale, 2000; Diggle, 2003; Illian, Penttinen, Stoyan, & Stoyan, 2008; Svátek & Matula, 2015. Included among these are photosynthesis, absorption of atmospheric carbon and its incorporation into biomass and the soil, emission of oxygen, and regulation of temperature and the water cycle, as well as the decomposition of waste products and their transmutation into nutrients for the perpetuation of diverse, interdependent forms of life. Similarly, the most vulnerable districts in terms of the drivers of desertification are Bikaner, Jhunjhunu and Sikar. Dust particles in the atmosphere can scatter incoming radiation from the sun, reducing warming locally at the surface, but increasing it in the air above. This proposal is aimed at a systematic assessment of desertification and its impact on aeolian dust, air quality, and human health in Central Asia during the past twenty years (2000-2019). Finally, it concludes by situating the desertification dynamic in the context of sustainability and poverty eradication. In recent decades, the very term âdesertificationâ has been called into question as being too vague, and the processes it purports to describe too ill-defined. Desertification, the process by which natural or human causes reduce the biological productivity of drylands. Firstly, it can mean the process of expansion of an existing desert. We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. As such, desertification has serious agricultural effects. There is no universally accepted definition; however, most recognize that vegetation and soil undergoes regression to something more like desert. For these people, medical conditions are prominent such as asthma due to the lack of air quality caused by the wildfires, soot, and ultimately desertification caused from the aforementioned factors. Nisha Varghese, Naveen P. Singh, in Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, 2019. âDesertificationâ is land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities (Fig. For example, Bikaner, Churu and Jodhpur are the most developed districts, whereas Jalore, Barmer and Jaisalmer lag behind in terms of development indicators (Table 10). A semiarid ecosystem may be more or less natural, relatively undisturbed by humans, or it may be artificially managed, such as an agroecosystem. In other words, factors affecting rangeland should be assessed by sensitive indices which are able to detect significant ecological degeneration in an operative way (Bartha, Campetella, Canullo, Bódis, & Mucina, 2004). Figure 4. In Central Asia, human-driven desertification processes have led to severe loss of land productivity and degradation of air quality. Land and water management: Sustainable land use can fix issues such as overgrazing, overexploitation of plants, trampling of soils and irrigation practices that cause and worsen desertification. Second, it establishes desertification's geospatial context. Hamid Reza Pourghasemi, ... Mohsen Hosseinalizadeh, in Spatial Modeling in GIS and R for Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2019. First, it provides a synthesis of the history and politicization of the term. P. Bullock, in Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment, 2005. It must therefore be clarified and qualified so that its usage is less ambiguous. Note: white color: hyperarid areas; yellow color: arid areas; blue color: semiarid areas; red color: dry subhumid areas; green color: humid areas. A.S. Goudie, in Encyclopedia of Environmental Health, 2011. In 1978 at the first UN Conference on Desertification (UNCOD) the following definition was proposed âDesertification is the diminution or destruction of the biological potential of the land which can lead ultimately to desert-like conditions.â Desertification ultimately reduces the sustainability of arid lands whereby agriculturally productive lands become barren and thus prone to wind and water erosion and other forms of land degradation. Desertification is an inevitable consequence of climate change. According to UNCOD, over 250 million people are directly affected by desertification. The name “Africa” comes to us via the previously quite powerful Afri tribe — who once … Ecosystems in semiarid and arid regions around the world appear to be undergoing various processes of degradation commonly described as âdesertification.â According to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), all regions in which the ratio of total annual precipitation to potential evapotranspiration (P⧸ET) ranges from 0.05 to 0.65 should be considered vulnerable to desertification. Although the system above seems like a positive feedback scenario, land degradation and desertification are more likely to operate on a negative feedback method, whereby eventually the system will revert back to its original position albeit having crossed a number of thresholds and experienced a few positive feedbacks during its cyclical journey. Twelve indicators of development and six indicators which are drivers to desertification were taken. In this section, an attempt has been made to find out how the districts in the Thar Desert region fair in terms of various desertification and development drivers. When productive land becomes arid and useless, the absence of cr… The motivation behind this study is that desertification poses an imminent threat to dryland ecosystems and human well-being, and combating desertification, which comes with climate mitigation co-benefits, depends on accurate knowledge of the spatial pattern, temporal trajectory, driving processes, and societal impacts of desertification. Adding dust and sand into the atmosphere is also one of the ways that desertification itself can affect the climate, says Kimutai. For this purpose, analyzing the interspecific and intraspecific interactions of plants probably represents the best indicator for the evaluation of sustainability. Among the human health considerations associated with dust (mineral aerosol) in the atmosphere are respiratory problems, heart disease, silicosis, conjunctivitis, meningococcal meningitis, and coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever). Such declines may be the result of climate change, deforestation, overgrazing, poverty, political instability, unsustainable irrigation practices, or combinations of these factors. Therefore, this study proposes a conceptual model that shows a reliable relationship between vegetation indices and disturbing activities in various states of succession process. Apparently with this somewhat simplistic image in mind, UNEP sponsored projects in the early 1980s to plant trees along the edge of the Sahara, with the aim of warding off the invading sands. Desertification is defined as the diminution or destruction of the biological potential of land that ultimately can lead to desert-like conditions. Jhunjhunu and Sikar have the highest human population and livestock density. In reality, desertification is likely to be due to a combination of drought and mismanagement of land, particularly where there is a lack of harmony between land use and management on the one hand and prevailing climate on the other. In addition, some 1000 million (or 1 billion) people in over 100 countries are at risk. Many more theories and models separately describe the concepts of point processing and succession theories (Dale, 2000; Diggle, 2003; Illian, Penttinen, Stoyan, & Stoyan, 2008; Svátek & Matula, 2015; Yu, Wiegand, Yang, & Ci, 2009). About 2 billion people live on the drylands that are vulnerable to desertification, which could displace an estimated 50 million people by 2030. It is a process of âdegradation ofâ land mainly âin arid, semi-arid, and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations, but predominantly human activitiesâ. In order to prevent these degradation drivers, it is essential to identify sensitive vegetation indices to maintain the regions which are susceptible to degeneration (Chen et al., 2012). They can also play havoc with infrastructure, reducing the effectiveness of solar panels and wind turbines by covering them in dust, and causing disruption to roads, railways and airports. C.J. Although desertification may intensify with a general climatic trend towards aridity, desertification itself can initiate change in local areas. Reduction of canopy cover, destruction of soil surface structure, and pollution of water as the results of different driving forces are the most significant factors leading to desertification in rangelands (Manzano, Návar, Pando, & MartÃnez, 2000; Mwangi & Swallow, 2008; Steffens, Kölbl, Totsche, & Kögel-Knabner, 2008). Carthage. âDrylandsâ are the world's arid lands (semiarid, arid, and hyperarid) that are inherently prone to natural perturbations throughout geologic time; âdroughtâ is a short-term (a few years) and natural decline in precipitation and desert ecosystems and economic systems (people) adapt to those changes and eventually there is full recovery during moister times; âdesiccationâ is drought conditions that lasts over an extended period of time (such as decadal), and has an adverse impact on both natural and cultural ecosystems with some systems never recovering or needing many years to reestablish (such as certain plant species or transborder migration of peoples); âdegradationâ is the end result of drought and desiccation with the land losing its agricultural productivity leading to water and wind erosion, salinization on one hand, and the loss of the natural vegetation as a result of overgrazing, firewood collection, and groundwater removal on the other; and âdesertificationâ would then be the ultimate end of this cycle whereby desert conditions overwhelm the whole ecosystem. However, there is not a monitoring model for rangeland managers to specify the plant functions and to direct the ecosystems to the most sustainable states. Monitoring air quality is important because polluted air can be bad for our health—and the health of the environment. Possibly the most pervasive health consequences of desertification are reductions in air quality caused by the buildup of dust particles in the air. Rangelands play a primary role in plant protection, water reservation, and soil conservation if exploited correctly along with range restoration practices (Heshmati & Mohebbi, 2013). There is a range of management strategies that can be used to reduce the risk of desertification. They include northern Africa, southwestern Africa, southwestern Asia, central Asia, northwestern India and Pakistan, southwestern USA and Mexico, western South America, and much of Australia, and are home to an estimated sixth of the world's population. The appropriation of ever-greater sections of the remaining native habitats, impelled by the increase in population as well as by the deterioration of farmland or rangeland due to overcultivation or overgrazing, decimates those habitats and imperils their ecologic functions. Table 10. Considerable debate surrounds the speed, nature, and causes of desertification, but it undoubtedly has a series of health implications. Food and fodder security becomes a major cause of concern in these districts. CHANGE in % rel. They can also affect the formation and lifetimes of clouds, potentially making rainfall less likelyand thus … You can read more about this on the Huffington Post site. The smoke from wildfires remains in the air for a long time and can travel long distances, Kinney said. The extent has often been misreported, and the processes causing it are not adequately understood. It remains potentially the most threatening ecosystem change impacting the socio-economic conditions of millions of people living in the drylands, which account for a significant proportion of the Earth's land (Ambalam, 2014). Decreased air quality introduces a number of health risks and concerns: According to the National Climate Assessment, climate change will affect human health by increasing ground-level ozone and/or particulate matter air pollution in some locations. The AQI works sort of like a … Desertification. To answer these questions, an integrated desertification-pollution-impact pathway approach will be developed by combining remote sensing, statistical and physical modeling, environmental justice analysis, and economic valuation of air pollution. Such regions constitute some 40% of the global terrestrial area. Climatic change and human impact are the largest factors in desertification. 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To see a video from the BBC highlighting the issues on food from. And can travel long distances, Kinney said a fivefold approach which true or induced deserts occur..., Kinney said the domain, desiccation, and use of water resources defined in dictionaries!
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