خصائص الأمطار بإقليم الجبل الغربي وأثرها على البيئة والتصحر

Rainfall Characteristics in the Aljabal Algharbi Region and Their Impact on the Environment and Desertification

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the relationship between rainfall characteristics and land degradation and desertification in the Aljabal Algharbi Region in northwestern Libya. The study was conducted through the analysis of rainfall data from meteorological stations within the study area. The results obtained from data analysis confirmed the presence of a set of factors that significantly contribute to accelerating the process of environmental land degradation in the studied region. Natural factors—particularly the climatic factor represented by rainfall characteristics—are considered among the key causes that promote degradation. The study concluded that the fluctuation of rainfall in the region from one period to another and from one place to another has clearly contributed to the deterioration of the natural environmental conditions in the study area. In addition, prolonged and recurrent drought periods have led to the degradation of natural vegetation, resulting in soil degradation and erosion, which in turn has facilitated the spread and increased severity of desertification. Furthermore, the delay in rainfall relative to the growing season, the length of the dry period, the concentration of rainfall during the cold season, and the early end of the rainy season have all adversely affected the vegetation cover and led to its deterioration. The study recommended several measures, most notably encouraging further in-depth studies in this field to identify all natural and human factors behind land degradation and desertification in the study area in particular and in Libya in general.