Final answer:
The Dust Bowl, an ecological catastrophe during the mid-1930s, was marked by intense dust storms and drought. It affected the Southern Great Plains and had a significant impact on agricultural land.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Dust Bowl, characterized by intense dust storms and drought, occurred between 1933 and 1939 in the Southern Great Plains, primarily in Oklahoma and other southwestern U.S. states. Plowing exposed the prairie soil, which turned to dust due to the lack of rain and erosion. The resulting dust storms blew away large quantities of topsoil, affecting around 100 million acres of farmland.