Key Terms: Hot Desert Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

What is a hot desert?

An area receiving less than 250 mm of rainfall a year, with very high daytime temperatures and a large daily temperature range.

What is desertification?

The process by which land, usually on the fringes of hot deserts, becomes drier and degraded until it turns to desert.

What is overgrazing?

Keeping too many animals on the land so vegetation is stripped away faster than it can regrow.

What is over-cultivation?

Growing crops on the same land too intensively or too often, using up the soil's nutrients.

What is soil erosion?

The removal of topsoil by wind or water, usually after vegetation has been cleared.

What is appropriate technology?

Technology suited to the skills, wealth and needs of local people, e.g. simple stone lines or sand fences.

True or false? Desertification happens only because of natural climate change.

False. Human causes such as overgrazing, over-cultivation and fuelwood collection also cause it.