RESEARCH TEAM:
• Causes and Consequences of Desertification in the Northern Sahara Region
Project Leader: Prof. Maciej Dłużewski
Team Members:
Katarzyna Biejat, PhD
Prof. Lidya Dubis (UL)
Łukasz Kokosiński, MA
Prof. Rafał Kozłowski (UJK)
Karolina Krawczyk, MA
Prof. Kazimierz Krzemień
Prof. Elżbieta Rojan,
Prof. Joanna Rotnicka-Dłużewska (UAM)
Prof. Stefan Skiba
Karolina Sobczak-Szelc, PhD
Prof. Anna Szczucińska (UAM)
Joanna Tomczak, MA
Joanna Wronecka, PhD
How is the environment changing under the influence of humans and climate?. Our research team from the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw, has been documenting the effects of desertification in the Northern Sahara region for many years. Our work demonstrates how human activity—on the global, regional and local scales—transforms the environment: from lowering groundwater levels and increasing sandstorm frequency to the degradation of vegetation. This knowledge serves not only science, but also local communities.
Desertification is a complex process which is primarily caused by human activity—on the global level (climate change), regional level (e.g. changes in water circulation in a catchment area), and local level (e.g. overexploitation of groundwater). Its effects include:
• increased irregularity of precipitation, including prolonged droughts,
• lowering of groundwater levels and rising salinity,
• decreased flow in episodic rivers and increased frequency of flash floods,
• a rise in the number, intensity and range of sand and dust storms,
• vegetation degradation and soil salinisation,
• the spread of sand dunes.
The research team has studied these phenomena in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, as well as in the High Atlas Mountains. Fieldwork included:
• monitoring of groundwater levels and chemistry in the Dades-Dra Valley and the Mhamid El Ghozlane oasis,
• measurements of air temperature and precipitation in the Upper Dades Valley,
• morphological and dynamic measurements of barchan dunes (Kharga Depression, Western Sahara) and star dunes (Erg Chebbi), as well as the analysis of dune field expansion, • wind-blown sand transport measurements in desert and coastal regions (e.g. Coude du Drâa, Atlantic coast).
The research findings are used in practice—for example, in the project Education in Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection in the Mhamid El Ghozlane Oasis. This initiative was carried out in cooperation with local authorities and Moroccan institutions as part of the Polish Aid programme by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its aim was to support water resource protection and improve the quality of life for inhabitants of oases in the northern part of the Sahara.
Upper graphics:
↑ Monitoring of groundwater chemistry in the Dades River Valley (High Atlas, Morocco).
Lower graphics:
↑ During sand transport intensity studies in southern Morocco: A and B – Coude du Drâa region, C – Atlantic coast.
RESEARCH LOCATION: Africa (NORTHERN SAHARA)