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Desertification is becoming a major ecological concern in arid and semiarid regions, especially under climate change. Globally, it is burning up lands for human habitats with a rapidly spreading tendency. Many scientists have been struggling to explore the related mechanisms. Challenges remain in revealing the fundamental principle in terms of desert-oasis interactions that are associated with…

Desertification is among the most severe global environmental and the socio‐economic problems in the world. This paper is a first attempt to link scientific research to national policymaking on desertification in China. The authors aim to trace scientific research findings in the national policies and strategies of desertification prevention in China. One example is the large‐scale…

There is a need for the up‐to‐date assessment of desertification/land degradation maps that are dynamic in nature at different scales for comprehensive planning and preparation of action plans. This paper aims to develop the desertification vulnerability index (DVI) and predict the different desertification processes operating in Anantapur District, India, based on machine language…

A preliminary conceptual framework is proposed for the estimation of the costs of desertification. This framework consists of assessment of the extent and severity of desertification, identification of various impacts and valuation of the direct and indirect costs of desertification. Based on this framework, three well‐cited studies of the costs of desertification in China were…

Vegetation cover in dry regions is a key variable in determining desertification. Soils exposed to rainfall by desertification can form physical crusts that reduce infiltration, exacerbating water stress on the remaining vegetation. Paradoxically, field studies show that crust removal is associated with plant mortality in desert systems, while artificial biological crusts can improve plant…

Our ability to predict the effects of various organic amendments on soil aggregate stability is limited due to the complexity of the biological, chemical, and physical mechanisms involved. Based on previous experimental results, this study developed a model (Pouloud) to predict the dynamics of aggregate stability following the incorporation of various organic residues under field conditions.