Natural Hazards, Desertification, and Desert Environments

Flashcards summarizing concepts on natural hazards, desertification causes and solutions, energy and economy in the Thar Desert, and environmental characteristics of deserts.

Natural hazards

Natural phenomena occurring in nature that become natural disasters when they pose a risk to people and property.

Salinity

The salt level in soil that increases when areas are overwatered due to poor water management, creating barren and infertile land.

Deforestation (Fuelwood)

The cutting down of trees for wood as a common fuel source in LICs, leading to land degradation and severe nutrient loss in the soil.

Overgrazing

The consumption of vegetation by livestock like camels kept for meat and milk, causing root loss, removal of shade, and elevated evaporation levels.

Afforestation

The planting of trees to provide shade, stop evaporation, increase ground fertility, and prevent soil erosion.

Great Green Wall

A large-scale afforestation project in the Sahel desert intended to halt the expansion of the Sahara Desert.

Half moon Structures

Structures designed to hold water, increase infiltration, recharge groundwater, raise the water table, and yield animal food to support survival.

Magic Stones (Stone lines)

An appropriate technology where large stones are placed in long lines on sloped cropland to slow overland flow, prevent erosion, increase infiltration, and trap dead organic matter.

Desertification

The degradation of land so that it becomes drier, damaged, less productive, and increasingly desert-like.

Leaching

The process where wind and rain cause soil erosion and strip away nutrients.

Desert

An area that receives less than $250\,\text{mm}$ of rainfall per year.

Giral

A location in the southwest Thar Desert that houses a thermal energy plant supplied by extensive coal deposits.

Barmer district

An area located in the south-southwest Thar Desert where a large oilfield was discovered.

Jaisalmer

A popular tourist desert city with a population of over $80,000$, featuring desert safaris and one of India's largest wind farms generating $60\,\text{MW}$ of electricity.

Positive multiplier effect

An economic process where desert safaris and tourism jobs in Jaisalmer support local workers and boost the overall local economy.

High pressure belt

An atmospheric region between $30^\circ\,\text{N}$ and $30^\circ\,\text{S}$ formed by sinking air, characterized by a lack of clouds and rain and plunging nighttime temperatures.

Nocturnal rodents

Desert rodents that adapt to the environment by being active at night to survive extremely high daytime temperatures.