Deserts and the planet Reduced visibility Human diseases Deserts Non-deserts Deserts Non-deserts Cross-desert dust movement Desert soil Desert water Desert vegetation Global wind system Global environment and desert ecosystems Why deserts matter?

Deserts and the rest of the globe Reduced visibility Human diseases Rainforest fertilization Marine fertilization Coral disease Deserts Non-deserts Deserts Non-deserts Cross-desert dust movement Desert soil Desert water Desert vegetation Global wind system Knowledge gaps How frequent? How far? Statistics on the frequency of dust How much is “natural” and how much is due to desertification? Shifting sand dunes move from deserts to non-deserts?

Dune crest Controlled grazing - stable dunes Overgrazing - shifting dunes Rangelands in arid drylands – satellite image (bottom right) and air photo

Goods – the silk road, the perfume road the drug road (?) Non-desert migratory birds Cross desert migrations Desert exports Non-renewable resources Bioprospecting – desert plant biochemicals Warmth-requiring agricultural commodities

Goods – the silk road, the perfume road the drug road (?) Non-desert migratory birds Cross desert migrations Desert exports Non-renewable resources Bioprospecting – desert plant biochemicals Fish Warmth-requiring agricultural commodities

Goods – the silk road, the perfume road the drug road (?) Non-desert migratory birds Cross desert migrations Desert exports Non-renewable resources Bioprospecting – desert plant biochemicals Contribution of deserts to global science Physiology Ecology Geology Fish Warmth-requiring agricultural commodities Solar energy

By Carbon sequestration  Soil conservation  Afforestation By reducing albedo  Vegetation conservation Mitigation of global climate

Non-deserts affect deserts Global warming and deserts Tourism