A research group from the Northwest Institute of Ecology, Environment and Resources, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has just announced new research results on desertification, providing more scientific basis for ecological restoration and land management in arid areas.
According to Xinhua, the new point of the study lies in the use of the annual growth cycle of some desert shrub species to recreate the history of desertification with annual accuracy, something that previously very few works could achieve.
Like timber trees, some shrubs in the desert also form growth cycles every year. These cycles store information about rainfall, humidity and environmental conditions in each stage of development.
Combining growth ring data with remote sensing images and vegetation indicators, the research team has developed a new method to monitor desert changes over a long period of time.
The results show that about 43.09% of the global land area is facing a high risk of desertification. The most severely affected areas are concentrated in the Mediterranean, East Africa, East Asia, South Africa, West Africa and part of South America.
Research identifies climate as the most important factor promoting desertification globally, followed by the quality of vegetation and human land management methods.
In China, scientists have applied a new method to study the Tengger and Ulan Buh deserts. The results show that the northern area of the Ulan Buh desert tends to reduce the level of desertification due to the impact of climate conditions, while the southern area is more affected by human activities.
The research team also identified the Perpendicular Vegetation Index as the most suitable tool to monitor the changes in vegetation in arid land areas with a high percentage of vacant land.
According to scientists, the research not only helps better understand the mechanism of formation and development of desertification but also provides a scientific basis for large-scale ecological restoration programs, including China's Three Northern Regions Windbreaks Program.
In the near future, the research team will expand this method to many other areas to further clarify the natural and human factors affecting the desertification process.
