Benjamin,+Albert,+Vicky's+Group

Human Environment Interactions: by: Benjamin Byeon, Albert Park, and Vicky Jung 10G

Desertification of the Sahel / Oil pollution in the Nigerian Delta / The Aswan Dam

//Lets' care about the earth!//

__ Desertification of the Sahel: __



Desertification became a bigger issue starting from the 1930s, as the USA faced the "Dust Bowl", which occurred due to poor agricultural practices. The tragic environmental process that degrades and turns productive, fertile land into a non-productive, arid desert due to the poor land management is called **desertification** (Figure 1). Such process has a detrimental effect as the once fertile lands changes into a desert. Although desertification may seem common in Africa (like the Sahel, seen above), it is actually a gradual increasing environmental issue dealt worldwide. Approximately one-third of the world's land is arid or semi-arid. At least twelve hectares are useless for cultivation. It is expected to have a 17% increase as global warming makes desertification worse. Below are diagrams that explain the process of desertification, specific to the Sahel.



The Sahel Desert was once an area with water. Only about sixty years ago was it alive and an area where people settled. However, in the current years, the Sahel Desert is facing a huge problem -- desertification. The primary reason for desertification is overgrazing. Grazing destroys the perennial shrubs and become replaced by annuals. As the annual plants were grazed out, only bare soil was left behind. Rocks were the only things left, even as the topsoil was washed away. When rain came, the silt that was there hardened, inhibiting plants to grow because the hard layer was impenetrable by the roots. Currently, the Sahel Desert Region changed into a desert and continues to expand further. The sand has shifted further and rainfall is decreasing annually. Another reason desertification is happening further in the Sahel is because of the lack of vegetation. Due to the lack of plants, the wind blows the sand away, expanding desertification. Also, desertification happened as a result of excessive salinity in the soil, created by incorrect irrigation methods.The third cause for the desertification is due to deforestation. As people are adapting the 'slashing and burning' method in order to clear land (for more space), the soil quality degrades and faces a similar effect as overgrazing. As a result of desertification in the Sahel, there are both short-term and long-term effects. The short-term effect is that the nutrients are lost in the soil, making it useless. If soil cannot be used, people near will be affected greatly because they loose the fertile land, in which they can grow crops. Therefore, famine and poverty is rise as soil becomes unsuitable for growing crops (loss of food). Also, overgrazing destroys vegetation (bury plants or make plant's root exposed). Without vegetation erosion occurs. Another effect is that the land turns salty, making it difficult to farm. The long-term effect is that indigenous people will die of starvation. Not only humans, but the cattle will die of hunger as well. Soon, soil turns completely useless, decreasing food availability, which can potentially lead to serious poverty and famine in the Sahel region. Furthermore, people living near the Sahel region will face another environmental issue, that is, dust storms. Thus, desertification in the Sahel is a serious environmental issue that needs urgent help. Are there any solutions? If so, what are some of the possible solutions to prevent or recover this once fertile Sahel region?

In order to halt desertification and hone the fertility of the area, soil conditions //must// be changed in favor of plant growth. One way is adapting the idea of **mulching**, which prevents evaporation, enables weed growth, enrich and hone the soil as mulch rots, and halts runoff (as well as erosion). In degrading areas, people (volunteer workers and natives) might have to reseed the area. Although, mulching and reseeding (**afforestation**) are costly, they are worth it as they prevent erosion and enrich the soil. Therefore, much support and fund raising needs to be done. In order to reduce salinity, **salt traps** should be installed and instigated as it prevents large amounts of salt getting absorbed by the soil. Also, many **animals on the land living should be reduced and allow more space for plants to regenerate**. A reasonable, realistic approach in order to stop desertification in the large-scale is to have **good land management in areas with semi-arid conditions**, before it gets more severe. In addition, over-cultivation should stop and people should adapt good agricultural practices, such as correct **crop rotation** and using **manure**. Also, young trees should be placed elsewhere to stop grazing by animals (**fencing off**). Finally, the last solution is **terracing** the land, which slows down water running. These are some of the potential solutions to stop desertification spreading in the Sahel region, as well as around the world.


 * "Mulch - a layer of straw, leaves or sawdust covering the soil"*



Citations: 1. "Desertification." //Desertification//. USGS, 10/29/97. Web. 1 May 2011. .

2. Collins, Jocelyn. "Desertification." //Desertification//. UWC, Thursday 1 Feb. 2001. Web. 1 May 2011. .

3. "Desertification." //Causes and Effects of Desertification//. Tripod, n.d. Web. 1 May 2011. < http://desertificationb.tripod.com/id3.html>.

4. "Desertification." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 1 May. 2011. <[]>.



** Oil pollution in the Nigerian Delta **

__ What is oil pollution? __ Oil pollution is the result of oil spills. This is definitely a problem that affects everyone all over the world. It has happened in many places including the Persian Gulf, South Africa, and the gulf of Mexico.

__ Why is it a problem? __ A major part of the pollution in the water comes from oil companies that dump or spill oil in the ocean everyday. Although many of the leaks are not done purposely, it is a very large problem because it happens very often. This leakage can come from wars, broken equipment, routine-shipping, and dumping. This is a major problem due to the fact that a large concentration of oil is dumped into one place. Also, oil spills are catastrophic to the marine life such as fish, otters, and birds, as it harms their life. When a bird eats a fish that has been affected by the oil pollution, it causes them to get infected. Moreover, if the oil covers the feathers of the birds, they may not be able to fly due to the weight. Due to the fact that oil cannot dissolve in water, it forms a large sludge in the water. That suffocates the fish as well as blocks light which causes aquatic plants to not receive light from photosynthesis. This is also harmful to the species that are endangered. This puts species in jeopardy of becoming extinct. The killer whale is now an endangered specie which has been caused most likely by oil spills. A whale breathes through its' blowhole and when it is blocked by oil, it cannot breathe which eventually leads to death.



__Nigerian Delta__ There was an infamous case in the 1960s in the Niger Delta where there was a large oil spill. For the purpose of receiving as much profit as possible, the Nigerian government and the oil companies exploited it's deposits. This major oil spill was caused by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SHELL) which proves that this was not a natural disaster. The actual value of the extracted oil from Nigeria totals up to around $600 billion in US dollars which definitely helped Nigeria's economy. They spilled approximately 13 million barrels of oil into the water which causes a major problem. Referring to the chart, Nigeria's oil production and consumption has been increasing until 2005. This definitely caused the government, as well as the oil company, to get a lot of criticism. Not only has this suffocated countless marine life, this has definitely affected the farmers and fishers. Many of the victims, who depended on the Delta, are either or working a different profession. That is not only unfair to many of the citizens, it destroys the lives of many due to their lack of income. This pushes an abundant amount of people into poverty which makes it a very large problem. The oil spill affected the lives of millions which proves the gravity of oil pollution.



__Possible solutions__ There are many possible solutions to oil pollution, however, it is very implausible and difficult for governments to ignore the availability of oil. For the Nigerian government, he must instigate new rules and laws which provides protection for the delta as well as profit for oil companies. This will definitely help maintain the pipes for oils seem profitable as well as safe. Moreover, they must be very careful with the equipment because a large section of oil spills occur due to careless mistakes. Through periodical check ups, the possibility of a leak because of broken parts can be avoided. Moreover, we need more public awareness of oil pollution because many people are not conscious of the gravity of this pollution. Through laws, check ups and public awareness, the issue with oil pollution can be mitigated.

__Works Cited__ 1. //Global Marine Oil Pollution Information Gateway//. Web. 01 May 2011. <[]>. 2. "Niger Delta Oil Spills Dwarf BP, Exxon Valdez Catastrophes | Newsdesk.org." //Newsdesk.org | news You Might Have Missed//. Web. 01 May 2011. <[]>. 3. "Oil Pollution « Water Pollution." //Water Pollution//. Web. 01 May 2011. <[]>.

The Aswan Dam __**The Dam:**__

The Aswan Damn was first constructed in 1902 with the initial name, the "Low Dam"; today it's also called the High Dam. The Aswan Dam is located on the Nile river and was built under the objectives to halt catastrophic damage caused by flooding in the Nile, to focus the water accumulated in the dam for hydroelectric generation, and for irrigation. The unexpected pros of building the Aswan Dam were increased tourism and increased fishing industries. There were, however, detrimental consequences to building the Dam.



__Lake Nasser and the accumulation of water:__
The construction of the Aswan Dam ultimately lead to the accumulation of water behind the damn, which then lead to the formation of Lake Nasser; Lake Nasser is the biggest man-made lake in the world. What came out of the creation of this lake were many consequences, one being the relocation of people and monuments. More than 90,000 Nubians had to be relocated due the overflow of water in the regions behind (south) of the Aswan Dam. Also, monuments like the Abu Simbel Temples had to be relocated due to the accumulation of water. More than forty-million dollars were spent in its relocation and during the process the monuments and artifacts underwent damage.

Another consequence of the accumulation of water behind the dam, was the amassing amounts of silt in Lake Nasser. Floods in the Nile were catastrophic, but brought highly fertile silt along with it, which gave farmers great agricultural opportunities. Dam Aswan has prevented any flooding, but with this silt has no longer been available to farmers along the banks of the Nile. This is has left farmers to use artificial fertilizers and pay a toll on the environment with pollution.

Another issue that has arisen, is the rapid loss of freshwater in Lake Nasser. Every year, an estimated amount of ten to sixteen billion cubic meters of freshwater are lost from Lake Nasser due to evaporation. Figures below show the amount of freshwater that has no longer become available due to the construction of the Aswan Dam.

__Possible Solutions:__
The Egyptian government will have to take immediate action to contend with the crises at hand. A possible option would be to construct low dams along the Nile River, not for the purpose of hydroelectric generation or such, but for flooding precautions. The Aswan Dam would therefore have to be leveled or lowered. The waters from Lake Nasser would be let out into the Nile River and into the Mediterranean; silt would be available and the crisis of the loss of freshwater would be ameliorated. The low level dams would ultimately lock water in cases of floods, and regulations would be have to be made against closing these low dams and accumulating water in any of them when flooding does not occur.

Ultimately the citizens and the government should become aware that the Aswan Dam has brought with it a further set of issues and the cons have outweighed the pros; action should be taken immediately for the sake of the toll we're paying on the environment today.

__**Citations:**__

"Estimating the evaporation over nasser lake in the upper Egypt." //SAO/NASA ADS: ADS Home Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. .

"Relocation ." //Human Impacts on the Nile River//. University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. .

Rosenberg, Matt. "Aswan Dam - Overview of the Aswan High Dam." //Geography Home Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. .

"Environmental Impact of the Aswan High Dam." //MBarron//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. . 


 * Thank you!**