Evaluating Soil Degradation Processes and Their Exacerbation by Climate Change in the Nile Delta of Egypt
摘要
The Nile Delta is a vital region for Egypt’s agricultural production, and climate change speeds up a number of degradation processes, such as erosion, waterlogging, land subsidence, salinization, and loss of soil organic matter. In this chapter, we examined some of the problems related to soil degradation in the Nile Delta. The effect of increasing salinization and land subsidence, especially in coastal areas, due to rising sea levels brought on by global warming was also reviewed. As a consequence of melting of polar ice caps, saltwater seeps into agricultural areas severely reducing soil fertility and crop productivity. Furthermore, the natural balance of sediment deposition is disrupted by changes in precipitation patterns and sediment flow caused by upstream dam construction, which accelerates land subsidence. Other issues affecting land degradation were also discussed, namely, drought, loss of soil organic matter, soil compaction, and desertification. Analysis of long-term temperature and precipitation in the Nile Delta governorates was done to examine its past trend and expect how it will contribute in land degradation in the future. A variety of adaptive strategies were proposed in the study, such as breeding for tolerant crop varieties to drought and salt stress, enhanced irrigation techniques and increasing its efficiency, and conserving soil moisture. In addition, reducing the effects of salinization and waterlogging requires the application of sustainable agricultural practices, and better drainage systems were also presented.