Deserts


Mystery behind the construction of the pyramids solved

Mystery behind the construction of the pyramids solved

ByStuart ButlerMay 18, 2024
Scientists think a long extinct river might be the key to solving the mystery behind how the pyramids were constructed.
Khuri dunes in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan

Shifting sands: why the Thar desert on the borders of India and Pakistan is getting greener

ByBryony CottamApr 22, 2024
As climate change continues to drive desertification, one desert is set to undergo a surprising transformation
Solving the secret of Earth’s largest desert dunes

Solving the secret of Earth’s largest desert dunes

ByGeographical StaffMar 8, 2024
Scientists at Aberystwyth University reveal that massive desert star dunes are much younger than we thought
Desert and mountains in Gobustan region, Azerbaijan

Desertification: the world is losing healthy land at an astonishing rate

ByGraeme GourlayDec 9, 2023
At least 100 million hectares of healthy land is lost each year to desertification, drought and land degradation. Can anything halt it?
Túcume, a pre-Hispanic site in Peru where desert mets vegetation

Peru going green – but it threatens delicate eco-system

ByLogan GourlayAug 27, 2023
Hot arid desert zone along the coasts of Peru and Chile is being eroded by spreading vegetation
The Geographical Podcast: Can Desertification Be Stopped?

The Geographical Podcast: Can Desertification Be Stopped?

ByGeographical StaffApr 21, 2023
The world's drylands and their inhabitants are under threat. We speak to the scientists hoping to stop the spread of desertification
Egypt takes first steps in ambitious plan to regreen the Sinai Desert

Egypt takes first steps in ambitious plan to regreen the Sinai Desert

ByBryony CottamNov 22, 2022
Could a project to dredge Egypt's degraded Bardawil Lake bring rain back to the deserts of the Sinai Peninsula?
Disappearing oases could spell the end for desert life

Disappearing oases could spell the end for desert life

In Morocco, oases that have harboured life for millennia are under threat from climate change and over use of aquifers
The world’s 10 largest deserts

The world’s 10 largest deserts

ByGeographical StaffAug 23, 2022
The 10 largest deserts on earth from the arid and icy expanse of Antarctica to the hot sand dunes of Syria
sand dunes gobi desert

Desert dunes breathe as they ‘inhale’ air

ByGeographical StaffMay 17, 2022
Study into how deserts form shows how microbes can live deep inside arid sand dunes as air seeps deep inside them
Why the Sahara desert is growing

Why the Sahara desert is growing

ByChris FitchJun 16, 2018
Long-term studies reveal the Sahara desert has grown substantially in area over the past century