The Sahara Desert spans approximately 9.2 million square kilometers and is in fact the largest hot desert in the world. Located in North Africa, it covers parts of eleven countries, including Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan, Algeria, and Tunisia. This expanse of arid land is characterized by its often harsh climate, with massive temperature swings that can soar above 50 degrees Celsius during the day and plummet below freezing at night.
Username: Colours Published on 2024-11-27 01:10:37 ID NUMBER: 125783
The Sahara Desert spans approximately 9.2 million square kilometers and is in fact the largest hot desert in the world. Located in North Africa, it covers parts of eleven countries, including Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan, Algeria, and Tunisia. This expanse of arid land is characterized by its often harsh climate, with massive temperature swings that can soar above 50 degrees Celsius during the day and plummet below freezing at night.
The Sahara is built up of a diverse amount of geographic landscapes, comprising mainly of sand dunes, gravel plains, rocky plateaus, and even some mountain ranges, such as the Ahaggar (with peaks rising above 9,500 feet) and Tibesti ranges (containing Mount Emi Koussi, a peak that rises a lofty 11,204 feet). Its iconic sand dunes, particularly in Algeria and Libya, can reach heights of up to 180 meters!
Human settlement in the Sahara Desert is limited but historically significant. Nomadic tribes, such as the Tuareg and Berbers, have traveled this desert for centuries, passing through it mainly for trade while other groups of people wouldn't dare try (understandably). There are some oases, providing vital water sources, that serve as hubs for small to medium-sized towns and cities, like Ghardaia in Algeria and Timbuktu in Mali, the latter being a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The short answer is yes. But, how do we know this? A number of studies, including one that spanned 93 years by researchers at the University of Maryland, have concluded that the sands of the Sahara have been expanding for some time, primarily southward into the Sahel region. Having grown an estimated 10% since 1920, this is an undeniable fact that continues to be demonstrated year after year, with expansion often at its fastest during the summer months when the already dry desert becomes even more absent of water.
The growth of the Sahara Desert is mainly driven by natural climate variability and human-induced climate change. Naturally, a process called the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), a periodic climate cycle in the North Atlantic Ocean, significantly influences this expansion by affecting regional rainfall patterns. In the case of the Sahara, during warm phases of the AMO, this region experiences drier conditions, causing the desert landscape to spread.
The Sahara Desert's expansion is causing significant environmental and socio-economic issues. As mentioned, the southward creep of the desert into the Sahel is exacerbating drought conditions, making it difficult for local populations to maintain their agricultural and pastoral livelihoods. The loss of this farmland leads to food insecurity, pushing communities into poverty and increasing competition for resources. This can, and sometimes has, resulted in conflict and displacement as people migrate in search of more habitable areas.
As mentioned before, the Sahara's growth results from the complex interplay between natural cycles and climate change. Tackling this issue requires understanding these drivers and implementing strategies to mitigate their impacts on vulnerable regions. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adopting sustainable land management practices are some of the steps we can also take part in to help address the root causes of desertification.
The Sahara Desert spans approximately 9.2 million square kilometers and is in fact the largest hot desert in the world. Located in North Africa, it covers parts of eleven countries, including Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan, Algeria, and Tunisia. This expanse of arid land is characterized by its often harsh climate, with massive temperature swings that can soar above 50 degrees Celsius during the day and plummet below freezing at night.
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It’s an edible vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of oil palm trees, the scientific name is Elaeis guineensis. Two types of oil can be produced; crude palm oil comes from squeezing the fleshy fruit, and palm kernel oil which comes from crushing the kernel, or the stone in the middle of the fruit. Oil palm trees are native to Africa but were brought to South-East Asia just over 100 years ago as an ornamental tree crop. Now, Indonesia and Malaysia make up over 85% of global supply but there are 42 other countries that also produce palm oil.
Palm oil can be produced more sustainably and there is a role for companies, governments, and consumers to play. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil or RSPO was formed in 2004 in response to increasing concerns about the impacts palm oil was having on the environment and on society. The RSPO has production standards for growers that set best practices for producing and sourcing palm oil, and it has the buy-in of most of the global industry. RSPO encourage companies to:
Set robust policies to remove deforestation, conversion of other natural ecosystems, such as peatlands, and human rights abuses from their supply chains
Buy and use RSPO certified palm oil across their operations globally
Be transparent in their use and sourcing of palm oil ensuring they know who they are buying from and where it’s been produced
It is important that the palm oil industry continues to invest in and grow support for and smallholder programmes and sustainable landscape initiatives. WWF is also working with governments in both palm oil using and palm oil producing countries to make sure that national laws are in place to ensure that any palm oil traded is free of deforestation, conversion and exploitation.
The ecosystem and living organisms' cells have six primary elements: oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. The nutrient cycle, or the biogeochemical cycle, is the movement of these nutrients from the environment into plants, animals, and humans and recycling it again.
The primary elements mentioned earlier move through the earth’s ecosystem—atmosphere, water bodies, soil, and living organisms. It recycles and reuses these elements to maintain order. These nutrients fuel life, recycling themselves in a closed loop.
Nutrient cycles occur through living and nonliving organisms using chemical, biological, and geological processes. However, soil microbes are an essential element that helps foster nutrient cycles. Soil and its microbes help break down organic matter and release nutrients into a processing cycle, changing forms until they return to their original state.
Imagining a situation where cutting down trees could be deemed sustainable may be difficult. Leaving forests untouched would seem more acceptable, but in the face of human dependency on forest resources, sustainable forestry is the best course of action.
Sustainable forestry is all about balancing our needs and the well-being of forest ecosystems. The forest management method seeks to mimic how natural forests operate.
Wild forests are a hotbed of eco-diversity and great carbon sinks. They often have economic and cultural significance to local communities. Sustainable forestry aims to cultivate forests that can provide the same social and environmental benefits without giving up on the economic benefits.
Simply defined, sustainable forestry is cultivating trees for timber while protecting the surrounding biological and social ecosystem.
It's important to note that no universal sustainable forestry management system exists. That's because forest ecosystems and their social environment differ from place to place.
Moths are winged flying insects. They are a paraphyletic group of insects that consists of all members of the order Lepidoptera, excluding butterflies.
Lepidoptera, which translates to “scaly-winged,” is an order of insects whereby insects undergo a larval stage popularly known as a caterpillar, a pupal stage known as chrysalis, or cocoon, and the adult stage known as butterfly or moth. Many people often confuse moths with butterflies, but they differ from each other.
There are about 160,000 unique species of the nocturnal flying moth1, except for a few species active during the day, like the sphinx moth, day moth, and buck moth. On the other hand, moths’ close relative, the butterfly, has 17,500 species. There are nearly 11,000 species of moth in the United States and 2,500 in the United Kingdom.
Like all insects, moths have six legs, two antennae, a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. They have a life span of six months to three years. Furthermore, moths range in size from a few millimeters to the largest moth species with a wingspan of 10 inches (25cm).
In addition, moths are diverse in their ecology. Moths inhabit places like farmlands, gardens, woodlands, marshlands, sand dunes, and even mountains. They also tend to lay eggs within cracks, near plumbing fixtures, and other dark areas. Moths come in various types, from the familiar brown house moth to multicolored, unique ones.
Plants that flower, especially native varieties, should be easy for you to get your hands on. Simply ask for those grown in your particular region. Native flowering plants won’t be difficult to grow either at your location because of their suitability to the local climatic and geographical conditions.
Honey bees love a variety of flower species because they are flat, open, and tubular in structure. Therefore, The flower shapes make it easy for bees to enter and ensure that pollen brushes on their bodies. They also have bright colors and exotic scents, which are particularly appealing to the honey bee. They love purple, blue, and yellow flowers the most.
It won’t be difficult to find or grow flowering plant species because they can thrive in most living conditions. You can check out the local nursery to see what varieties are available. A website such as Native Plant Finder could be a useful guide in figuring out which flowering plants native to your region perfect for attracting pollinators.
Great options for some of the best flowers that attract bees include:
The major challenge in eliminating monoculture is keeping the food supply high enough so people don't go hungry. That is a valid concern, as food insecurity, which discriminately affects low-income households, would only worsen if the supply suddenly dipped.
Another challenge is that many local farmers struggle to transition from monocropping. They may face complex financial or technical issues.
Political willingness is also a concern, as the government can institute policies that support sustainable farming. They also have the authority to compel large agro companies to adopt more environment-friendly practices.
However, monoculture is not sustainable. Past trends show that continuing monocultural farming would only increase nitrogen pollution, irrigated fields, and agricultural encroachment.
Conclusion
Many farmers have turned to monoculture to avoid lower yields. Despite its seemingly great economic benefits, monoculture has unpleasant environmental consequences. Diversity in agriculture is the way to go. It has long-term positive effects on the environment and the economy.
Ocean acidification results from a chemical reaction caused by the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Many human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, various land uses, and manufacturing practices, release tons of C02 into the atmosphere. These carbon emissions don’t stay in the atmosphere.
Plants and the oceans absorb carbon dioxide. The world’s oceans absorb 30% of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, causing an increase in ocean acidity. An increase in the ocean’s pH directly impacts excess carbon pollution from burning fossil fuels. The ocean absorbs one-third of the carbon released from burning fossil fuels.
The pH scale is from 0 to 14; anything over 7 is alkaline, and anything below 7 is acidic. More hydrogen ions lead to higher acidity and a lower pH. As seawater absorbs carbon dioxide, it forms carbonic acid (H2CO3). Carbonic acid (H2CO3) is a weak acid that separates into hydrogen ions and bicarbonate ions, increasing its acidity.
Before the industrial revolution began, seawater's pH was 8.2. In the 21st century, it dropped by 0.1 pH units to 8.1. Scientists predict surface ocean waters will become more acidic by 21002, falling to 7.8. 7.8 makes the ocean 150 times more acidic.
