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Deserts & Desertification
 Websites presented in alphabetical order Africa: Explore the Regions: Sahara 
 Information about the world's largest desert, whose "size defies imagination: 3.3 million square miles or around 25 percent of Africa." Includes information about human inhabitants (such as the Tuareg, "a semi-nomadic group known for their salt caravans and distinctive blue veils"), and the ecosystem (plants, animals, topography, rainfall). Also includes information about specific countries. From the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/sahara/sahara_overview.html Topics: Geography, Geology, Regions of the World, Regions of the World Last updated Dec 31, 2008 Arid Lands Newsletter
This twice yearly newsletter, published in both Web and e-mail formats, focuses on global events and issues confronting researchers, resource managers, and policy makers in arid areas. Archived. Covers a broad range of issues including water management, ecotourism, small farm management, urban agriculture, desertification, biodiversity, desert literature, and desert architecture. http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/ALN/ALNHome.html Topics: Agriculture, Environment, Gardening, Geography Last updated Jan 5, 2004 Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: Desert Wildflower Blooms
Background and seasonal updates about wildflowers in the Sonoran Desert region encompassing parts of Arizona, California, and Sonora and Baja California, Mexico. Features wildflower reports, an article about predicting wildflower blooms, general information about spring and summer flowering seasons in the desert, and the photo presentation "Wildflower Flourishes and Flops -- a 50-year History." From the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. http://www.desertmuseum.org/programs/flw_blooming.html Topics: Geography, Geology, Plants Last updated Mar 11, 2008 Bright Edges of the World: The Earth's Evolving Drylands
"Drylands include arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas all over the world. The aim of this exhibit is to show the importance these environments have in the lives of people everywhere, and the threats they face." Includes section for children. A collaboration of the Smithsonian Institution and the United Nations Environment Programme. Also available in French. http://www.nasm.si.edu/ceps/drylands/ Topics: Geography Last updated May 25, 2004 Burning Man
This annual event held in the Black Rock desert in Nevada since 1994 remains an ongoing avant-garde Woodstock for the arts, though through growth and popularity it has lost some of its boutique flavor. Usually held in late August or early September. The site includes the event's history, volunteer opportunities, a survival guide, a rideshare board, a plan of Black Rock City, a year-round calendar, and an image gallery. http://www.burningman.com/ Topics: Geography, Holidays and Observances Individually, Recreation, Recreation, Sports, Recreation, & Entertainment Last updated Aug 4, 2005 Cayman Islands Xeric Scrub
A brief description of plants and animals found on the Cayman Islands, "a small group of low-lying Caribbean islands that support dense evergreen thicket communities." Includes information about birds, bats, iguanas, mosquitoes, and other wildlife. Also includes causes for concern about wildlife. From the National Geographic Society. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt1305.html Topics: Geography, Science, Science Last updated Jun 1, 2005 Desertification
Desertification is "the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas." This site "contains technical and scientific data and information, available at FAO, as well as links to a number of highly informative Web sites on desertification ... [and] on sustainable development and drylands management." Also find a searchable database of maps and statistics, photos, videos, and text documents. Available in several languages. From the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN). Note: some dead links. http://www.fao.org/desertification/default.asp?lang=en Topics: Agriculture, Environment, Geography, Photograph Collections Last updated Jun 23, 2005 DesertUSA
This site calls itself an "online travel and adventure guide to the desert regions of the American Southwest." It is much more. There are sections devoted to animals, plants, people (Native Americans, explorers, and ancient peoples), geology, Places to Go (parks, towns, museums, etc), Things to Do (rock, climbing, auto touring, water sports, hiking, etc.), recipes, and more. Updated monthly; older material is archived. Covers Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah. http://www.desertusa.com/ Topics: Geography, Geology, U.S. Travel Last updated May 25, 2002 The Green Wall of China
This 2003 article from Wired magazine discusses a tree-planting plan "known as the Green Great Wall — a 2,800-mile network of forest belts designed to stop the sands" which have been created by desertification of land near China's Gobi desert. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.04/greenwall.html Topics: Geography, Geology Last updated Apr 13, 2004 HighDesert.com
This gateway to Southern California's High Desert region includes links to local newspaper websites, an events calendar, movie and television schedules, job listings, a directory of local websites, business directories, and an online guide book of information for residents and visitors. The High Desert includes Adelanto, Apple Valley, Barstow, Mirage, Helendale, Hesperia, Lucerne Valley, Silver Lakes, Spring Valley Lake, Victorville, Wrightwood, and surrounding communities. http://www.highdesert.com/ Topics: Geography Last updated Feb 9, 2007 Lichens of Baja California: The Fringe of the Sonoran Desert
An exhibit of ten annotated photographs of lichens from the Sonoran Desert in Baja California, Mexico, taken by Sylvia and Stephen Sharnoff. Includes brief information on lichens, "a symbiotic association between a fungus and a photosynthetic organism." From the Center for Latin American Studies, University of California, Berkeley. http://www.clas.berkeley.edu:7001/Gallery/sharnoff/ Topics: Geography, Photograph Collections: Regional, Plants by Name Last updated Aug 10, 2003 Mojave Desert Ecosystem Program
This program provides "access to Geospatial natural resource data for the entire Ecoregion and is a model for the sharing and integration of resource data and expertise." The site features interactive maps of this region in California, an image database (with photographs of plants, animals, and landscapes), a document database (with plans and reports), information about geologic and hydrologic features, aerial photography, transportation data, and more. From a group of federal and state agencies. http://www.mojavedata.gov Topics: Geography, Geology Last updated May 18, 2009 Mojave National Preserve
The National Park Service provides an exploration of this area between the Great Basin and Sonoran deserts. "The Preserve encompasses 1.6 million acres of mountains, jumble rocks, desert washes, and dry lakes." Topics include desert ecology, plants and animals, geology, and history and culture. Also find a glossary, maps, information about recreation, education, and management issues, and the Final Environmental Impact Statement and General Management Plan. http://www.nps.gov/moja/index.htm Topics: Geography, Geology, National Parks & Forests, Parks Last updated Oct 6, 2009 Secrets in the Sand
"In the last few years, the Sahara desert has become a focus of interest for the US military ... it is seen by Washington as a perfect hideout for terrorists. The BBC's Catherine Fellows sets out to separate fact from fiction in this two part [audio] series [from August 2005] and asks how do people living there feel about their home being labelled a terror zone?" From the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/4131336.stm Topics: Geography, Geology, Regions of the World, Regions of the World, Terrorism Last updated Oct 5, 2009 Two Decades of Burning Man
Series of articles on the festival that originated in San Francisco in 1986 and is now held annually in the Nevada desert. Many of the stories feature art projects that are planned for the festival. Also includes a timeline, basic facts and figures, and images of some of the people behind Burning Man and of the festival itself back to 2001. From SFGate.com, the website of the San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/burningman/ Topics: Geography, Holidays and Observances Individually, Recreation, Recreation, Sports, Recreation, & Entertainment Last updated Aug 25, 2005 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Information about this United Nations program that addresses the "problem of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas." The site features fact sheets, regional profiles, reports, program descriptions, a list of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in the program, and science updates on topics such as water management and early warning systems. Also includes links to related sites. Searchable. Note: Some materials only available in languages other than English. http://www.unccd.int Topics: Geography Last updated Jun 22, 2005 |
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