Tag: soil erosion

A new study by researchers from USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the University of Paris Cité has revealed that soil erosion caused by desertification is intensifying the impact of floods in coastal areas of North Africa and the Middle East. The research, published in Nature Communications, focused on the deadly 2023 floods in Derna, Libya, which resulted in over 11,300 deaths. The study suggests that increased soil erosion played a critical role in worsening the effects of these unusual desert floods. The researchers found that desertification, combined with rising seawater temperatures in the Eastern Mediterranean due to global warming, has led to intensified droughts and more frequent coastal rainstorms. These conditions are increasing soil erosion, leading to dangerous mudflows...