DESERTIFICATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does desertification mean? 

• DESERTIFICATION (noun)
  The noun DESERTIFICATION has 1 sense:

1. the gradual transformation of habitable land into desert; is usually caused by climate change or by destructive use of the land

  Familiarity information: DESERTIFICATION used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DESERTIFICATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The gradual transformation of habitable land into desert; is usually caused by climate change or by destructive use of the land

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Context example:

the dust storms in Korea are the result of rapid desertification in China

Hypernyms ("desertification" is a kind of...):

geologic process; geological process ((geology) a natural process whereby geological features are modified)

 Context examples 

The results, are key for the study of long-term dune migration, which threatens shipping channels, increases desertification, and can bury infrastructure such as highways.

(Sand dunes can ‘communicate’ with each other, University of Cambridge)

As a result, vegetation flourishes on and near termite mounds in ecosystems that are otherwise vulnerable to desertification.

(Dirt mounds made by termites in Africa, South America, Asia could prevent spread of deserts, NSF)

The resulting loss of forest, desertification and water stress would accelerate climate change and could cause irreversible damage to wide stretches of farmland, the model found.

(Model shows pathway to feeding the world, SciDev.Net)

A combination of factors is at play: desertification of the Asian continent, which allows more dust to be carried on the wind; combustion, especially from wildfires; factory outputs; and wind patterns across the North Pacific Ocean.

(North Pacific Ocean fertilized by iron in Asian dust, National Science Foundation)