http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/desert/ Read all about the desert biome, including articles on desertification, semi-arid conditions and more. Articles, images. en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/desert/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112113421.htm Continued improvement of climate forecasts is resulting in better information about what rainfall may look like months in advance. A researcher has now developed an innovative water management framework that would take advantage of these forecasts to plan for droughts or excess rain in order to make the most efficient use of an area's water resources. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112113421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116203140.htm Researchers have discovered that several species of microbes, at least one found prominently in the deserts of the Southwest, have evolved the trait of rope-building to lasso shifting soil substrates. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116203140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145308.htm As the climate gets warmer, arid soils lose nitrogen as gas, reports a new study. That could lead to deserts with even less plant life than they sustain today, say the researchers. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102212153.htm An ancient South American civilisation which disappeared around 1,500 years ago helped to cause its own demise by damaging the fragile ecosystem that held it in place, a study has found. Archaeologists examining the remains of the Nasca, who once flourished in the valleys of south coastal Peru, have uncovered a sequence of human-induced events which led to their "catastrophic" collapse around 500 AD. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102212153.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007081625.htm With land degradation in dryland regions continuing to worsen, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification has agreed on scientist-recommended indicators for monitoring and assessing desertification that signatory countries must report on. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007081625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006134831.htm The windswept deserts of northern China might seem an odd destination for studying the heavy monsoon rains that routinely drench the more tropical regions of Southeast Asia. But the sandy dunefields that mark the desert margin between greener pastures to the south and the Gobi Desert to the north are a rich source of information about past climates in Asia. Wetter periods allow vegetation to take root on and stabilize sand dunes. During dry spells, plants die off and the dunes are more active, constantly shifting as sand is blown away and replenished. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006134831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161126.htm A 16-year study of tropical butterfly migration links a global climate pattern, El Niño, to local increases in plant production and peak migrations. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095214.htm Australian researchers have discovered a huge number of new species of invertebrate animals living in underground water, caves and "micro-caverns" amid the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928095214.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904071953.htm A team of scientists in Spain has analyzed 29 esparto fields from Guadalajara to Murcia and has concluded that perennial vegetation cover is an efficient early warning system against desertification in these ecosystems. The study has been published in the Ecology magazine. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904071953.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716141140.htm A new study details how sandfish -- small lizards with smooth scales -- move rapidly underground through desert sand. In this first thorough examination of subsurface sandfish locomotion, researchers found that the animals place their limbs against their sides and create a wave motion like snakes to propel themselves through granular media. Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716141140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806204846.htm The Mission Creek and Banning faults are two principal strands of the San Andreas fault zone in the northern Coachella Valley of southern California. The two faults merge at depth to form one fault zone, according to a new analysis of the fault geometry near Desert Hot Springs. The refined understanding of the fault zone has implications for regional earthquake hazards and local groundwater resources, according to a new article. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806204846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818150034.htm The results of a Wildlife Conservation Society study that rapidly measures stream habitat have been adopted by a government agency working with private landowners to restore waterways throughout the US. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818150034.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090710092228.htm New Envisat images highlight the dramatic retreat of the Aral Sea's shoreline from 2006 to 2009. The Aral Sea was once the world's fourth-largest inland body of water, but it has been steadily shrinking over the past 50 years since the rivers that fed it were diverted for irrigation projects. Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090710092228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701102904.htm Researchers have managed to make out the "self-irrigating" mechanism of the desert rhubarb, which enables it to harvest 16 times the amount of water than otherwise expected for a plant in this region based on the quantities of rain in the desert. This is the first example of a self-irrigating desert plant, the scientists say. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701102904.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200804.htm Accelerated snowmelt -- precipitated by desert dust blowing into the mountains -- changes how alpine plants respond to seasonal climate cues that regulate their life cycles, according to a new study. These results indicate that global warming may have a greater influence on plants' annual growth cycles than previously thought. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090605091856.htm Not a plant to be seen, the desert ground is too dry. But the air contains water, and research scientists have found a way of obtaining drinking water from air humidity. The system is based completely on renewable energy and is therefore autonomous. Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090605091856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526171815.htm NASA researchers are using satellite data to deliver a kind of space-based humanitarian assistance. They are cultivating the most accurate estimates of soil moisture -- the main determinant of crop yield changes -- and improving global forecasts of how well food will grow at a time when the world is confronting shortages. Thu, 28 May 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526171815.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090506121206.htm The desert lands of Abu Dhabi are subjected to various land degradation stresses, including wind erosion, salinization, waterlogging, landfilling and overgrazing. Sustaining these lands has become an urgent matter, a recent article in Soil Survey Horizons suggests better conservation strategies and management options. Tue, 12 May 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090506121206.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401112448.htm Recent research has predicted that climate change may expand the scope of human infectious diseases. A new review, however, argues that climate change may have a negligible effect on pathogens or even reduce their ranges. The paper has sparked debate in the ecological community. Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401112448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401134604.htm As sea levels rise in the wake of climate change and semi-arid regions turn to desert, people living in those parts of the world are likely to be displaced. Mathematicians have worked out a new approach to planned relocation. Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401134604.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090330102659.htm The largest mass extinction in the history of the earth could have been triggered off by giant salt lakes, whose emissions of halogenated gases changed the atmospheric composition so dramatically that vegetation was irretrievably damaged. At the Permian/Triassic boundary, 250 million years ago, about 90 percent of the animal and plant species ashore became extinct. Previously it was thought that volcanic eruptions, the impacts of asteroids, or methane hydrate were instigating causes. Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090330102659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090313150250.htm The prevailing belief to date has been that the streams of south eastern Spain contained nothing of interest. However, environmental researchers have shown that these ecosystems, which are unique in Europe, are home to great plant and animal biodiversity. Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090313150250.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090311085100.htm Little attention is paid to the likelihood of increased bills, through tax and insurance charges, that will be incurred as the climate changes. The cost of climate change is going to be felt much closer to home than many expect, according to a expert. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090311085100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090220183706.htm Superb natural latex from a desert shrub called guayule (why-YOU-lee) makes high-quality gloves, medical devices, and other in-demand natural rubber products. But guayule may also prove to be an economical, environmentally friendly source of another valuable resource--energy. Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090220183706.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303112437.htm Gases rising from deep within the Earth are fueling the world's highest-known microbial ecosystems, which have been detected near the rim of the 19,850-foot-high Socompa volcano in the Andes. Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303112437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226210035.htm Humans lost in the desert are well known for going around in circles, prompting scientists to ask how desert creatures find their way around without landmarks for guidance. New research shows that desert ants input both local smells and visual cues into their navigation systems to guide them home. Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226210035.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090119094856.htm Like most sub-Saharan African countries, Niger faces problems meeting its water needs. As part of ESA’s TIGER initiative, satellite data are being used to identify underground water resources in the drought-prone country. Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090119094856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090119210342.htm First came the earthquakes, then the torrential rains. But the relentless march of sand across once fertile fields and bays, a process set in motion by the quakes and flooding, is probably what did in America's earliest civilization. Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090119210342.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081228193530.htm Grazinglands in the Asian steppes and the rangelands in the western United States share similar climates, vegetation, land-use practices and problems. So an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist joined a search in Asia to find and preserve native forage plants--and to see if these plants can be used to sustain and restore arid grasslands in other parts of the world. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081228193530.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217190435.htm It's no simple matter to figure out how regional changes in precipitation, expected to result from global climate change, may affect water supplies. Now, a new analysis has found that the changes in groundwater may actually be much greater than the precipitation changes themselves. Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217190435.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222114546.htm A radical plan to curb global warming and so reverse the climate change caused by our rampant burning of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution would involve covering parts of the world's deserts with reflective sheeting, according to an article in the International Journal of Global Environmental Issues. The heat reflecting sheets could be used to cover arid areas and not only reflect the sun's heat back into space by increasing the Earth's overall reflectivity, or albedo, but also to act as an anti-desertification measure. Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222114546.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081114134952.htm Hydrological changes over the past 24 years in the Mar Menor, including increased irrigation, are altering habitats and biological communities of the wetland area. Researchers have studied tenebrionid beetles and how their numbers have declined as a result of increased ground moisture and salinity. Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081114134952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081111073841.htm Using ponds filled with salty, undrinkable water for fish production is one of several options proven effective as an alternative livelihood in parts of the world's expanding drylands. Researchers say alternatives to traditional crop farming and livestock rearing need to be put in place in drylands to mitigate human causes of desertification. Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081111073841.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081020093414.htm Geologists identified an amazing concentration of dinosaur footprints and tail-drag marks that they call "a dinosaur dance floor," located in a wilderness on the Arizona-Utah border where there was a sandy desert oasis 190 million years ago. Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081020093414.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081003122547.htm It moves as quickly in sand as a fish moves through water, which is why this lizard, a species of skink (Scincus scincus) that grows to about 15 cm long and lives in the deserts of North Africa and the Near East, is commonly known by the name "sandfish." Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081003122547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008151316.htm The songbird has a friend in the beaver. According to a study by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the busy beaver's signature dams provide critical habitat for a variety of migratory songbirds, particularly in the semi-arid interior of the West. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008151316.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144647.htm Researchers in Spain have established a method based on dynamic simulation models to define the indicators for the risk of desertification of a particular region in the long term, thus forecasting whether or not the current situation is sustainable. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081009144647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919183823.htm Natural grass fires are evidently more important for the ecology of savannahs than has previously been assumed. This is the finding of a study carried out in Etosha National Park in the north of Namibia. It is the first study to have investigated the complex interplay of the factors fire, competition, moisture and seed availability in relation to a grass species. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919183823.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903134327.htm What are the consequences of human-made tinkering with land cover and hydrology on surrounding native desert ecosystems and biodiversity? This question forms the backdrop for a case study published in the journal BioScience, which found that one of the most profound impacts of urbanization is the "reconfiguration of surface hydrology." Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903134327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819082600.htm Human-driven changes in the westerly winds are bringing hotter and drier springs to the American Southwest, according to new research from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Since the 1970s the winter storm track in the western US has been shifting north, particularly in the late winter. As a result, fewer winter storms bring rain and snow to Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado and western New Mexico. Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819082600.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718074110.htm Saharan dust storms help sustain life over extensive regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. Scientists mapped the distribution of nutrients including phosphorous and nitrogen and investigated how organisms such as phytoplankton are sustained in areas with low nutrient levels. They found that plants are able to grow in these regions because they are able to take advantage of iron minerals in Saharan dust storms. Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718074110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619101522.htm Scientists are investigating how a Madagascan plant could be used to help produce crops in harsh environmental conditions. The plant, Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi, is unique because, unlike normal plants, it captures most of its carbon dioxide at night when the air is cooler and more humid, making it 10 times more water-efficient than major crops such as wheat. Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619101522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611093842.htm Gypsum, a rocky mineral is abundant in desert regions where fresh water is usually in very short supply but oil and gas fields are common. Researchers have hit on the idea of using the untapped energy from oil and gas flare-off or small-scale solar power to release the water locked in gypsum. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611093842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101555.htm A study of Florida beaches has shown that wet sand and dry sand above the intertidal zone have significantly more fecal bacteria than near-shore seawater. Scientists researched whether indicator bacteria survive longer in sand relative to open water and found that all feces-derived bacteria were capable of enhanced growth and survival in sand, while in seawater the bacterial populations steadily decreased over time. Wed, 14 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506105139.htm Fallow agricultural land and steppe-formation processes are evidently capable of having a much greater effect on global air quality than was previously assumed. This is the conclusion drawn by researchers after examining a dust cloud that formed over parched fields in southern Ukraine and led to extremely high concentrations of particulate matter in Central Europe. On March 24, 2007, the dust cloud spread across Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic to Germany. Thu, 08 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506105139.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401200451.htm The sands of the desert are an important and forgotten storehouse of carbon dioxide taken from the world's atmosphere. Sands like those in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana are full of cyanobacteria. These drought resistant bacteria can fix atmospheric carbon dioxide, and together they add significant quantities of organic matter to the nutrient deficient sands. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401200451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172055.htm A tiny beetle is wreaking catastrophic action on the deteriorating Chihuahuan desert. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172055.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229183457.htm Finely layered coatings, rich in manganese and iron and commonly called desert varnish, are common on rocks in desert environments worldwide. These coatings have been the subject of intense scientific debate and extensive research, owing to their potential for indicating past climates, for dating geological surfaces, and, via artwork carved in varnish, for providing information about ancient cultures. Tue, 04 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229183457.htm