Semiørke

Semiørke is a geographical term used particularly in Danish to describe landscapes and climates that lie between arid deserts and more temperate or humid regions. The term, literally "semi-desert," denotes both a climate regime and an ecosystem characterized by scarce, highly variable rainfall and by evaporation that often exceeds precipitation most of the year. Soils tend to be shallow, rocky, or sandy and are frequently nutrient-poor and prone to erosion. Vegetation is typically drought-adapted, including grasses, shrubs, and scattered trees such as acacias or drought-tolerant conifers, depending on region.

Geographically, semiørke zones occur in several parts of the world, including the Sahel and adjacent savannas in Africa, parts of Central Asia, the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, the Australian interior, and areas of the Middle East. These regions host a range of biomes from grassland-steppe to shrubland and open woodland, often with seasonal rains linked to monsoon or sporadic storm systems.

Human use in semiørke regions is diverse but frequently challenged by water scarcity. Pastoralism and extensive grazing are common, as are rain-fed agriculture in more favorable microclimates. Ongoing pressures such as overgrazing, deforestation, and climate change raise the risk of desertification and land degradation, prompting conservation and adaptive management strategies that emphasize water harvesting, soil conservation, and drought-ready crop varieties.

See also: semiarid climate, arid climate, desert, steppe, savanna.