Module 2 Unit 2-B Flashcards
- Refers to the conversion of a productive land to an unproductive barren land
- Arid and semi-arid areas
Desertification
Characterized by the loss of soil moisture and nutrient rich topsoil to the point where the land loses its productivity or ability to produce vegetation
Desertification
Major cause of desertification
Overgrazing
Unsustainable Farming Methods
Failure to employ ___ rotation depletes the topsoil of nutrients, degrading the soil
Crop
Unsustainable Farming Methods
Over ___ the soil dislodges soil particles, making them vulnerable to erosion and eventually lose soil nutrients and ability to store water
Tilling
Desertification makes it ___ for plants and animals to survive and sustain their population
Impossible
Involves dividing an entire Pasteur to sub-pastures or paddocks
Rotational grazing
Accumulation of dissolved salt
Soil salinization
Accumulation of saline water underground
Water logging
Process of extracting precious minerals and other geological materials from the earth
Mining
Mining
Involves stripping the land of its vegetation and soil, resulting to severe erosion
Surface mining
Mining
Dumps huge amounts of waste rock and dirt in the valleys below the mountain, destroying forests and streams, contaminating the freshwater water supply
Mountain top removal for coal mining
Mining
- Involves the digging of shafts and tunnels, often with the aid of explosives
- Could trigger the formation of sinkholes
Underground mining
Refers to the rapid expansion of a city into the countryside around the city
Urban sprawl
5 causes of desertification
- Overgrazing
- Anthropogenic Climate Change
- Deforestation
- Unsustainable Farming Methods
- Overuse of Groundwater
