Recovery/prevention of desertification

[LRC1962]

Desertification is going to be one of the big land based positive (very bad) feedbacks of higher temperatures. See how much the Sahara Desert influences Atlantic storms and also rainfall in the Amazon. Dust Storms In Sahara Desert Trigger Huge Plankton Blooms In Eastern Atlantic. seems to put a positive spin on things. Wonder how much an impact Africa would be if Sahara was all vegetation?
Back on topic. Came across two different approaches to reclaiming land. Very different and acotding to these reports both successful.

[anotheramethyst]

according to thom hartmann, one tree has the same amount of evaporative surface (all its leaves) as a one acre lake, and contributes the same amount of water vapor to the atmosphere.  this is why clear cutting causes desertification (as well as exposing the soil to uv light).

[Hefaistos]

A new paper authored by archeologists with Seoul National University has suggested that the Sahara Desert, once green and wet, dried out as a result of the actions of ancient peoples. The spread of agriculture depleted the Sahara’s plant life and caused the region’s the shift to a desert biome, the paper claims.
Very interesting research, with some implications for what's going on in the Arctic now.

"The underlying causes of this drying and desertification has previously been attributed to subtle changes in the Earth’s orbit, which in turn influenced atmospheric weather patterns and led to a reduction of the amount of rainfall in northern Africa. But Wright, whose scientific research has led him to exploring Neolithic-age archaeological sites all over the world, suggests that this is not the full picture. “In East Asia there are long established theories of how Neolithic populations changed the landscape so profoundly that monsoons stopped penetrating so far inland”, explains Wright, also noting in his paper that evidence of human-driven ecological and climatic change has been documented in Europe, North America and New Zealand. Wright believed that similar scenarios could also apply to the Sahara."

https://blog.frontiersin.org/2017/03/14/did-humans-create-the-sahara-desert/

Full paper:
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/feart.2017.00004/full

[Tom_Mazanec]

South Europe faces desertification:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anagarciavaldivia/2019/07/30/desertification-a-serious-threat-to-southern-europe-lands/#57924d313021

[morganism]

China Completes Massive Green Belt Around Taklamakan Desert


China has officially completed a 1,900-mile green belt around the Taklamakan Desert, the largest desert in the country and the second-largest shifting desert in the world.

This project aims to combat desertification and reduce the impact of sandstorms that have long threatened surrounding areas.

The Taklamakan, often called the “sea of death,” spans 130,350 square miles (337,600 square kilometers), with 85% covered by shifting sand dunes.

The initiative combines solar-powered sand-blocking technology with extensive vegetation planting to stabilize the desert’s edges.

The green belt project was finalized recently, involving extensive planting of trees and shrubs in Yutian County at the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert.
A 46-Year Afforestation Effort

The green belt project took 46 years to complete, beginning in 1978 as part of China’s broader efforts against desertification.

The final stretch was planted in Yutian County, where workers introduced various drought-resistant species, including desert poplar and red willow.

This phase involved a workforce of 600,000 people, highlighting the scale of the effort.
(more)

https://sand-boarding.com/china-builds-green-wall-taklamakan-desert/

[morganism]

Drylands now make up 40% of land on Earth, excluding Antarctica, study says

An area nearly a third larger than India turned permanently arid in past three decades, research shows.

An area of land nearly a third larger than India has turned from humid conditions to dryland – arid areas where agriculture is difficult – in the past three decades, research has found.

Drylands now make up 40% of all land on Earth, excluding Antarctica. Three-quarters of the world’s land suffered drier conditions in the past 30 years, which is likely to be permanent, according to the study by the UN Science Policy Interface, a body of scientists convened by the United Nations.

Africa lost about 12% of its GDP owing to the increasing aridity between 1990 and 2015, the report found. Even worse losses are forecast: Africa will lose about 16% of its GDP, and Asia close to 7%, in the next half decade.

Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UN convention to combat desertification (UNCCD), said: “Unlike droughts – temporary periods of low rainfall – aridity represents a permanent, unrelenting transformation.

“Droughts end. When an area’s climate becomes drier, however, the ability to return to previous conditions is lost. The drier climates now affecting vast lands across the globe will not return to how they were, and this change is redefining life on Earth.”

Some crops will be particularly at risk: maize yields are projected to halve in Kenya by 2050, if current trends continue. Drylands are areas where 90% of the rainfall is lost to evaporation, leaving only 10% for vegetation. Two-thirds of land globally will store less water by mid-century, according to the report published on Monday.
(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/09/drylands-now-make-up-40-of-land-on-earth-excluding-antarctica-study-says