Shortlisted
The Gobi Desert
The ISF Academy, Secondary Division, Sophie Liu, 11
The Desert
The Gobi Desert is the fifth largest desert in the world, covering approximately 500,000
square miles in Southern Mongolia and Northern China. Unlike other deserts of the world, much
of the Gobi desert is a cold desert, consisting of rock outcrops, gravel and dirt, with scattered
shrubs. With extreme temperatures ranging from over 122˚F to lower than -40˚F, the largest desert
in Asia is a formidably harsh habitat with 45 species of animals and about 400 species of plants
that have adapted to the environment. Apart from the extreme temperatures, the Gobi desert
is also known for its ferocious wind speeds which can build up to 85 miles per hour, powerful
enough to bring a full-grown person off the ground and into the air. These winds usually occur
during a violent sandstorm, which the Mongolians call the “black days”. The sandstorms and the
wild, dry terrain make it difficult to survive in the Gobi, which “grows” every day. Alarming but
true, the Gobi desert is expanding at an annual rate of 1390 square miles over the grasslands
south of the desert. This is one of the most typical examples of desertification.
Desertification
Desertification is the process of turning productive land into desert. Desertification reduces
the ability of land to support life, affecting wild species, domestic animals, agricultural crops
and people. The reduction in plant cover that accompanies desertification leads to accelerated soil
erosion and loss of water such as in the Yellow River. Due to this desertification, once productive
areas surrounding the Gobi desert are rapidly being transformed into vast desert wastelands. The
desert is growing so swiftly, that in the next decade, even the distant capital of China, Beijing
will be affected. As we are speaking, dunes are forming just 70 km from the city, and may be
drifting south at 20-25 km a year. Despite massive spending by the Chinese government on land
reclamation and replanting, China cannot keep up with the rapid expansion of the desert. Only
7% of Chinese land is arable farmland, and half of China’s 617 largest cities face water deficits.
Beijing is among the cities which will be most affected. For neighboring countries, the clouds of
sand from the Gobi desert mean respiratory illnesses and darkened skies, sometimes to the extent
that airports must be shut down. However, the desertification problem in Mongolia is the most
acute, resulting in 140,000 square kilometers of unusable territory and 683 streams having dried
up in recent years.
Causes of Desertification
Overgrazing is the major cause of desertification worldwide. Where not properly planned
and managed, provision of drinking water has contributed to the massive advance of deserts
in recent years as animals gather around waterholes and overgraze the area. Some herders
have poor grazing management after accidental burning of semi-arid vegetation, causing the
loss of both the vegetation and the soil’s nutritious components. However, overgrazing is not
the only problem. Villagers, farmers, and the poorer communities often cut down trees and
timber to collect firewood for cheaper fuel. This results in loose soil, and a higher chance of
desertification, with no plants or vegetation to block the expansion of the desert. The over-
