sahara revision
opportunities
challenges
veg and climate
desertification
solutions
causes
mining for minerals
tourism
energy production
agriculture
climate change
overgrazing/over cultivation
removal of wood
soil erosion
population growth
water management
intermediate technology
the green wall
there's no electricity in the sahara so people turn to wood to cook over and keep warm as the temp can drop to below 0 degrees at nights
no contraception or protection so the population increases
Some places are getting hotter with an increase in droughts and other places are becoming wetter with an increase in floods. climate change is the change in our weather patterns. it is man made and can lead to the loss of biodiversity
Sheep, goats, camels ect strip the land from vegetation as they eat. Plants like veg use up all the nutrients and farmers don't give the land enough time to rest.
beaches the land is bare without any tree roots to hold the soil in place the rain washes the nutrients away. this is called soil erosion
Planting acacia trees which are drought resistant - roots hold soil in place stopping erosion across the southern end of the sahara
Fights the effects of climate change and stops desertification. Senegal has planted 11 million trees already. trees provide shade for people and crops and the leaves provide compost increasing crop yield
Hose pipes are laid across the soil and the water slowly drips out through little holes, the plant roots then absorb this
Water won't evaporate because it’s close to soil, less water loss and bigger/better crops meaning more income
Farmer will then pay tax which the government will spend on schools, hospitals ect
stone lines - They work with the contours of the ground to build walls which capture the water therefore keeping the nutrients in the soil. it is low cost, low tech and done by local peolple
zai farming - Plants are left in a open hole where it can capture rainwater. it is low cost, low tech and done by local people
multiplier effect = one economic activity benefits others eg shops, cafes, restaurants.
Nearly 9 million tourists visited Egypt in 2018 and tourists have to pay taxes to go there.
in Morocco 130,000 football pitches worth of land turned into agriculture. and they produced 90,000 dates in 2017 which were exported all over the world and is camel food.
Breeding camels for milk, meat, cheese, dairy products ect.
Mining for minerals eg oil, phosphate which makes fertilisers and a little bit of gold. Mining contributed to 35% of Morocco's exports in 2011.
Miners get wages and pay taxes which goes towards schools, hospitals, roads etc, it benefits all. Miners will be able to provide for their families.
eg solar panels the sahara gets 12 hours of sunlight everyday and on average 330 sunny days out of 360.
World's largest solar farm in Morocco is 3,500 football pitches big. No co2, clean and cheap. Job opportunities for people - well paid. Solar panels rotate with the sun to absorb as much as possible. It is reliable.
extreme temperatures
sand storms
lack of water
difficulty to build
Accessibility and navigation
no roads, no satellites, no cars. it will be difficult to transport supplies for the builders
you have to take with you what you need. there is little rain and the land is dry
working there will be both physically and mentally draining because of heat. it can also drop to below 0 degrees at night
covers everything with sand and makes it hard to see
difficult to get supplies because of accessibility, builders working in the heat, lack of water ect
climate
vegetation
they only receive 250mm or rain per year and they evaporate it faster than they receive it
desert temps can drop to below 0 degress at night as there is no clouds to trap in the heat
they get sunlight all day
they are apart of the hadely cell
deserts are located 30 degrees north and south of the equator (between and on the tropic of cancer and the tropic of capricorn)
cacti
desert plants include:
cacti are found in the sonoran and mojave deserts
They expand to store water, they can store up to 5 tones.
they have prickles to deter predators
Long shallow roots to absorb water quicker
and have no leaves to prevent water loss through evapotranspiration
ables, saltbushes and frankincence trees
no leaves to reduce transpiration and water loss
short growing cycles
deep tap roots to reach underground aquifers
animals
arabian death scorpion
has a exoskeleton - a tough outer shell to help prevent water loss
can slow down its metabolism so it can survive on 1 or 2 insects a year
gets moisture from the insects it eats
camels
fennec fox
big paws to help it from sinking into the sand and keep it from getting too hot
sand coloured fur for camoflarge
has huge ears to cool its blood
thick fur to keep warm during the cold nights
leathery pads on feet to keep cool and wide feet to stop it from sinking into the sand
closing nostrils to keep out the sand
small pointed nose to stop moisture loss
smallest fox in the world
long, double layered eyelashes to keep out the sand
hump to store fat
concentrated poo (solid) to reduce water loss
cacti
saltbushes
date plants
able
frankincense trees