Реферат: Water in the Desert

The arid and semi arid zones in Russia cover vast territories. They can be called deserts only in the geographical sense of the word.

The development of desert regions was carried out through the introduction of crop irrigation, construction of irrigation systems, sinking of wells, drifting sands control, fixation of sand by planting trees, harnessing the wind and solar energy.

The largest in the world the Kara-Kum is about twice the size of Japan. But despite its comparatively low biological productivity (about one ton of vegetation mass per hectare), it offers a huge fodder base.

The Kara-Kum Desert also has huge areas which can be irrigated. The cheapest way for desert Water transport is by canal. There is another inexpensive method of bringing water to desert pastures. It has been established that up to 35,000 cubic meters of fresh rainwater can be obtained from one square kilometer of dense clayish areas in the desert. Successful experiments were held in the Kara-Kum on collecting and storing rainwater in natural underground reservoirs. It was found that up to a million cubic meters of fresh water may be stored in underground porous soils. Such reservoirs lose practically no water through evaporation or through infiltration, especially important in the hot and arid desert climate.