Serious Threats Posed to the Physical Environment and Vulnerable Populations by Soil Degradation
Outline the most serious threats posed to the physical environment and vulnerable populations by soil degradation
Soil degradation is the decrease in the quality and quantity of soil caused by agriculture and industrial purposes. Types of soil degradation are water and wind erosion, physical degradation and chemical degradation. Some of these are human causes and some are physical causes. Overgrazing, deforestation, overpopulation, fertilizer and pesticide use and conflict are some examples of human causes. Some physical causes are rising temperatures, falling rainfall, wind, flash floods and topography. Soil degradation has many consequences on environment and populations. These consequences can occur in a short time period with little warning. These consequences can be both local or beyond the locality and most likely global.
Desertification is the most serious consequence of soil degradation. Desertification is the gradual transformation of habitable land into desert. It is caused by climate change and improper use of land. The soil becomes more degraded and has less nutrients and it can’t support vegetation and therefore turns to desert. It is a problem in the Sahara Desert and Kalahari Desert. What makes soil degradation a significant threat in the Kalahari Desert is that it is nutrient deficient and subsistence farming. Political changes such as disrupted communal land ownership patterns also had an impact on desertification. Plant removal by grazing can increase wind and water erosion reducing soil nutrient and destroying the soil structure. The case study on soil degradation in Australia shows that low rainfall can also cause desertification. The Murray-Darling basin produces more than a fifth of Australia’s food and there is a critical decrease in rainfall. The land contains half the amount of carbon it did before European settlement due to low rainfall with harmful farming techniques. This leaves the soil unable to hold as much water. Desertification
Soil degradation is the decrease in the quality and quantity of soil caused by agriculture and industrial purposes. Types of soil degradation are water and wind erosion, physical degradation and chemical degradation. Some of these are human causes and some are physical causes. Overgrazing, deforestation, overpopulation, fertilizer and pesticide use and conflict are some examples of human causes. Some physical causes are rising temperatures, falling rainfall, wind, flash floods and topography. Soil degradation has many consequences on environment and populations. These consequences can occur in a short time period with little warning. These consequences can be both local or beyond the locality and most likely global.
Desertification is the most serious consequence of soil degradation. Desertification is the gradual transformation of habitable land into desert. It is caused by climate change and improper use of land. The soil becomes more degraded and has less nutrients and it can’t support vegetation and therefore turns to desert. It is a problem in the Sahara Desert and Kalahari Desert. What makes soil degradation a significant threat in the Kalahari Desert is that it is nutrient deficient and subsistence farming. Political changes such as disrupted communal land ownership patterns also had an impact on desertification. Plant removal by grazing can increase wind and water erosion reducing soil nutrient and destroying the soil structure. The case study on soil degradation in Australia shows that low rainfall can also cause desertification. The Murray-Darling basin produces more than a fifth of Australia’s food and there is a critical decrease in rainfall. The land contains half the amount of carbon it did before European settlement due to low rainfall with harmful farming techniques. This leaves the soil unable to hold as much water. Desertification