Desertification

Risk of Human induced desertification

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US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil Survey Division, World Soil Resources

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Risk of Human induced desertification

 

  • Orange and red show the areas where the risk of human induced desertification is higher. As it can be immediately seen, the most affected areas are along the equator line in Africa. Developing countries such as India and the Middle East and Eastern Europe are also thought to be affected.
  • This also goes together with natural deforestation and desertification.
  • Desertification and droughts are major causes of ecosystem losses and species mass migration or extinction.

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Water-short world will need 'more crop per drop' - experts

Author: 

Megan Rowling
Water-short world will need 'more crop per drop' - experts
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MARSEILLE, France (AlertNet) - Water must be used more efficiently and its waste reduced if the world is to meet rising food demand from a fast-expanding population amid the pressures of climate change, experts have said ahead of World Water Day.

Marked each year on March 22, the United Nations hopes the 2012 event will focus attention on water's critical role in feeding the world.

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Soil erosion increasing global warming threat-UNEP

Author: 

reuters // Reuters
Soil erosion increasing global warming threat-UNEP
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LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Global warming will get worse as agricultural methods accelerate the rate of soil erosion, which depletes the amount of carbon the soil is able to store, a United Nations' Environment Programme report said on Monday.

Soil contains huge quantities of carbon in the form of organic matter. which provides nutrients for plant growth and improves soil fertility and water movement.

The top metre of soil alone stores around 2,200 billion tonnes of carbon, which is three times the level currently held in the atmosphere, said the UNEP Year Book 2012.

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CLIMATE CHANGE: How rivers will behave

The outlook for the Limpopo is dry
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PRETORIA, 14 November 2011 (IRIN) - Soaring temperatures and erratic rains brought on by a changing climate may radically alter water flows in the world’s major river basins, including the Limpopo in southern Africa, forcing people to give up farming in some areas, says a new study.

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We must make up ground in the fight against desertification

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A global partnership is needed to tackle the desertification that degrades more than 12m hectares of arable land every year, affecting some of the poorest and most food-insecure people

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desertification levels throughout china

Source: 

http://blog.china.alibaba.com/blog/cnlizongfa/article/b0-i21118982.html

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desertification levels throughout china

Here are the legends, from top to bottom:

lakes

no desert

water flowing sand dunes

semi-flowing sand dunes

semi-fixed san dunes

fixed sand dunes

gobi desert

areas of extreme drought

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