desertification
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.
Origin of desertification
1- Also des·ert·i·za·tion [dez-er-tuh-zey-shuhn] /ˌdɛz ər təˈzeɪ ʃən/ .
- Compare aridification.
Words Nearby desertification
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use desertification in a sentence
Efforts to stop desertification—the process by which fertile land becomes desert—have been primarily focused on expensive manual solutions.
At his office, he showed me a series of maps that document China’s elevation, watersheds, flood paths, biodiversity, desertification, ecological security, soil erosion, and cultural heritage.
Impacts of climate change fueled in part by Soviet industrial development are already visible around Russia, from permafrost degradation to desertification in the agriculture-heavy southern reaches of the country.
The Soviets turned the Volga River into a machine. Then the machine broke. | Olga Dobrovidova | December 15, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewAfter the separation of South Sudan, a third of the country is a desert right now, and desertification is moving very fast.
Voices from around the world on what’s at stake at COP26 | Brady Dennis, Sarah Kaplan, William Booth, Samantha Schmidt | October 28, 2021 | Washington PostDeeper root systems bolstered soil health, and expanded tree cover cut down on wind and water erosion, halting desertification.
Mixing trees and crops can help both farmers and the climate | Jonathan Lambert | July 14, 2021 | Science News
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.
Deserts | A. S. Walkerdesertification does not occur in linear, easily mappable patterns.
Deserts | A. S. Walkerdesertification may intensify a general climatic trend toward greater aridity, or it may initiate a change in local climate.
Deserts | A. S. WalkerThis degradation of formerly productive land—desertification—is a complex process.
Deserts | A. S. WalkerUnfortunately, an area undergoing desertification is brought to public attention only after the process is well underway.
Deserts | A. S. Walker
British Dictionary definitions for desertification
/ (dɪˌzɜːtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən) /
a process by which fertile land turns into barren land or desert
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse