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How does climate change affect ecosystems? Archaeologists in the Sahara have been unsuccessfully looking for the Lost Army of Cambyses ever since.Water in the DesertRain is usually the main source of water in a desert, but it falls very rarely. In the meantime, we must balance economic development against environmental stewardship. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, By Lara Streiff, Some of these can be good for us, but some have really threatened the long-term sustainability of the Earth.. The only real way to stop this is to reduce pollution, which is no easy feat. Dunes migrate constantly with the wind. Desert plants grow far apart, allowing them to obtain as much water around them as possible. Civilisation has always been about exploiting the Earth's resources to produce a better standard of living. Humans are responsible for the spread of the desert along its border regions due to deforestation: humans cut down trees for firewood along the rim of the Sahara, leading to erosion and desertification. This restores the soil fertility. The hard, flat surface of desert salt flats are often ideal for car racing. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). A flash flood like this can sweep away anything and anyone in its path. Agreements that were made in the early 20th century failed to account for Native American water rights. Get NASA's Climate Change News: Subscribe to the Newsletter , From ground observations and satellite observations, we see African dust variability, said Tianle Yuan, atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. There is a common myth that deserts are extremely sensitive to perturbation. Burgeoning human populations on the edges of the desert strain the water supply, which affects the already sparse flora and fauna. Trees and other vegetation are being planted to break the force of the wind and to hold the soil. As a result, wind and water erode the nutrient-rich topsoil. Essentially, rainwater is distilled seawater or lake water. The Criollo cattle are desert adapted; they eat shrubs not grass. How are humans negatively impacting the Sahara desert? How does desertification impact the Earth's climate system?