The main purpose of this paper is to illustrate the profound connection between dryness, drought and desertification. Causes and characteristics that lead to the occurrence of the three phenomena are discussed as well as the medium and long term effects. First of all, in the beginning of the draught a forerunner period of dryness can be observed that usually appears in the air; these two are considered distinct stages in which the intensity with which plants fell the need for water is differentiated. A more complex phenomenon is desertification, the result of a few extremely long drought periods. Desertification is also a phenomenon that involves biological productivity losses and land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry-sub-humid areas, having as main causes human activity, climatic variation especially drought. The paper also discusses drought vulnerability of some soil categories as well as their traits that are of major importance in determining negative effects over land degradation. Climatic data from the last century reveal a progressive atmospheric warming a reduction of rainfall quantities and a strong land degradation became limitative factors for the growing, development and ecosystem`s productivity (agricultural, forestry, aquatic, etc) from certain geographic areas of the country and restrictive factors for assigning and using water reserves. The results reveal that firstly the lack in time and space of rainfall quantities generates such dryness processes and if they persist, drought will install itself. The paper ends with a Discussion section where it is claimed without doubt that when elaborating the strategies for water resources management it is imperative for these extremely harmful phenomena to be taken into account. It is also necessary a clear establishment of the institutional responsibilities in drought conditions in an integrator and efficient manner.

dryness, drought, desertification, degradation, land

Presentation: poster