booklet 1b 12-20

Question 1

what are drylands and what vegetation can it support

Answer 1

drylands are areas w/ low precipitation and a high evap rate → dry, can only support grass / shrubs / scattered trees (eg. grassland / savannas)

Question 2

what areas are at a high risk of desertification

Answer 2

drylands at the fringe of the sahara / turkestan desert

Question 3

how are deserts able to expand

Answer 3

desertification

Question 4

what are sand / dust storms and what do they do

Answer 4

sand / dust storm is a severe windstorm that lifts large amounts of loose sand + dust into atmosphere → transports them 00s/Ks km away

Question 5

what is a common weather phenomenon in deserts / drylands (+source?)

Answer 5

sand / dust storms, as deserts / drylands are major sources of sand / dust

Question 6

conditions required for the formation of sand / dust storms

Answer 6

availability of loose sand / dust (deserts / drylands have little vegetation cover → loose topsoil, exposed to erosion)
strong winds (to lift up + carry away loose sand and dust)

Question 7

factors for magnitude of sand / dust storms

Answer 7

distance, size of desert / amt of sand provided by desert, wind strength / speed

Question 8

where do sand / dust storms occur in china

Answer 8

occurs over a large extent of n china, v frequent in them (as they are inland → dry (eg. xinjiang / nei mongol / ningxia / beijing)

Question 9

major causes of sand / dust storms

Answer 9

plentiful sources of sand / dust
strong winds

Question 10

explain how plentiful sources of sand / dust causes sand / dust storms

Answer 10

vast areas of deserts in n / nw china → good source of sand / dust
desertification of drylands at the fringe of deserts → ↑ supply of loose sand / dust

Question 11

explain how strong winds causes sand / dust storms in china

Answer 11

in n china, strong n / nw monsoons (dry / offshore) during late winter / early spring lift up loose sand + dust

Question 12

negative impacts of sand / dust storms

Answer 12

disrupt transport + destroys infrastructure
affect ppl’s health / daily life
lower farm production (crops + livestock)
intensify desertification (vicious cycle)

Question 13

explain how sand / dust storms disrupt transport + destroys infrastructure

Answer 13

large amounts of sand + dust in sky reduce visibility → safety of transport decrease, could suspend traffic
sand + dust can bury / destroy infrastructure (eg. buildings / roads) → great econ. losses

Question 14

explain how sand / dust storms lowers farm production (crops + livestock)

Answer 14

sand / dust may destroy young plants (as their roots are not strong enough to bind to the soil) + bury fields
large amounts of sand + dust in air reflects more sunlight → lower the amount of light absorbed by plants, affects plant growth
sand + dust storms injure livestock

Question 14

explain how sand / dust storms affects ppl’s health / daily life

Answer 14

sand / dust storms cause serious air pollution → discomfort in ppl’s eyes / skin irritation + respiratory problems if sand is inhaled
bacteria / virus in sand / dust
may cause diseases in ppl
contaminate drinking water if sand / dust are deposited in reservoirs → affects marine life (impacts food supply chain)
contaminated water affects agriculture (soil / farmland nutrients + minerals decrease as the level of nutrients is diluted→ crop yield decrease → decrease land productivity)
schools / factories / offices have to be closed → affects productivity of society

Question 15

explain how sand / dust storms intensifies desertification

Answer 15

sand + dust storms ↑ soil erosion → land loses soil nutrients + organic matter, becomes less productive and degrades → desertification (supply of loose sand / dust ↑ ) → frequency of sand / dust storms ↑

Question 16

how has the area of desertified land in n china reduced / intended to be further reduced + what is the strategy undertaken to reduce it

Answer 16

area of desertified land in n china has reduced due to control measures taken by the central govt focusing on the root cause of desertification: loss of vegetation cover (increase , restore, prevent the loss of it → 3 dimensional strat)

Question 17

how much degraded farmland has been saved since 1999 in n china

Answer 17

since 1999 280k km2 of degraded farmland has been converted into woodland / grassland

Question 18

what are the specific measures taken by the central government to increase vegetation cover in degraded farmland

Answer 18

3 north shelterbelt proj (1978-2050)
beijing-tianjin sandstorm source control proj (since 2001)

Question 19

how does increasing vegetation cover help to control desertification?

Answer 19

helps control desertification by acting as a windbreak / shelter / greenbelt → lowers wind speed, stops sand from moving ++ roots of trees / grass can bind the soil + protect it from wind / water erosion

Question 20

explain the 3 north shelterbelt proj (1978-2050)

Answer 20

aims at setting up 4 mil km of forest cover in ne / n / nw china over 70 (72) years in 13 provinces to improve the ecological environment + ↑ forest coverage, as ↑ d tree cover effectively controls soil erosion from wind + water + sand movement

Question 21

explain the beijing-tianjin sandstorm source control proj (since 2001)

Answer 21

aims to reduce damage caused by sand-bearing winds / sand or dust storms to beijing / tianjin areas by planting trees / grasses mainly in nei mongol (main source area of sand + dust) to reduce frequency of sand + dust storms in beijing

Question 22

what measures can be taken if the land to be restored is too sandy and why

Answer 22

straw checkerboards (wheat straw slows down wind speed → prevent wind erosion; sand / soil / moisture are retained / kept inside squares → plants can grow when there is enough soil + moisture)

Question 23

what is the name of the project taken by the central govt to restore vegetation cover + prevent further loss

Answer 23

returning grazing land to grassland proj in n / w / ne china in 2003 to control grazing activities

Question 24

specifics of the "returning grazing land to grassland proj"

Answer 24

on seriously degraded grassland → prohibit grazing, as consumption > regen on less degraded grassland → seasonal grazing ban / rotational grazing, to allow nutrients + minerals to regen (by leaving grassland fallow) on grassland where grazing is allowed → fix no. of livestock reared on each plot (to prevent the exceeding of carrying capacity of the piece of land)

Question 25

how were farming activities controlled to reduce soil erosion, to prevent the loss of vegetation cover

Answer 25

grain for green proj prohibit farming in areas unfavourable for cultivation → prevent poor soil from losing nutrients encourage farms to use new farming tech encourage farmers to grow drought-resistant crops (eg. millet, figs, beans, corn) → conserve water

Question 26

what is the grain for green project ab

Answer 26

encourage farmers to give up farming on degraded farmland and plant trees / grass instead; provides farmers w/ food and financial subsidies (econ. incentive) → reduce land pressure from overcultivation + restore productivity of degraded land (nutrient level ↑ )

Question 27

what are some examples of new farming tech promoted by the central govt and what are its benefits

Answer 27

eg. drip irrigation (prevents the pooling of nutrients / mineral rich water, so that pH level of soil is unaffected) → prevent accumulation of salts in soil, conserves water

Question 28

4 methods to restore vegetation cover + prevent its further loss

Answer 28

returning grazing land to grassland proj reduction of soil erosion by controlling farming activities provide other sources of income reduce reliance on fuelwood

Question 29

how does the govt provide other sources of income to restore vegetation cover + prevent its loss

Answer 29

encouraging herders / farmers in populated drylands to move to towns and work in factories / service sectors providing low-skilled labour jobs to local people

Question 30

how does encouraging herders / farmers in populated drylands to move to towns and work in factories / service sectors restore vegetation / prevent its loss

Answer 30

releases pressure on degraded drylands + help restore land’s vegetation + productivity

Question 31

how does providing low-skilled labour jobs to local people restore vegetation / prevent its loss + provide examples

Answer 31

prevent overgrazing / overcultivation of drylands eg. teaching farmers to grow cash crops (eg. fruit trees) in reforested areas → encourage local ppl to protect reforested area setting up agribusinesses + factories to provide related jobs eg. farm product processing promote ecotourism thru improving infrastructure eg. roads / hotels (↑ commercial value)

Question 32

what are some measures that can help locals reduce reliance on fuelwood and how can such measures restore vegetation / prevent its loss

Answer 32

develop + encourage the use of more environmentally friendly energy sources eg. wind power / biogas (renewable energy) encourage ppl to use fuel saving stoves for cooking (initial construction costs are high hence the need for subsidies, but the long term cost is decreases)