Glossary of "Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet (2nd ed.)" by Botkin & Keller (1998)
- An area of the Earth with minimal rainfall or otherwise limited severely by some necessary factor, so that it is a poor place for agriculture and easily degraded by agriculture. Typically, these lands are easily converted to deserts when used for light grazing and crop production.
- Botkin, D. B. & Keller, E. A. 1998. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet, 2nd ed. -xxxxii + 649 pp. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.