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 image

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 image

fennec fox image

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 image

saltbushes image

date plants image

able image

frankincense trees image