Desert revision
Opportunities
Challenges
Vegetation and climate of a desert
Cause and solutions to desertification
In Morocco they have built the world’s largest solar panel farm. Built on an area of more than 3,000 hectares in area - the size of 3,500 football fields -- the Noor-Ouarzazate complex, produces enough electricity to power a city the size of Prague, or twice the size of Marrakesh. 35% of Morocco’s energy is already renewable
The Sahara Desert attracts many visitors who want to see some of the 120 species found there.This gives people that live there job opportunities in tourism.
Morocco is the world’s third largest exporter of phosphate – this is found in fertilisers. The phosphate is transported 61 miles across the rugged terrain of Western Sahara, from the mines of Bou Craa to Port El Aaiún, where massive ships transport. This gives the people in Morocco the chance to have easy access to fertiliser and to sell it.
Mining contributed up to 35% of exports in Morocco in 2011. This means that people can get jobs in mining
Over 12 hours of sunlight every day is ideal for generating solar power – on average 330 sunny days a year. In Tunisia, a solar panel farm is going to be built that can supply electricity for 2.5 million homes.
There is no accessibility or navigation, there are no cars, no roads no transport
Extreme temperatures
Accessibility
Sandstorms in the desert
There is a lack of water, you have to carry what you need
Plants in the desert have spies as oppose to having leaves to contain moisture, they also have shallow roots to reach the water before it evaporates
The desert has a very hot climate and therefore can cause soil erosion and lots of other challenges
The desert gets 25 cm of rain on average every year
Climate change:
The melting ice caps, loss of biodiversity, loss of cures for illnesses as a result of climate change. It is making the climate hotter in places and therefore there is more drought, it is increasing the amount of intense storms. It is changing the weather patterns. The rain isn’t coming. It is man made and we are all responsible for it in our everyday lives.
The Great Green Wall of Senegal - Afforestation: They are planting trees along the western side of the Sahara. It is called the Great Green Wall. The wall is going to span 11 countries. 8,000 km long. The wall is the same distance as a twelve hour flight. They are planting 11 million trees. The tree roots are providing shade for the crops, the trees hold moisture in the soil and once dried wells are now filling up again, this means that water collection is easier and leaves are contributing to the nutrient cycle.
Removal of wood:
They use the wood for fires and keeping warm on a desert night, they don’t give the trees a chance to re-grow the trees that are chopped down as a result of this wood removal.
Population growth: More people are being born due to no contraception, the children that are born aren’t always able to make it to adulthood, the culture means that the average age to get married is 14 and 16 for women and they are normally pregnant young and therefore the infant mortality rates are low
Overgrazing/ Over-cultivation:
Camels, goats and sheep live off the fields and the vegetation. When there are too many animals for the area of vegetation overgrazing can take place. Over cultivation is the loss of minerals and therefore the crops and animals still live off the nutrients, it is not letting the soil recover. They can’t afford fertilizer
You have to get a place for the night to ensure that you are warm enough and sheltered