with sand and dust and raising the temperature to about 50 °C
in some areas. This wind activity is recognized as one of the
major erosion factors in the county, which transports the
eroded soils from one place to another (Fig. 1.4).
Soil erosion by wind takes place widely across all the
country where most of the region is desert. The main factors
contributing to soil erosion by wind hazard are: arid climate,
the absence of adequate vegetation cover, soil texture, wind
regimes, and the human factor (Yigini et al. 2013). Soil
erosion by wind can remove several centimeters of the
topsoil per year in the area that have sandy soils. Generally,
soil erosion by wind occurs in the form of deflation within
the littoral plain, while the soil erosion by water commonly
occurs in the form of sheet washing, mainly within the Al
Jabal Al Akhdar and on steeper slopes of Jabal Nafusah
because most of the vegetation cover has been cleared by
over-grazing and over-cultivation. The soils of Libya are
subject to severe, moderate, and light of both water and soil
erosion by wind as shown in Table 1.1a and b.
The degree of erosions in Libya shows that 592,053 ha
and 859,634 ha have been affected by both soil erosion by
water and wind, respectively, and heavy exposure to the
erosions is shown in the western part of the country of both
soil erosion by water and wind with total areas of
304,700 ha and 582,800, respectively, Table 1.1a and b. The
degree of soil erosion by water is based on the precipitation
characteristics (intensity and seasonality), the vegetation
density, slope degree, and soil moisture. Figure 1.5 shows
how severe soil erosion by water is a hazard in the mountainous region of Tarhuna in the north-western part of Libya.
The lack of vegetation cover in the area cannot protect the
soils from being affected by the precipitation intensities,
which tend to produce passably large runoff volumes,
leading to an increase the soil erosion.
The soil erosion by water and wind increase the exposure
of the topsoil, causing the removal of fertile and loss of
nutrient and seed stores, which eventually lead to the
exposure of barren, locally hard-setting subsoils that resist
Fig. 1.3 Locations of
agricultural activities in Libya
(Adapted from: Zurqani et al.
2019)
4
H. A. Zurqani
in some areas. This wind activity is recognized as one of the
major erosion factors in the county, which transports the
eroded soils from one place to another (Fig. 1.4).
Soil erosion by wind takes place widely across all the
country where most of the region is desert. The main factors
contributing to soil erosion by wind hazard are: arid climate,
the absence of adequate vegetation cover, soil texture, wind
regimes, and the human factor (Yigini et al. 2013). Soil
erosion by wind can remove several centimeters of the
topsoil per year in the area that have sandy soils. Generally,
soil erosion by wind occurs in the form of deflation within
the littoral plain, while the soil erosion by water commonly
occurs in the form of sheet washing, mainly within the Al
Jabal Al Akhdar and on steeper slopes of Jabal Nafusah
because most of the vegetation cover has been cleared by
over-grazing and over-cultivation. The soils of Libya are
subject to severe, moderate, and light of both water and soil
erosion by wind as shown in Table 1.1a and b.
The degree of erosions in Libya shows that 592,053 ha
and 859,634 ha have been affected by both soil erosion by
water and wind, respectively, and heavy exposure to the
erosions is shown in the western part of the country of both
soil erosion by water and wind with total areas of
304,700 ha and 582,800, respectively, Table 1.1a and b. The
degree of soil erosion by water is based on the precipitation
characteristics (intensity and seasonality), the vegetation
density, slope degree, and soil moisture. Figure 1.5 shows
how severe soil erosion by water is a hazard in the mountainous region of Tarhuna in the north-western part of Libya.
The lack of vegetation cover in the area cannot protect the
soils from being affected by the precipitation intensities,
which tend to produce passably large runoff volumes,
leading to an increase the soil erosion.
The soil erosion by water and wind increase the exposure
of the topsoil, causing the removal of fertile and loss of
nutrient and seed stores, which eventually lead to the
exposure of barren, locally hard-setting subsoils that resist
Fig. 1.3 Locations of
agricultural activities in Libya
(Adapted from: Zurqani et al.
2019)
4
H. A. Zurqani