The global extreme climate change can greatly affect the extend of Sahara Desert. The state of climate change provides contemporary and future trends to the world’s largest desert. Some changes will lead to its extensive advancement which will impact negatively the African Continent.
Global warming will eventually widen the Sahara Desert by eliminating the arid growing trees. More dry valleys will be made and even the few oases left in the region will completely dry widening it significantly. The stable high pressure over the tropic of cancer will lead to average temperatures causing winter in the region. To some extend this will support live for pastoralists who live in the region. Animals will have some vegetation to feed on like olive trees. 481
Human activities such as deforestation, poor irrigation and overgrazing the region will widen the desert. Cultivation of short seasoned crops and relying on animal products. This stalling in one place will lead to more tiling of the desert for irrigation purposes which decreases the extend of the desert and to attract rain. Less evaporation between land and seas holds more water to support crops in the region.
Air flow rising from the equatorial region heading to tropics expands the desert. Many people living in the region will exhaust crops and livestock compete for the few vegetation thus making the desert bigger. In case of rains, there may be floods, and also locusts to carry and feed on the less vegetation widening it further.
Higher temperature increase may end up causing wildfires burning down the short trees and shrubs which attract short rains, therefore making the desert bigger. The soils in the region will be poor in organic matter, lack of moisture which will reduce the yields in crops being grown on the wetter edge of the desert.
We have seen that Climate change will have adverse effects on the Sahara Desert in future. To some extend all stakeholders should come together and put-up measures to ensures that the desert doesn’t enlarge further and avoid posing risks to humanity. 876