[kidd]

source=http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/nerc.html

Today's regions that are classified as 'desert biomes':

Source=http://www.aptoshs.net/~agoldenk/Melissa%20Buron/desert%20page

Conclusion: Things were once much worse

==========================================

Present total land surface area = 57,500,000 sq miles
Non-desert area = 6/7*57,500,000= 49,286,000 sq miles
Area lost to desert = 1374 sq miles/year (0.002%/yr)
Conclusion: In 1000 years, at this rate, we will lose 3% of non-desert land to desertification.

==========================================

This is natural, and is no cause for alarm

[RightWhale]

That points out a problem with the Bering land bridge that people supposedly walked across last Ice Age. It was a thousand miles of desert. A major expedition might make it across, but a hunting party would not be interested.

[expatpat]

Northern Europe desert? Was this before the Brits started carrying umbrellas?

At the Ice Age max, wasn't N Europe iced over?