Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Part I The dryland environment
- Part II The meteorological background
- Part III The climatic environment of drylands
- Part IV The earth’s drylands
- Part V Life and change in the dryland regions
- 21 Drought and other hazards
- 22 Desertification
- 23 People in the dryland environments
- 24 Plant and animal life in the desert
- 25 Climatic variability and climatic change
- Index
- References
22 - Desertification
from Part V - Life and change in the dryland regions
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 November 2011
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Part I The dryland environment
- Part II The meteorological background
- Part III The climatic environment of drylands
- Part IV The earth’s drylands
- Part V Life and change in the dryland regions
- 21 Drought and other hazards
- 22 Desertification
- 23 People in the dryland environments
- 24 Plant and animal life in the desert
- 25 Climatic variability and climatic change
- Index
- References
Summary
Overview of the problem
The term desertification is a relatively new one that has readily worked its way into both the scientific literature and the popular press. The term evokes an image of the “advancing desert,” a living environment becoming sterile and barren, arable lands turning into deserts. In fact, this idea was at the heart of most early definitions of the phenomenon (Graetz 1991). The concept of desertification is inextricably linked to arid lands, and many sources state that virtually all drylands are at “risk” and that over 9 million km2 are already desertified (Fig. 22.1). The United Nations (UN 1994) even suggested that 25% of the earth’s land surface had been affected.
Such alarmist claims have greatly exaggerated the extent of the problem. As the summary of headlines in Table 22.1 shows, the press avidly jumped on these estimates. Consequently, the relevant issues have been clouded by controversy, misinformation, and a severe dearth of data and rigorous scientific study.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Dryland Climatology , pp. 431 - 447Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011
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