As soil salinization intensifies, it poses serious threats to ecosystems, soil health, global food security and socio-economic stability.
desertification
New Observations Provide Insight into Soil Desiccation Cracking
A new application of distributed fiber optic sensing provides early detection of soil desiccation cracking behavior and illustrates, for the first time, the phenomenon of soil crack breathing.
Looking for Climate Clues in China’s Great Wall
Looking for Climate Clues in China’s Great Wall
In northwestern China, desert conditions have preserved the farthest reaches of the Great Wall. Scientists are now exploring 2,000-year-old building materials for signs of the region’s past climate.
When the Aral Sea Dried Up, Central Asia Became Dustier
Winds kick up large amounts of dust from the desert that has formed as the world’s fourth largest lake has disappeared, spreading it around the region and raising concerns about public health.
New Funding Fortifies Africa’s Great Green Wall
With increased investment and renewed interest, a project to halt land degradation across the Sahel aims to transform the landscape—and people’s lives.
La región agrícola más importante de la India se está desertificando
El cultivo de arroz consume más agua de la que el Punjab puede recargar. Si continúan las tasas de riego actuales, el estado vaciará sus reservas de agua subterránea dentro de 20 años.
India’s Food Bowl Heads Toward Desertification
Water-guzzling rice consumes more water than Punjab can recharge. If current irrigation rates continue, the state will empty its groundwater reserves within 20 years.
Dusting Off the Arid Antiquity of the Sahara
New research on the geochemistry of Canary Islands paleosols shows that the Sahara has been an arid dust producer for at least 4.8 million years.