View synonyms for desertification

desertification

[ dih-zur-tuh-fi-key-shuhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Ecology.

the processes by which an area becomes a desert.
the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil at desert boundaries and in semiarid regions, caused mostly by a combination of drought and such human practices as deforestation and unsustainable agriculture, the effects of which are exacerbated by climate change.

desertification

/ dɪˌzɜːtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

desertification

/ dĭ-zûr′tə-fĭ-kā′shən /

The transformation of land once suitable for agriculture into desert. Desertification can result from climate change or from human practices such as deforestation and overgrazing.

First recorded in 1970–75; desert ¹ + -i- + -fication

The Sahel has been degraded by human use, not natural desertification; the natural process has been the reverse.

So why do we invariably connect higher temperatures with droughts and desertification?

The presence of a nearby desert has no direct relationship to desertification.

Desertification does not occur in linear, easily mappable patterns.

Desertification may intensify a general climatic trend toward greater aridity, or it may initiate a change in local climate.

This degradation of formerly productive land—desertification—is a complex process.

Unfortunately, an area undergoing desertification is brought to public attention only after the process is well underway.

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