Which type of soil leads to desertification?

Desertification types Primary soil salinization — natural salt accumulation in the soil due to ground water evaporation, bedrock salinity as well as biogenic, eolic and other factors. Secondary soil salinization — salt accumulation due to soil water regime changes, i.e. poor irrigation management.

What is soil desertification?

The United Nations’ official definition says desertification is land degradation in typically dry areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. Many things can cause desertification. Drought, overgrazing, fire, and deforestation can thin out vegetation, leaving exposed soil.

How does desertification affect soil?

Clearly, desertification will affect all soil functions, with greatest impact being on biomass and food production, biological habitat, and environmental services. When soils are degraded, they lose their capacity to capture and store water, nutrients and carbon and to support microbiological processes.

What is the root of desertification?

Human activities: These include overgrazing, deforestation and. removal of the natural vegetation cover（by taking too much fuel wood）, agricultural activities in the vulnerable ecosystems of arid and semi-arid areas, which are thus strained beyond their capacity.

What are the types of land degradation?

For the purpose of this study, the many and varied processes of land degradation have been grouped into six classes: water erosion, wind erosion, soil fertility decline, salinization, waterlogging, and lowering of the water table.

What are the signs of desertification?

The signs, magnitude and severity of desertification can be established through such hydrological indicators as reduced area of water bodies, increased runoff and consequently decreased rainwater infiltration, accelerated soil erosion and sedimentation, and deteriorated ground-water resources.

Which continent is most affected by desertification?

Africa
Africa is the continent most affected by desertification, and one of the most obvious natural borders on the landmass is the southern edge of the Sahara desert.

Which could cause topsoil to be lost?

Top soil can be lost by water erosion, wind erosion, and plowing.

What are people doing to slow down desertification?

Planting more trees – the roots of trees hold the soil together and help to reduce soil erosion from wind and rain. Improving the quality of the soil – this can be managed by encouraging people to reduce the number of grazing animals they have and grow crops instead.

What are the major types of soil degradation?

2.2 Types of soil degradation The type of soil degradation refers to the nature of the degradation process (displacement of soil material by water and wind; in-situ deterioration by physical, chemical and biological processes).

What are some of the causes of desertification?

Rather, it is the permanent degradation of previously fertile land. Human causes of desertification include overgrazing, the buildup of salt in irrigated soils, and topsoil erosion. Permanent changes in climate, particularly rainfall, are responsible for natural desertification.

How is the vegetation index used to study desertification?

Like Prince, Nicholson has used the vegetation index to study desertification in the Sahel. But even if scientists can’t agree on the definition, the index can provide a consistent measure of symptoms in the same way that a doctor treating a patient with an unknown illness will track the symptoms such as fever, says Nicholson.

What happens to the vegetation in the Sahel desert?

Under normal conditions in the Sahel, plant growth rises and falls in synch with rainfall. If the land is desertified, growth will no longer follow the rains. The vegetation index over desertified land would remain low, even after rain.

Where are the epicenters of desertification in the world?

Historical evidence shows that the serious and extensive land deterioration occurring several centuries ago in arid regions had three epicenters: the Mediterranean, the Mesopotamian Valley, and the Loess Plateau of China, where population was dense.