Hot Desert Case Studies Flashcards
What is the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan?
1998
“conserve the county’s most valued natural and cultural resources, whilst accommodating the inevitable population growth and economic expansion of the community”
How is the Sonoran Desert managed?
Detailed mapping and inventory of the county’s natural and cultural heritage
Development of buffer zones around areas of ecological significance
Native plant protection
Hillside development restrictions
Home design recommendations to conserve energy and water
Dams in Sonoran Desert
The Waddell dam ➔ First constructed in the mid 1920’s for private irrigation ➔ Lake pleasant was created.
New much larger dam completed in 1992 ➔ Lake pleasant tripled in size
It has become critically important for both recreation and irrigation
Describe the Sonoran desert
One of North America’s largest and hottest deserts
One of the wettest ➔ >300mm rainfall/year
South-west USA, straddling Arizona and California, and stretching south into Mexico
Where is the Thar Desert?
Rajasthan, stretching across north-west India and into Pakistan covering 200,000km2
What is the climate of the Thar Desert like?
Rainfall = 120-240mm/year
Summer July temp. up to 53oC
What is the vegetation and soil of the Thar Desert like?
Sandy hills, mobile sand dunes, thorn forest vegetation
Soils are sandy and not very fertile, and water drains quickly so there is little surface water
How are the difficulties of living in the Sonoran Desert overcame?
With money…
Plentiful supplies of cheap energy ➔ air conditioners in vehicles, houses, workplaces and shopping centers
Water piped into the area ➔ irrigation, drinking water, swimming pools and watering golf courses
Recent trend of retirement migration to newly built housing complexes (with swimming pools and golf courses)
What economic opportunities are there in the Thar Desert?
Subsistence farming, mining and industry, commercial farming and irrigation and tourism
Describe the economic opportunity: subsistence farming (Thar)
Unreliable rainfall and frequent droughts
Successful farming involves few animals on grassy areas & cultivating vegetables and fruit trees
Subsistence = Most food eaten by those who have grown it, although some is sold at local markets
Hunter-gatherers, in Pakistan’s Thar region, hunt animals and gather fruit and natural products such as honey
Describe the economic opportunity: irrigation and commercial farming (Thar)
Irrigation mainly through the Indira Gandhi Canal:
Constructed in 1958
Total length = 650km
Jodhpur and Jaisalmer have 3,500km2 of land irrigated
Crops such as what and cotton now flourish
Drinking water provided as well
Describe the economic opportunity: mining and industry (Thar)
Valuable reserves:
Gypsum ➔ plaster & cement for the construction industry
Feldspar ➔ ceramics
Phospherite ➔ fertiliser
Kaolin ➔ whitener in paper
Sanu limestone ➔ main source for India’s steel industry
Describe the economic opportunity: tourism (Thar)
Desert safaris on camels at Jaisalmer
➔ popular amongst foreigners and wealthy Indians
➔ local people benefit by acting as guides or by rearing and looking after camels
