But extensive irrigation projects, the encroaching desert and an increasingly dry climate have caused to shrink to 5% its former size.

但是过度的灌溉，逐渐的沙漠化以及气候的变化，已经使如今乍得湖的面积仅为以前的5%。

youdao

Mountains to the north, northwest and west shield the city and northern China's agricultural heartland from the encroaching desert steppes.

北面、西北面和西面的群山将城市和华北农业中心地带环绕，阻止了沙漠草原对这些地方的侵蚀。

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Entire villages in China's north have been lost, submerged in sand by the encroaching desert.

CNN: Economic miracle, environmental disaster

Johnny remembers when Palm Springs still had sand on the roads, the desert encroaching much more than it does today.

BBC: The perfect trip: Southwest USA