Causes of Desertification in the United States of America Desertification is the change of land once suitable for agriculture into a desert. This progression changes arable land into a desert unequipped for the growth of crops and farming practices. Dry land affects millions of people lives because the land becomes unsuitable for agriculture so the people cannot grow crops, therefore, they cannot feed them self or their livestock. Which leaves the people without food. Desertification also causes problems in the food chain. Three main causes of desertification are drought, deforestation, and Overgrazing Drought is a period of below average rainfall in a specified region resulting in prolonged shortages in its water supply. Drought in the West is a long-lasting concept where a single dry year does not make a drought. Drought is a big problem because it leads to plant dying and when the plants die the animals also die because they have nothing to eat. Which leads people to die because they lack food. California and Arizona are currently suffering from a drought problem.
Deforestation is clearing Earth forests on a huge scale, often leading to the damage of the quality of the land. Maine, Vermont, and over a dozen other states make up the nation Northeast region.the amount of reforestation in that region is
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The three major causes are drought, deforestation, and Overgrazing. Desertification in the United States of America is a serious issue because the process of Desertification includes climate issues and soil issues which lead to plants not growing and plants not growing leads to livestock not having food which leads to us the humans not having any food to eat. We need to stop desertification not only in the united states of America but the rest of the world too because we need to preserve our plant fo as long as we can so not for us bu also for our children and
Drought can occur for many different reasons. Drought mostly occurs by not receiving rain or snow for a prolonged period of time. This can occur if wind patterns change. Humans can also cause drought by cutting down broad areas of trees resulting in the soil in the ground being unable to hold water, a great example of this is the dust bowl of the
Natural processes like drought and wind erosion contributed to the shift in climate and temperatures, where it caused significant damage on the land. The prolonged drought not only significantly dried out the soil, but also made it more susceptible to erosion by the continuous strong winds in the region. This caused significant damage to the land, as the drought “killed the soil holding vegetation,” (Source E) which ultimately destroyed the land and the crops it held. This underscores the profound impact natural phenomena have on land, where it has the potential to destabilize the environment, ultimately affecting all life on earth. Therefore, natural phenomena such as drought and wind erosion led to environmental
I have noticed in my state of New Hampshire there is a lot more deforestation, as well as much of New England.
As history repeats itself, we continue to notice that there are many geographic factors that effect regions across the world. A few of the most noticeable are monsoons and deserts. Over time these factors have altered the relationships between certain regions and benefitted our development in society. However, they can be extremely demoralizing as well. Not only is nature disrupted but the way in which people live on a daily basis. We are forced to make changes and adapt to the overwhelming geographic factors.
The Dust Bowl drought was the worst in U.S. history that was around 1930. It was in the mid west where it covered sixty percent of the country. Millions of people had to move to other parts because it lasted four years. It was "at its peak in 1934" according to "National Climate Data Center". We already have a lot of drought in California and west although one might say it is all of the U.S. With little rain and high tempatures in the summers drys out the vegatation which become a hazard for fires. Global warming might have some to do with the problem of drought. High populations need more water, with more water being used, depletes resources of water supplies which causes drought also. People need to become more aware of the use of the use of water, a lot of people take it for granite that there is plenty out there for all of us to share. In fact, if we don't start to conserve, we might not have water like we do in the future.
The usage of land in the Mojave Desert is negatively affecting the desert as a whole. “Some key species are indicators of the overall ecological health of the region … most of these species continue to decline.” was stated by the mojave defenders. Certain animals such as the Mojave ground squirrel represent the health of our environment, and certain groups are inefficiently using the land of the Mojave Desert. Ultimately, this is leading to a decline in these populations.
Drought is a deficiency in precipitation over an extended period of time. They are very unpredictable as some are more extreme, some last for months and some persist for years including some severe examples in Australia, which lasted over 10 years. These long periods with water shortages can have an adverse impact on the environment, including vegetation, animals and people. Further drought can occur in virtually all climate zones; whether in the blazing dessert of Australia or the wet, tropical Indonesian coast. Finally due to the wide spread difference in climates around the world a drought can be very different. For example what is conceived a drought in Bali (6 days without water) would defiantly not be a drought in Libya (annual
For example, according to the article “Drought Lowers Lake Mead” by Jesse Allen.[Source citation ] there will be restrictions on watering your plants and washing your cars.
Droughts are caused a number of different ways. Changes in wind patterns move the clouds and moisture through the atmosphere, which can result in an area having abnormal amounts of rain or snow over an extended period of time. 4.4 million acre-feet of water from the Colorado River is entitled to California annually. In areas where most water used comes from rivers, droughts can be caused from places upstream that are not getting enough moisture. In many cases, humans play a big role in droughts. Excessive use of water during times of regular rainfall lead to not having enough water during droughts. Chopping down trees makes it tough for soil
Deforestation is the cutting down of a large area of trees and the destruction of forests by people. Forests are what we call an exhaustible resource, one which can be used up if it is not used carefully. Over the last few decades, deforestation has threatened the rainforests with total extinction. To understand why deforestation is such an important issue, you first have to understand why trees matter. Trees improve in many ways the life of all species, including the human race.
A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions that results in water-related problems. When rainfall is less than normal for several weeks, months, or years, the flow of streams and rivers declines, water levels in lakes and reservoirs fall, and the depth to water in wells increases. If dry weather persists and water-supply problems
The lack of freshwater is something that drastically affects the world every single day. People use water everyday for a multitude of things, whether it's washing their clothes, watering their plants, making soup, swimming in a pool, or even just hydrating themselves after a long run or a fun sport outside in the hot, beating sun. Water is very important to human beings, seeing as 70% of the human body is just water molecules vibrating at a very high frequency. That's why when there are natural disasters that prevent people from having access to that water it is highly damaging to everyone, and to the environment. Recently there has been a drought in California that has disrupted not only the lives of the people who live in California, but
Drought, like a destructing earthquake or flood, is a natural disaster. Drought is an insidious hazard to nature. It results from a deficiency of precipitation over a long period of time over an area. Precipitation is any kind of moisture like rain, snow, and sleet. One can determine how malicious a drought can be by the amount of precipitation, and how long it is (Gleick, 2006).
Ninety percent of the earth’s trees between three and four hundred years old have been cut down. The remaining ten percent is all we will ever have (Gallant, 97). The definition of deforestation by the Random House Dictionary of the English Language is "to divest or clear of forests or trees.” Deforestation is one of the most significant issues of our time; considerable measures must be taken to prevent further pillaging of our unique forest resource.
Desertification is a term few people recognize and even fewer are concerned about. This paper will cover what desertification is along with why it is a global crisis, what the root causes of desertification are, what can be done to reverse the harm full desertification process, it will also cover how farmers can work together to prevent future desertification.