Lead author: Uriel Safriel
Contributing authors: Exequiel Ezcurra, Ina Tegen, William H. Schlesinger,
Christian Nellemann, Niels H. Batjes, David Dent, Elli Groner, Scott Morrison,
Danny Rosenfeld, Uzi Avner, Noah Brosch, Avi Golan-Goldhirsh, Pinchas Alpert,
Boris A. Portnov, Rex Cates, Robin P. White, Anastasios Tsonis, Moshe Schwartz,
Yoram Ayal, Berry Pinshow, Dan Cohen, Thomas Deméré, Haim Shafi r,
Andrew Warren, Emanuel Mazor

THE PHYSICAL TELE-CONNECTIONS - CLIMATE, DUST AND RIVERS

PEOPLE OF DESERTS AND NON-DESERTS ARE INTERLINKED

DESERTS AS CORRIDORS

THE IMPACT OF DESERT RESEARCH ON GLOBAL SCIENCE

REFERENCES

This chapter addresses the linkages and interactions between deserts and the rest of our planet. While desert climate is controlled by processes taking place outside deserts, processes in deserts also affect climate away from deserts. Deserts and non-deserts are linked by dust generated in deserts that travels away from deserts, and rivers that originate outside deserts dramatically affect deserts while flowing through them. People from outside deserts migrate or visit deserts, while desert people export minerals and fossil energy to non-desert economies. Deserts also serve as corridors through which goods travel and cultures are exchanged, and desert corridors serve bird migration and locust invasions. Finally, though most deserts are remote from leading centres of science, research carried out in deserts has enriched knowledge of the history of our universe and planet, of life on earth, and of peoples and their cultures.