Impacts of Desertification

Question 1

all impacts of desertification (8)

Answer 1

• rills & gullies
• loss of topsoil
• increased surface albedo
• salinisation/waterlogging
• malnutrition
• migration
• dependence on external help
• access to education & healthcare

Question 2

rills & gullies

Answer 2

• most serious form of soil erosion by running water
• exposure of soil by overgrazing leaves it open to tropical downpours, causing overland flow to cut into the topsoil
  rill: small channel on soil surface
  gully: large cuttings with steep sides and a flat floor caused by large quantities of water

Question 3

loss of topsoil

Answer 3

• strong winds like the Harmattan erode away topsoil, meaning that vegetation can’t grow, leaving the land vulnerable to further erosion

Question 4

increased surface albedo

Answer 4

• albedo increases due to loss of vegetation, leading to more insolation being reflected
• this means the air is heated less, making convectional rainstorms less common
• this causes soil to dry out and become vulnerable to further erosion

Question 5

salinisation/waterlogging

Answer 5

• capillary action is the upward movement of water in soil from lower levels
• this takes place when water in soils evaporates, drawing salts up to the surface
• these salts are toxic to many plants, killing crops and making land unusable

Question 6

malnutrition

Answer 6

• crop failure leads to people being under nourished
• crop failure year after year leads to starvation
• starvation causes susceptibility to diseases like kwashiorkor
• this increases death and infant mortality

Question 7

migration

Answer 7

• people migrate to urban areas due to land degradation and crop failure
• this leads to a growth in shanty towns
• may also cause conflict between ethnic groups
• leads to a loss of traditional farming techniques

Question 8

dependence on external help

Answer 8

• where effects of land degradation are the worst, people have come to rely on aid from other countries
• this causes an over-dependence on external help and an inability to provide for their own populations

Question 9

access to education and healthcare

Answer 9

• in many Sahelian countries, education and healthcare are paid for
• the loss of income due to failure of crops means that education is disrupted and illnesses go untreated