The Kalahari Transect, or KT, is located in southern Africa, spanning much of the country of Botswana. In the north, the average annual rainfall is about 40 inches per year, compared to only about 6 inches per year in the south. All together, the KT covers more than 800 km of homogeneous sandy soils. Take a look at how these soils move over time and how we, as people, can influence their ability to support life.

VIDEO: When you think of deserts, you think of sand dunes as far as the eye can see. Where do they come from? How do they develop? What keeps the desert from simply blowing away? Professor D’Odorico tells us how vegetation helps to stabilize dunes in the Kalahari of Botswana.

VIDEO: Do deserts grow and shrink, like tides in the ocean? How do humans impact the size of a desert? Professor D’Odorico reports on the processes leading to soil destabilization and active dune formation.