Desertification

1 Desertification

Desertification is becoming a serious problem in recent years. A table shows the trend of desertification in a region in two aspects. According to the table, area of 560 square kilometers was deserted in the 1980s. In the 1990s, the area of desertification took a leap to 810 square kilometers. In the following ten years, the number raised more slowly than the first ten years. The area of deserted land finally reached 980 square kilometers. The table also shows the frequency of sandstorms in the region. From 1980s to 1990s, the frequency of sandstorms raised sharply. Because the area of desertification took a turn to rise slowly, the frequency went up to 16, by about 30 percent only.

Desertification is obviously an international problem now. It is caused by the decrease of woods and vegetation. The water in the ground is kept by the plants, so the land may turn to desert without enough plants. Desertification can cause bad weather like sandstorms and even change the climate of a region. And it also destroys the variety of plants and animals.

So far there has not been an effective way to solve the problem completely. But there are many things humans can do to prevent the desertification from becoming more serious. Planting more trees or stopping cutting down woods would work. There is a long way to go.

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