Combatting desertification
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Recent papers in Combatting desertification
In combination with the desiccation of the Aral Sea and the formation of the Aral Kum, the dry sea bed became a new source for dust and sand storms. Due to the highly continental climate and the effects of the global climate change in the... more
In combination with the desiccation of the Aral Sea and the formation of the Aral Kum, the dry sea bed became a new source for dust and sand storms. Due to the highly continental climate and the effects of the global climate change in the region, increasing air pressure differences lead to an increasing frequency of high intensity wind events. The resulting aeolian dust movements can be tracked and split into short and long distance transfers using remote sensing approaches, but hard data about the spatial and temporal distribution of the dust deposition requires excessive ground research and thus is scarce. Therefore, we have analyzed the passive dust deposition data from 23 meteorological stations and assessed the spatial and temporal transfer patterns within several transects from the banks of the former Aral Sea in eastern and southern directions covering parts of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Dust was collected on a monthly base as well as during specific dust storm events between 2003 and 2012 in the framework of three research projects for both long-term and event based deposition data. Dust transfer in southern direction was the most important trajectory and the newly formed Aral Kum proved to be an important source region for aeolian dust (besides the natural deserts Kyzyl Kum and Kara Kum). Stations close to these source regions frequently showed deposition rates exceeding international thresholds, resulting in possible negative effects on human and livestock health while the mineralogical and chemical composition of the deposited material influences the arable land in this arid region. This presentation will summarize the most important findings from the three research projects and discuss measures to reduce the wind erosion in the Aral Kum.
Atriplex nummularia has been extensively planted in Northern Africa to combat desertification. However, few studies evaluated the effectiveness of these interventions. This study aimed at assessing the dynamic performance of a number of... more
Atriplex nummularia has been extensively planted in Northern Africa to combat desertification. However, few studies evaluated the effectiveness of these interventions. This study aimed at assessing the dynamic performance of a number of Atriplex plantations located in the Marrakech province in terms of multitemporal dry biomass production. Three SPOT 5 images (2004, 2008 and 2012) and field biomass measurements were integrated to quantify the dry biomass production dynamics of plantations established from 1996 to 2007. Different plant
ages covered the whole plant life cycle curve. Vegetation indices were derived from the images and those of 2012 were coupled to the measured biomass of 2012 to formulate biomass models. An analysis of shrub biomass production was conducted in plantations and in
adjacent rangelands, covering varying degree of plant development, and an estimate of the economic benefits generated by the plantations in terms of available fodder biomass was performed. The results show that, on average, the plantation sites produced 2·21 to 3·61Mgha1 of dry biomass more than the surrounding rangelands. The best performing plantations yielded even greater differences, up to more than 7Mg ha1. It was observed that the most performing plantations, while contributing to mitigating land degradation, have generated economic value and could compensate the economic cost of the intervention even under drought conditions. However, in several cases the plantation performance was far from sustainability, particularly due to poor management (early and/or over grazing), revealing that management is a critical factor for the success of this restoration practice. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ages covered the whole plant life cycle curve. Vegetation indices were derived from the images and those of 2012 were coupled to the measured biomass of 2012 to formulate biomass models. An analysis of shrub biomass production was conducted in plantations and in
adjacent rangelands, covering varying degree of plant development, and an estimate of the economic benefits generated by the plantations in terms of available fodder biomass was performed. The results show that, on average, the plantation sites produced 2·21 to 3·61Mgha1 of dry biomass more than the surrounding rangelands. The best performing plantations yielded even greater differences, up to more than 7Mg ha1. It was observed that the most performing plantations, while contributing to mitigating land degradation, have generated economic value and could compensate the economic cost of the intervention even under drought conditions. However, in several cases the plantation performance was far from sustainability, particularly due to poor management (early and/or over grazing), revealing that management is a critical factor for the success of this restoration practice. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In combination with the desiccation of the Aral Sea and the formation of the Aral Kum, the dry sea bed became a new source for dust and sand storms. Due to the highly continental climate and the effects of the global climate change in the... more
In combination with the desiccation of the Aral Sea and the formation of the Aral Kum, the dry sea bed became a new source for dust and sand storms. Due to the highly continental climate and the effects of the global climate change in the region, increasing air pressure differences lead to an increasing frequency of high intensity wind events. The resulting aeolian dust movements can be tracked and split into short and long distance transfers using remote sensing approaches, but hard data about the spatial and temporal distribution of the dust deposition requires excessive ground research and thus is scarce. Therefore, we have analyzed the passive dust deposition data from 23 meteorological stations and assessed the spatial and temporal transfer patterns within several transects from the banks of the former Aral Sea in eastern and southern directions covering parts of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Dust was collected on a monthly base as well as during specific dust storm events between 2003 and 2012 in the framework of three research projects for both long-term and event based deposition data. Dust transfer in southern direction was the most important trajectory and the newly formed Aral Kum proved to be an important source region for aeolian dust (besides the natural deserts Kyzyl Kum and Kara Kum). Stations close to these source regions frequently showed deposition rates exceeding international thresholds, resulting in possible negative effects on human and livestock health while the mineralogical and chemical composition of the deposited material influences the arable land in this arid region. This presentation will summarize the most important findings from the three research projects and discuss measures to reduce the wind erosion in the Aral Kum.
In combination with the desiccation of the Aral Sea and the formation of the Aral Kum, the dry sea bed became a new source for dust and sand storms. Due to the highly continental climate and the effects of the global climate change in the... more
In combination with the desiccation of the Aral Sea and the formation of the Aral Kum, the dry sea bed became a new source for dust and sand storms. Due to the highly continental climate and the effects of the global climate change in the region, increasing air pressure differences lead to an increasing frequency of high intensity wind events. The resulting aeolian dust movements can be tracked and split into short and long distance transfers using remote sensing approaches, but hard data about the spatial and temporal distribution of the dust deposition requires excessive ground research and thus is scarce. Therefore, we have analyzed the passive dust deposition data from 23 meteorological stations and assessed the spatial and temporal transfer patterns within several transects from the banks of the former Aral Sea in eastern and southern directions covering parts of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Dust was collected on a monthly base as well as during specific dust storm events between 2003 and 2012 in the framework of three research projects for both long-term and event based deposition data.
Dust transfer in southern direction was the most important trajectory and the newly formed Aral Kum proved to be an important source region for aeolian dust (besides the natural deserts Kyzyl Kum and Kara Kum). Stations close to these source regions frequently showed deposition rates exceeding international thresholds, resulting in possible negative effects on human and livestock health while the mineralogical and chemical composition of the deposited material influences the arable land in this arid region. This presentation will summarize the most important findings from the three research projects and discuss measures to reduce the wind erosion in the Aral Kum.
Dust transfer in southern direction was the most important trajectory and the newly formed Aral Kum proved to be an important source region for aeolian dust (besides the natural deserts Kyzyl Kum and Kara Kum). Stations close to these source regions frequently showed deposition rates exceeding international thresholds, resulting in possible negative effects on human and livestock health while the mineralogical and chemical composition of the deposited material influences the arable land in this arid region. This presentation will summarize the most important findings from the three research projects and discuss measures to reduce the wind erosion in the Aral Kum.
- by Michael Groll and +1
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- Soil Science, Irrigation, Post-Soviet Politics, Dust Hazards