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Thar desert (Desertification (The definition of desertification is the…
Thar desert
Desertification
The definition of desertification is the land (usually around existing deserts) turning into desert land. This can either happen by human interference such as overgrazing or overcrowding animals and/or stripping the land of resources such as wood or vegetation for fires etc.
as soon as it is then exposed to the weather, the ground will then begin to break up and the wind and water will then erode away the land.
And example of a place at risk of desertification is the areas around the Sahara desert located across north Africa.
It is also a risk for an estimated Billion people living in countries such as the USA, Europe (especially Spain), and Australia.
Areas around deserts are very ecologically fragile such as semi-deserts, making them prone to overgrazing or over-cultivation.
Slight changes in weather conditions or temperature can have very significant impacts.
There are a few causes of desertification such as natural events e.g: Droughts, Or they can be caused by poor land management as such mentioned before.
Opportunities
Tourism
In recent years due to beautiful scenery the Thar desert has become a popular tourist destination. Camel riding and safaris are among the most popular events. The annual Desert festival hosted by the locals attracts many tourists and helps the local people make money from providing accommodation, food and looking after the camels.
Energy
The Thar desert is full of rich energy sources:
Coal- A thermal energy plant has been constructed to take advantage of the plentiful coal deposits.
Oil- The local community could be transformed in Barmer where a large oilfield has been discovered.
Wind- Indias largest wind farm was constructed in Jaisalmer in 2001.
Sun- Having cloudless, sunny days is a major advantage for solar plants, there is one in Bhaleri to treat water.
Mineral extraction
The Thar desert is one of the major hot deserts in the world and has very valuable reserves of minerals.
E.g. Gypsum- Used for making plaster and cement, crucial for construction.
Feldspar- Used for ceramics.
Phospherite- Used for making fertiliser.
Kaolin- Used to whiten paper.
Limestone- Used for construction.
Farming
Most of the people living in the Thar desert are subsistence farmers in hot and dry conditions by grazing animals and by cultivating fruit trees and vegetables. Made possible by irrigation commercial farming has grown in popularity. The Indira Ghandi canal has given opportunities to many people. They are now able to grow: wheat, cotton, sesame, pulses, maize and mustard.
Managing Desertification
Irrigation
One method of preventing desertification from happening is irrigation, this is the process in which water is sprayed onto the soil or pumped up from underneath so the soil does not dry out, but one downside to this method is that if you irrigate the land too much salt will start to build up on the surface making the soil less fertile and killing the plants.
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Contour Traps
These are embankment that are built along the contours/edges of slopes to prevent the soil from being washed away during heavy storms.
'Magic stones' in burkina faso
They are used to reduce soil erosion.These are lines of stones usually 0.5 to 1.5 meters tall and are built along contours of the slopes, Basic tools are used to transport the stones and the whole community in that are joins in to help install them.
When rain washes down the hillside the stones trap the water and the soil, This has helped to increase crops by up to 50% and to also reduce desertification.
Adaption
Animals
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Rodents
Tend to be nocturnal. As the temperatures in the day can be extremely high they sleep in their cooler, underground burrows.
Snakes and lizards
They retain water by having waterproof skin and only producing small amounts of urine.
Plants
Due to hot weather and low rainfall plants have adapted by tending to have thin leaves or spines to reduce water loss or have deep reaching roots to reach deep water reservoirs. E.g. cacti.
Other adaptions:
Seeds can stay dormant for many years until it rains.
To reduce water loss.
Some plants store water in their roots, stems, leaves or fruit. (Succulents).
Some plants have roots just below the surface, Small leaves, Spines, Glossy/waxy leaves.
In the desert the climate is harsh and unforgiving, in order to survive has to adapt sometimes drastically.
Challenges
Temperature
Working in the heat is very hard meaning less work gets done. Lots of evaporation means that water is lost very quickly leading to shortages. It is hard for plants and animals to survive so there is less food. They have to adapt to their surroundings like becoming nocturnal or hibernating making them harder to find.
Water
Little rainfall and high evaporation makes water hard to obtain. This means that farmers can't farm without water and grow plants. Growing population means increased water demand. There are few water sources some of them being natural (Tobas) and some man made (Johads), there are some rivers and underground sources called aquifers.
Transport
There are few roads meaning that it is hard to get around using cars and other vehicles. Roads that are there also don't last long as sand is blown onto them and the tar melts in the heat. So camels have to be used to get around.
Climate
Temperature
Min 5°C Max 45°C Average 27.3°C
During the middle months are the highest temperatures and the lowest towards the beginning and end of the year. It is due to the sun heating up the ground and then the heat rising creating air circulation.
Rainfall
Rainfall is very low with most months having no rain. Max 5 mm a month. This is due to the warm air rising and creating high pressure meaning few clouds and rain. Less than 250 mm per year.
Location of deserts
Deserts are found in bands from West to East along the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, 30°N and 30°S. This is because that is where there is a large amount of sunlight all year round. The hot air then rises and cooling over the equator and outside the tropics meaning that rain clouds only form there. The largest desert which is the Sahara is located in the North of Africa, there are also deserts found in North and South America, South Africa, the middle East and Australia.
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