For the past 60 years, Chinese scientists have been working on a project that could change the way we deal with the ongoing risk of desertification around the world. The idea is to transform sandy, desert areas into places where fertile soil can eventually exist again. The benefits are twofold. Not only will it create more fertile soil in these areas, but it will also increase the strength of the soil against erosion.
When you think of deserts, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the most iconic sand patch on our planet, the Sahara. While humans may have actually helped slow desertification in the Sahara and similar areas, it’s clear that the problem has not yet been solved, as arid areas continue to erode and become drier. This is why the Chinese are taking action, particularly in the Tengger and Kubuqi Deserts in the north of the country.
Finding ways to improve soil quality and slow erosion has been a major goal of Chinese scientists over the past few decades. In fact, a 2020 study published in the journal Soil Biology and Biochemistry actually looked at a process that scientists have been using for more than 60 years. This process relies heavily on what researchers call induced biological soil crust (IBSC), which essentially acts as a barrier to protect the soil and slow erosion, not only by trapping nutrients within it, but also by keeping everything together even in some of the fiercest winds.
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Cyanobacteria, an ancient glue
Cyanobacteria on water, close-up – Ray Hugo Tang/Shutterstock
There are three main types of IBSC used by scientists: lichens, mosses and cyanobacteria. In this particular study, researchers have been using cyanobacteria and other IBSCs to try to understand how this process works and how effective it is at slowing or even stopping desertification and erosion. Key to the process are what they call soil “seeds,” which help create an artificial crust on the sand. Not only does this provide the foundation for plants to actually grow in the sand, it also helps to hold the sand together by effectively gluing it together.
Cyanobacteria are estimated to be at least 3.5 billion years old and may have once turned Earth’s oceans green. However, what makes this bacterium so important to researchers is its ability to provide much-needed resources, such as nitrogen, to the soil around it. This allows the soil to absorb important resources that would otherwise not be available naturally.
In addition to providing the soil with the resources it needs to “enrich” it, cyanobacteria also provide a good stopping point for erosion by dampening the effects of storms in areas that utilize this process. The gelatinous layer formed by the cyanobacteria helps hold the sand in place long enough for the plant roots to take hold, which in turn helps hold the sand and surrounding dirt better in place.
How cyanobacteria help stop erosion
Landscape of desert dunes with clear sky in the background – Dynamoland/Getty Images
However, desertification extends far beyond these deserts, especially as the fight against climate change continues. As more desert-like areas spread, scientists have been looking for ways to not only regenerate vegetation in affected areas, but also to completely halt the continued erosion of these areas.
By making the soil more fertile, researchers can also help prevent sand from being swept up in dust storms. Not only does this protect plants from the severe effects of storms, it also helps limit further erosion in areas where cyanobacteria are spreading. It’s a combined effort of plants and bacteria that seems to be working.
Over time, the crust the researchers placed evolved gradually from a simple covering of microorganisms and bacteria to a covering composed of lichens and mosses. This provides a more solid surface to withstand sandstorms. Also noteworthy, when the researchers compared areas where cyanobacteria were added to the microbial layer, they found that crustal growth accelerated by several years. Processes that once took decades to fully implement can now be achieved in just two to three years.
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