Deserts

Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding protection of desert ecology, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, 03/02/2023

Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Tapeshwar Singh Bhati Vs State of Rajasthan through the Principal Secretary, Tourism dated 03/02/2023. Grievance in the application was against apprehended damage to the environment by proposed activities during ‘Maru Mahotsav 2023’ at Jaisalmer from February 2 to 5, 2023. …

Sahara solar plan loses its shine

Dimming prospects for solar energy have caught up with a massive renewable-energy project planned for the Sahara Desert. By 2050, according to its backers, DESERTEC, a network of solar plants and other renewable sources scattered across North Africa and the Middle East, could generate more than 125 gigawatts of power …

Desert diversity cut by 'human activities'

Humans may be destabilising desert ecosystems across the world, according to a new study. Analysis of the human impact on dryland ecosystems suggests it is "drastically changing" mammal communities. The scientists believe that activities such as overgrazing livestock lie behind increasing local extinctions and a reduction in diversity. The work …

Man of the desert

Stefan Kröpelin has carved out a career where few dare to tread — in the heart of the Sahara. Original Source

Shale energy industry triggers bean rush among Indian farmers

In northern desert states, farmers are scrambling to harvest as much as they can of a bean with the power to lift them out of poverty. In the United States, the multi-billion dollar shale energy industry is banking on their success. US companies drilling for oil and gas in shale …

Spatial variation of soil organic carbon stock in a typical agricultural farm of hot arid ecosystem of India

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest among three major carbon pools of global ecosystems. During the past few years, global warming and forcible land-use changes have resulted in a huge loss of this major carbon pool and as a consequence, concentration of atmospheric CO2 has increased. To mitigate the …

Effect of stocking rate on soil-atmosphere CH4 flux during spring freeze-thaw cycles in a northern desert steppe, China

Methane (CH4) uptake by steppe soils is affected by a range of specific factors and is a complex process. Increased stocking rate promotes steppe degradation, with unclear consequences for gas exchanges. To assess the effects of grazing management on CH4 uptake in desert steppes, we investigated soil-atmosphere CH4 exchange during …

Impact of grazing on soil carbon and microbial biomass in typical steppe and Desert Steppe of Inner Mongolia

The potential of grazing lands to sequester carbon must be understood to develop effective soil conservation measures and sustain livestock production. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of grazing on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) in Typical steppe and Desert steppe ecosystems, which …

Desert winds bring dust, haze to city

New Delhi: Delhiites woke up to a haze over the city on Tuesday, with southwesterly air currents carrying dust all the way from the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East, and reducing visibility to 1,000 metres. Met officials said the haze would clear substantially on Wednesday as wind …

Man-made forest in Sahara Desert planned

Scientists inspired by a camel's nostrils are set to achieve the impossible and grow aman-made forest in the Sahara Desert. The £3.3 million giant open-air greenhouse in Qatar will bring plant life to one of the most inhospitable spots on earth and it is all thanks to the humped mammal's …

Measuring the impacts of community-based grasslands management in Mongolia's Gobi

We assessed a donor-funded grassland management project designed to create both conservation and livelihood benefits in the rangelands of Mongolia's Gobi desert. The project ran from 1995 to 2006, and we used remote sensing Normalized Differential Vegetation Index data from 1982 to 2009 to compare project grazing sites to matched …

Understanding environmental insecurity in Pakistan

This paper focuses on the causes of ecosystem degradation. Historically, poor communities have been identified as among the key degrading agents. The thesis of this paper is that such communities do not voluntarily destroy the resource base which is the source of their livelihoods and provides them sustenance. Therefore, the …

Project not to be discussed in Standing Committee meeting

The much-awaited roadway project at Rann of Kutch in Gujarat could not be discussed in the Standing Committee meeting of National Board For Wildlife (NBWL) on Friday in the absence of the site inspection report which was to be put up for the purpose. Sources in NBWL, however, maintained that …

Desert farming benefits from microbial potential in arid soils and promotes diversity and plant health

To convert deserts into arable, green landscapes is a global vision, and desert farming is a strong growing area of agriculture world-wide. However, its effect on diversity of soil microbial communities, which are responsible for important ecosystem services like plant health, is still not known. Original Source

Iron-rich dust fuelled 4 million years of ice ages

Dust is all that's needed to plunge the world into an ice age. When blown into the sea, the iron it contains can fertilise plankton growth on a scale large enough to cause global temperatures to drop. The finding adds support to the idea of staving off climate change by …

Blowing in the wind

Answers to why dust storms are on the rise in East Asia. Over the past two decades there has been an increase in the outbreak of dust storms over East Asia. Large quantities of dust particles suspended in the air not only block the amount of sunlight reaching the earth, …

State to get 50% of power generated from Kota plants

JAIPUR: The state will get 50% of the total energy generated by the two under-construction units of Rajasthan Atomic Power Project ( RAPP) at Rawatbhata in Kota district. Chief minister Ashok Gehlot was informed about the decision through a letter by Union energy minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. The state will …

Climate forcing and desert malaria: the effect of irrigation

Rainfall variability and associated remote sensing indices for vegetation are central to the development of early warning systems for epidemic malaria in arid regions. The considerable change in land-use practices resulting from increasing irrigation in recent decades raises important questions on concomitant change in malaria dynamics and its coupling to …

A survey report of nitrogen fixing species of Garhwal Himalaya and some rhizospheric enzyme study in desert soil

In an extensive survey to Garhwal Himalaya and arid soil of western Rajasthan, twenty four leguminous nitrogen fixing species were identified including seven herbs, nine shrubs, four climbers and four tree species which were screened for nodulation and nitrogen fixation activity between 400-2100m altitudes.

Desert healer

It was 3 pm. I was on top of a mountain in the middle of the only green expanse in the cold desert in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. For the last 50 km I saw only mountains of stones and sand, and I would see only desert for the …

Desert healer

Ruhi Kandhari travels to a cold desert in Himachal Pradesh to see how a former bureaucrat is greening it.

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