The advance of deserts is a global environmental problem. Ecological problems of semi-deserts and deserts

According to statistics, in our country, in the vast territories occupied by deserts and semi-deserts, there are less than one million people. One person per 4-5 square kilometers of desert land, this is the approximate population density in these areas. You can walk for hours, days, weeks and not meet a single living soul. However, in modern times deserts attract with their natural resources and riches, which have been hidden for many thousands of years. Of course, such attention cannot do without consequences for the environment.

It is the discovery of natural raw materials that can attract special attention, after which, as is known from many examples and bitter experience, only problems remain, both for mankind and for nature. They are connected, first of all, with the development of new territories, scientific research, and the impact on the long-established balance of natural systems. Ecology is the last thing to remember, if at all. The development of technical progress and the not infinity of natural resources have led to the fact that people have reached the deserts. Scientific research showed that in many semi-deserts and deserts there are considerable reserves natural resources, such as oil, gas, precious metals. The demand for them is constantly increasing. Therefore, equipped with heavy equipment, industrial tools, we are going to destroy the ecology, previously untouched by a miracle. The construction of roads, the laying of highways, the extraction and transportation of oil and other natural raw materials, all this creates environmental problems in the desert and semi-desert. Oil is especially dangerous for the environment. Contamination with black gold occurs both at the stage of extraction and at the stage of transportation, processing and storage. The release into the environment also occurs naturally, but this is more like an exception than a rule. Natural penetration occurs much less frequently and quantities that are not destructive to nature and all living things. Pollution is the appearance in an ecosystem of components that are not typical for it, in unusual quantities. There are many known accidents on oil pipelines, in storage facilities and during transportation, the consequence of which was damage to the ecology of the deserts.

The deserts themselves, however, are a serious environmental problem, or rather desertification. Desertification is an extreme degree of erosion. This process can take place naturally, but in nature this happens extremely rarely (with the exception of zones on the border already existing deserts) and rather slowly. The spread of the process under the influence of anthropogenic factors is quite another matter.

Anthropogenic desertification occurs for several reasons: deforestation and shrubbery, plowing of land unsuitable for agriculture, hayfields and grazing for long period time, salinization and improper irrigation methods, long-term construction and mining, the drying up of entire seas, and as a result the formation of a desert area, an example is the drying up of the Aral Sea. In the second half of the 20th century, according to various sources, about 500 million hectares of land were subjected to desertification. In modern times, desertification can be classified as a global environmental problem. The world leaders in the rate of spread of erosion are the United States, India, China. Russia, unfortunately, is also among them. About 30% of the soils of these countries are subject to erosion, and only a sufficient frequency of climatic humidification does not allow the final stage of desertification. Ecologically and economically, the consequences of desertification are quite tangible and negative. First, it is the destruction of the surrounding natural environment, its formed ecosystem, which already makes it impossible to use the usual natural gifts. Second is the damage agriculture, decrease in productivity. Thirdly, many species of animals and plants are deprived of their habitual habitat, which in turn affects people. Ultimately, problems are observed, both in semi-deserts and in the deserts themselves. Their solution is given an extremely small amount of time, resources, material component. Perhaps in the future everything will change and more attention will be paid to combating desertification and solving environmental problems. Most likely, this will happen when the area of ​​land suitable for agricultural needs becomes insufficient to feed us. In the meantime, we are only seeing an increase yellow spots on the planet map.

One of the problems of deserts is poaching and shrinking species diversity flora and fauna as a result human activity... Oddly enough, a certain number of species of animals, birds, insects and plants live in deserts, many of which are rare and are listed in the Red Book. To protect flora and fauna in semi-deserts, nature reserves, such as Aral-Paygambar, Tigrovaya Balka, Ustyurt reserve.

The deserts themselves, however, are a serious environmental problem, or rather desertification. Desertification is an extreme degree of erosion. This process can occur naturally, but in nature it happens extremely rarely (with the exception of zones on the border of already existing deserts) and rather slowly. The spread of the process under the influence of anthropogenic factors is quite another matter.

Anthropogenic desertification occurs for several reasons: deforestation and shrubbery, plowing of land unsuitable for agriculture, hayfields and grazing for a long period of time, salinization and improper irrigation methods, long-term construction and mining, drying up of entire seas, and, as a result, the formation of a desert terrain, an example is the drying up of the Aral Sea. In the second half of the 20th century, according to various sources, about 500 million hectares of land were subjected to desertification.

In modern times, desertification can be classified as a global environmental problem. The world leaders in the rate of spread of erosion are the United States, India, China. Russia, unfortunately, is also among them. About 30% of the soils of these countries are subject to erosion, and only a sufficient frequency of climatic humidification does not allow the final stage of desertification.

Ecologically and economically, the consequences of desertification are quite tangible and negative. Firstly, this is the destruction of the natural environment, its formed ecosystem, which already makes it impossible to use the usual natural gifts. Secondly, this is damage to agriculture, a decrease in productivity. Thirdly, many species of animals and plants are deprived of their habitual habitat, which in turn affects people.

Ultimately, problems are observed, both in semi-deserts and in the deserts themselves. Their solution is given an extremely small amount of time, resources, material component. Perhaps in the future everything will change and more attention will be paid to combating desertification and solving environmental problems. Most likely, this will happen when the area of ​​land suitable for agricultural needs becomes insufficient to feed us. In the meantime, we are only seeing an increase in yellow spots on the map of the planet.

Deserts are dry areas with high temperatures and low humidity. Researchers consider such places on earth to be territories of geographic paradoxes. Geographers and biologists argue that the deserts themselves are the main ecological problem of the Earth, or rather desertification. This is the name of the process of loss of permanent vegetation, the impossibility of natural restoration without human participation. Let's find out what territory the desert occupies on the map. We will establish the ecological problems of this natural zone in direct connection with human activities.

Land of geographic paradoxes

Most drylands the globe is in tropical belt, they receive from 0 to 250 mm of rain per year. Evaporation is usually tens of times greater than the amount of precipitation. Most often, the drops do not reach the surface of the earth, they evaporate while still in the air. In the Gobi and on the territory Central Asia in winter the temperature drops below 0 ° С. Significant amplitude - characteristic desert climate. During the day, it can be 25-30 ° C, in the Sahara it reaches 40-45 ° C. Other geographic paradoxes of the Earth's deserts:

• precipitation that does not wet the soil;
• dust storms and whirlwinds without rain;
• closed lakes with a high salt content;
• springs that are lost in the sands, not giving rise to streams;
• rivers without estuaries, waterless channels and dry accumulations in deltas;
• wandering lakes with constantly changing shores;
• trees, shrubs and grasses without leaves, but with thorns.

The largest deserts in the world

Vast territories devoid of vegetation are referred to the internal drainage areas of the planet. It is dominated by trees, shrubs and grasses with no leaves or no vegetation at all, which is reflected in the very term "desert". The photos in the article give an idea of ​​the harsh conditions in dry areas. The map shows that the deserts are located in the North and Southern hemispheres in hot climates. Only in Central Asia this natural area is located in the temperate zone, reaches 50 ° N. sh. The most great deserts the world:

• Sahara, Libyan, Kalahari and Namib in Africa;
• Monte, Patagonian and Atacama in South America;
• Great Sandy and Victoria in Australia;
• Arabian, Gobi, Syrian, Rub al-Khali, Karakum, Kyzylkum in Eurasia.

Zones such as semi-desert and desert, on the world map, occupy in general from 17 to 25% of the entire land area of ​​the globe, and in Africa and Australia - 40% of the area.

Drought on the seaside

The unusual location is typical for the Atacama and Namib. These lifeless arid landscapes are on the ocean! The Atacama Desert is located in the west South America surrounded by rocky peaks mountain system Andes, reaching an altitude of more than 6500 m. In the west, the territory is washed Pacific Ocean with his cold

The Atacama is the most lifeless desert, with a record low rainfall of 0 mm. Light rains occur once every few years, but in winter fogs often approach from the ocean coast. This arid region is home to about 1 million people. The population is engaged in animal husbandry: the entire high-mountainous desert is surrounded by pastures and meadows. The photo in the article gives an idea of ​​the harsh landscapes of the Atacama.

Desert types (ecological classification)

1. Arid - zonal type, typical for tropical and subtropical belts... The climate in this area is dry and hot.
2. Anthropogenic - arises as a result of direct or indirect human impact on nature. There is a theory explaining that this is a desert, ecological problems which are associated with its expansion. And all this is caused by the activities of the population.
3. Inhabited - an area in which there are permanent residents. There are transit rivers, oases, which are formed in places where groundwater flows out.
4. Industrial - areas with extremely poor vegetation and the animal world, which is due to production activities and the violation of the natural environment.
5. Arctic - snow and ice expanses in high latitudes.

The ecological problems of deserts and semi-deserts in the north and in the tropics are very similar: for example, there is insufficient rainfall, which is for plant life. But the icy expanses of the Arctic are characterized by extremely low temperatures.

Desertification - loss of continuous vegetation cover

About 150 years ago, scientists noted an increase in the area of ​​the Sahara. Archaeological excavations and paleontological studies have shown that there was not always only a desert on this territory. Environmental problems then consisted in the so-called "drying up" of the Sahara. So, in the XI century, agriculture in the territory North Africa it was possible to practice up to 21 ° latitude. For seven centuries northern border agriculture moved south to the 17th parallel, to XXI century has shifted even further. Why is desertification happening? Some researchers explained this process in Africa by the "drying up" of the climate, while others cited data on the movement of sands filling the oases. A sensation was Stebbing's 1938 Man Made Desert. The author cited data on the advancement of the Sahara to the south and explained the phenomenon by improper farming, in particular, the trampling of cereal vegetation by cattle, and irrational farming systems.

Anthropogenic cause of desertification

As a result of studies of the movement of sands in the Sahara, scientists found that during the First World War, the area of ​​agricultural land and livestock cattle decreased. Arboreal and shrub vegetation then reappeared, that is, the desert retreated! Environmental problems are currently aggravated by the almost complete absence of such cases when territories are withdrawn from agricultural use for their natural restoration. Reclamation and reclamation activities are carried out on a small area.

Desertification is most often caused by human activity, the reason for "drying out" is not climatic, but anthropogenic, associated with excessive exploitation of pastures, excessive development of road construction, and irrational agriculture. Desertification under the influence of natural factors can occur at the border of already existing drylands, but less frequently than under the influence of human activities. The main causes of anthropogenic desertification:

• mining open way(in quarries);
• without restoring the productivity of pastures;
• felling forest plantations fixing the soil;
• improper irrigation (irrigation) systems;
• increased water and wind erosion:
• draining of water bodies, as in the case of the disappearance of the Aral Sea in Central Asia.

Ecological problems of deserts and semi-deserts (list)

1. Lack of water - main factor, which increases the vulnerability of desert landscapes. Strong evaporation and dust storms lead to erosion and further degradation of marginal soils.
2. Salinization - an increase in the content of readily soluble salts, the formation of salt licks and salt marshes, which are practically unsuitable for plants.
3. Dusty and sandstorms- the movement of air lifting from the surface of the earth significant amount small debris. On salt marshes the wind carries salt. If sands and clays are enriched with iron compounds, then yellow-brown and red dust storms occur. They can cover hundreds or thousands of square kilometers.
4. "Devils of the Desert" - dusty sand whirlwinds that lift into the air great amount small debris to a height of up to several tens of meters. Sandy pillars have an extension at the top. They differ from tornadoes in the absence of cumulus clouds carrying rain.
5. Dusty bowls are areas where catastrophic erosion occurs as a result of drought and uncontrolled plowing of the land.
6. Littering, accumulation of waste - objects foreign to the natural environment that do not decompose for a long time or emit toxic substances.
7. Human exploitation and pollution in the extraction of minerals, the development of animal husbandry, transport and tourism.
8. Reduction of the area occupied by desert plants, impoverishment of fauna. Loss of biodiversity.

Desert life. Plants and Animals

Harsh conditions, limited water resources and the barren desert landscapes change after the rains fall. Many succulents, such as cacti and jerky plants, are capable of absorbing and storing bound water in stems and leaves. Other xeromorphic plants such as saxaul and wormwood develop long roots that reach the aquifer. The animals have adapted to get the moisture they need from food. Many representatives of the fauna switched to night image life to avoid overheating.

The environment in particular experiences negative influence activities of the population. The natural environment is being destroyed, as a result, the person himself cannot use the gifts of nature. When animals and plants are deprived of their habitual habitat, this also negatively affects the life of the population.

According to statistics, in our country, in the vast territories occupied by deserts and semi-deserts, there are less than one million people. One person per 4-5 square kilometers of desert land, this is the approximate population density in these areas. You can walk for hours, days, weeks and not meet a single living soul. However, in modern times, deserts attract with their natural resources and riches that have been hidden for many thousands of years. Of course, such attention cannot do without consequences for the environment.

It is the discovery of natural raw materials that can attract special attention, after which, as is known from many examples and bitter experience, only problems remain, both for mankind and for nature. They are connected, first of all, with the development of new territories, scientific research, and the impact on the long-established balance of natural systems. Ecology is the last thing to remember, if at all.

The development of technical progress and the not infinity of natural resources have led to the fact that people have reached the deserts. Scientific research has shown that in many semi-deserts and deserts there are considerable reserves of natural resources, such as oil, gas, precious metals.

The demand for them is constantly increasing. Therefore, being equipped with heavy equipment, industrial tools, we are going to destroy the ecology of previously untouched territories by a miracle.

The construction of roads, the laying of highways, the extraction and transportation of oil and other natural raw materials, all this creates environmental problems in the desert and semi-desert. Oil is especially dangerous for the environment.

Contamination with black gold occurs both at the stage of extraction and at the stage of transportation, processing and storage. The release into the environment also occurs naturally, but this is more like an exception than a rule. Natural penetration occurs much less often and not in destructive quantities for nature and all living things. Pollution is the appearance in an ecosystem of components that are not typical for it, in unusual quantities. There are many known accidents on oil pipelines, in storage facilities and during transportation, the consequence of which was damage to the ecology of the deserts.

One of the problems of deserts is poaching and a reduction in the species diversity of flora and fauna as a result of human activity. Oddly enough, a certain number of species of animals, birds, insects and plants live in deserts, many of which are rare and are listed in the Red Book. To protect flora and fauna in semi-deserts, natural reserves are being created, such as Aral-Paygambar, Tigrovaya Balka, and the Ustyurt reserve.

The deserts themselves, however, are a serious environmental problem, or rather desertification. Desertification is an extreme degree of erosion. This process can occur naturally, but in nature it happens extremely rarely (with the exception of zones on the border of already existing deserts) and rather slowly. The spread of the process under the influence of anthropogenic factors is quite another matter.

Anthropogenic desertification occurs for several reasons: deforestation and shrubbery, plowing of land unsuitable for agriculture, hayfields and grazing for a long period of time, salinization and improper irrigation methods, long-term construction and mining, drying up of entire seas, and, as a result, the formation of a desert terrain, an example is the drying up of the Aral Sea. In the second half of the 20th century, according to various sources, about 500 million hectares of land were subjected to desertification.

In modern times, desertification can be classified as a global environmental problem. The world leaders in the rate of spread of erosion are the United States, India, China. Russia, unfortunately, is also among them. About 30% of the soils of these countries are subject to erosion, and only a sufficient frequency of climatic humidification does not allow the final stage of desertification.

Ecologically and economically, the consequences of desertification are quite tangible and negative. Firstly, this is the destruction of the natural environment, its formed ecosystem, which already makes it impossible to use the usual natural gifts. Secondly, this is damage to agriculture, a decrease in productivity. Thirdly, many species of animals and plants are deprived of their habitual habitat, which in turn affects people. Such elementary moments are understood by schoolchildren and even children. preschool age but adults do not want to understand.

Ultimately, problems are observed, both in semi-deserts and in the deserts themselves. Their solution is given an extremely small amount of time, resources, material component.

Perhaps in the future everything will change and more attention will be paid to combating desertification and solving environmental problems. Most likely, this will happen when the area of ​​land suitable for agricultural needs becomes insufficient to feed us. In the meantime, we are only seeing an increase in yellow spots on the map of the planet.

This material can be useful for students in grade 4 in the subject the world when writing reports, abstracts or presentations on what environmental problems are typical for desert and semi-desert zones and how to solve them. Think, after all, it is in the 4th grade that schoolchildren get acquainted with such serious problems that need to be solved so that they do not lead to serious consequences, of which, unfortunately, there are quite a few examples.

A desert is a natural area where flora and fauna are either very thin or absent. They are removed from the main human activity, and this made it possible to preserve the unique ecological system... Many of the deserts are part of national reserves... Today the ecosystem of the earth is changing, human needs for water are growing. All this makes one think about the number of areas occupied by the deserts. Few people care about the ecological problems of the desert, although the two concepts are closely interrelated. And today there are a lot of them.

Ecological problems of the desert

One of the main problems of the desert is its expansion. Each year, the boundaries of the desert are pushed back by an average of 10 kilometers. This leads to the devastation of economic lands and damages the economies of countries. There is practically no soil in the desert, but even the layer that is present is constantly damaged by wheels or caterpillars (this type of transport is popular in deserts). The soil in the desert is practically not subject to restoration. Therefore, in order to solve it, you need to use less transport in the desert.

Problem nuclear tests and burial nuclear waste is also on the list of environmental problems in the desert. Previously, many tests were carried out in the deserts, this led to a problem radioactive contamination... And, unfortunately, it takes hundreds of years to solve this problem.

Because radioactive waste disintegrate for a very long time.

War Waste Pollution Problem. Not to be confused with nuclear. The military is using the desert as a big dump. And in order to solve this problem, it is necessary to find ways to dispose of military waste without resorting to burial.

Groundwater pollution. This ecological problem of the desert is closely related to the previous one. Various burials, military and nuclear, lead to groundwater pollution. The solution to the problem is to end desert burial.

Ecological problems of arctic deserts

Also, in addition to the main problems of deserts, there are environmental problems arctic deserts. Arctic desert Is the most northern zone, in which arctic climate, and the spaces are covered with debris, rubble and glacier. They have only two environmental problems. The first is the absence of vegetation, grass, shrubs, etc. The solution to the problem is to plant vegetation. And the second problem is related to the development of mineral resources. In connection with human activities, the construction of oil pipelines, oil production has reached alarming proportions. Oil leaks occur, which leads to the pollution of the territory.

Sometimes you can even see burning oil lakes.

Because of which huge areas of territories that were covered with vegetation burn out. During the construction of oil pipelines, special passages are created for the movement of animals, they do not always find them and can use them.

So, some more environmental threats. Increase in environmental pollution by human waste. Large risks and costs are required for the development of natural resources. Global climate change significantly affect the reduction of vegetation and the spread of permafrost.

Ice, hydrometeorological, and many others are developing. natural processes, and which are dangerous, and the risk from these processes is increasing.

And most importantly, so that the ecological problems of the desert do not increase, but, on the contrary, decrease, humanity must first of all remember about the protection of the world around us, and secondly, send all possible forces to solve the existing ones.

Text of the scientific article on the topic "THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC-PRACTICAL JOURNAL" PROBLEMS OF THE DESERT DEVELOPMENT "IS 40 YEARS OLD"

Izvestia RAI. SERIES GEOGRAPHIC, 2007, No. 6, p. 121-122

REVIEWS & REVIEWS

The editorial board of the journal "Izvestia Russian Academy Sciences "and the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences congratulate the wonderful journal" Problems of Desert Development "on the 40th anniversary of scientific and practical activity and wish years productive work of its editorial staff, they wish to preserve the optimal ratio of scientific and industrial publications, to continue uniting the scientific forces of the world community in the sacred cause of studying, developing and preserving the natural environment of the arid regions of the planet.

Director of the Institute of Geography RAI, Chief Editor of the journal "Izvestia RAI, geographical series" academician V.M. Kotlyakov

THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL JOURNAL "PROBLEMS OF THE DESERT DEVELOPMENT" IS 40 YEARS OLD

V early XXI v. within the framework of the international scientific community, an extensive network of periodical scientific journals published in different countries and dedicated to a wide range of problems of modern desertification and the formation of the nature of arid regions. Among them, the international scientific and practical journal "Problems of Desert Development", which has passed a long and difficult path of development, looks like a recognized leader - a scientific old-timer, which can serve as an example for new publications aimed at lighting. Created in 1962 with the assistance of the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, the Institute of Deserts of Turkmenistan has become a major scientific center uniting the efforts of Soviet, now Russian, and international scientific and industrial organizations, developing a wide range of problems in the study and development of arid regions.

In the first years of the functioning of the Institute of the Desert, the need for a specialized periodical academic - scientific and practical publication - a geographic journal of a wide profile, focused on the problems of desert studies, became clear.

Since the end of the 1920s, the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR has been actively conducting a comprehensive study of deserts. Central Asia... B.A. Fedorovich, S.Yu. Geller, V.N. Ku-ning, G.A. Avsyuk, K.K. Markov, M.A. Glazovskaya, M.P. Petrov, I.P. Gerasimov et al. For many years studied its most arid territories, received new information about the nature of the region for their economic development. The works of these remarkable scientists were recognized in the USSR and in the world, and in Turkmenistan V.N. Ku-ning and I.P.

Gerasimov were elected Corresponding Members of the Republican Academy of Sciences.

Realizing the relevance and timeliness of creating a new scientific journal on arid - desert topics, academician I.P. Gerasimov, Director of the Institute of Geography of the USSR Academy of Sciences, appealed to the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Academician M.V. Keldysh with a proposal to create on the basis of the Institute of Deserts of the Academy of Sciences of the TSSR a new

a scientific and practical journal on a wide range of problems of the development of deserts. The President immediately highly appreciated and supported this idea, ordered the creation of the journal, giving it the highest all-Union status - "the first category". This is how the journal "Problems of Desert Development" was created. Since its publication, it has been led by the patriarch of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan and academician of the International Academy of the Islamic World A.G. Babaev.

The publication of the first issue of the journal coincided with tragic events 1968 - a long drought in the Sahel zone of North Africa and immediately attracted the attention of the world community.

Over the past 40 years, the magazine has been published with enviable consistency 6 times a year and a total volume of up to 600 pages; united the forces and directions of research of many scientific, industrial and practical institutes and organizations. The journal is published in Russian and since 1979 in English language in the publishing house Aller-tone-Press in the USA. Thanks to this, the magazine has gained wide international fame. The editorial board of the journal includes prominent desert scientists from Russia, the USA, China, India, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the CIS countries.

The journal is published in Ashgabat on the information base of the Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna of the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan. Its new name was given in 1977. The publication is financed with the support of UNEP, GTZ, UNDP and the Government of Turkmenistan.

The topics of the publications placed on the pages of the journal, as before, are wide and relevant. That's far from complete list topics of his publications: morphology and genesis of sandy relief, features of its dynamics, results of work on improving pastures and reforestation, issues of biodiversity of desert phytocenoses, genesis and evolution of desert soils, interpretation of space materials for various purposes, water supply and water (especially The groundwater) resources, analysis of the consequences of irrigation and watering in changing the natural

environment, formation of fresh water and their changes due to large construction sites type of the Karakum canal. Close attention paid to the consequences anthropogenic activities- transformation of deserts; on the pages of the magazine, the natural consequences of the war in the Persian Gulf were analyzed in detail. Publications with paleogeographic data from the ancient era in Central Asia were extremely interesting.

Published periodically information materials about activities international organizations: from the UN to regional meetings. A special place in the magazine is occupied by the results of the activities of the Repetek sand-desert station - a well-known international biosphere reserve, Whose 95th anniversary was celebrated this year.

The magazine quickly responds to acute, often socially oriented, conflict issues that constantly arise in arid countries.

Since 1999 in cooperation with the Executive Committee international fund Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) a new section "The Aral Sea and Its Problems" has been created in the journal, in which materials with the results of scientific - theoretical and methodological research, scientific and practical developments and information regional data are regularly published.