Pictures of desert palms gracing beaches are classic images of tropical beaches.
[108] Desertification is caused by such factors as drought, climatic shifts, tillage for agriculture, overgrazing and deforestation. The peaks block moisture-bearing winds from advancing into these regions, hence restricting precipitation. [47], Plants face severe challenges in arid environments. It can be found on the areas located under the subtropical ridge.
When these are extensive, they are known as sand seas or ergs. Daily variations in temperature can be as great as 22 °C (40 °F) or more, with heat loss by radiation at night being increased by the clear skies. [66], Lakes may form in basins where there is sufficient precipitation or meltwater from glaciers above. [38] In a study of a dust storm in China in 2001, it was estimated that 6.5 million tons of dust were involved, covering an area of 134,000,000 km2 (52,000,000 sq mi). Generally, the climate in these areas is hot, dry, and sunny throughout the year. [100] Similarly, evaporation tends to concentrate minerals in desert lakes, creating dry lake beds or playas rich in minerals. The Sonoran Desert, while still arid, is lush compared to other deserts, supporting over 2,000 species of plants. [17][18] Arid deserts receive between 25 and 200 mm (1 and 8 in) in a year and semiarid deserts between 200 and 500 mm (8 and 20 in). [1] Low rainfall is a feature of deserts such as the Arabian, central Australia and the Sahara. Antarctica is the world's largest cold desert (composed of about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock). Many deserts were at one time the sites of shallow seas and others have had underlying hydrocarbon deposits transported to them by the movement of tectonic plates. It reaches 86 degrees F or 30 degrees C. Check facts about Atacama Desert here. It is identified as BWn, BWk or BWh in the Koppen climate classification. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.
[116] The greening of the desert remains an aspiration and was at one time viewed as a future means for increasing food production for the world's growing population. They travelled over large areas with their herds, moving to new pastures as seasonal and erratic rainfall encouraged new plant growth. [2] Because desert air is dry there is little moisture to hold onto the heat of the day. Leaching by ground water can extract ore minerals and redeposit them, according to the water table, in concentrated form.
Some have waterproof coverings that prevent the plant or seeds from drying out. Eggs are laid and the tadpoles grow rapidly as they must reach metamorphosis before the water evaporates. In a dust storm, these fine particles are lifted up and wafted aloft to heights of up to 6 km (3.7 mi). [56], One of the driest places on Earth is the Atacama Desert. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2020 worldatlas.com. Once fertility has been built up, further crop production preserves the soil from destruction by wind and other forms of erosion.
The grains end up as level sheets of sand or are piled high in billowing sand dunes. They occur in Namibia, Chile, southern California and Baja California. [35] The sand eventually ends up deposited in level areas known as sand-fields or sand-seas, or piled up in dunes. Tropical Desert Climate Tropical Hot Desert. These are called "reg" in the western Sahara, "serir" in the eastern Sahara, "gibber plains" in Australia and "saï" in central Asia. [97] Some arthropods make use of the ephemeral pools that form after rain and complete their life cycle in a matter of days. Perhaps the most significant natural situation leading to desert formation is a by-product of the … Deserts that experience this climate are drier than those that lie within the hot desert climate. Let me show you some interesting Facts about Desert Climate in the following post below. There is no evidence that body temperature of mammals and birds is adaptive to the different climates, either of great heat or cold. In this now widely accepted system, extremely arid lands have at least twelve consecutive months without precipitation, arid lands have less than 250 mm (10 in) of annual precipitation, and semiarid lands have a mean annual precipitation of between 250 and 500 mm (10–20 in). The soil is deep and fertile, being part of the river's flood plains, and what would otherwise have been desert has been transformed into one of the most productive farming regions in California. On the flip side, the deserts located in the Central area are characterized by folded mountains, high landscape heterogeneity, as well as enclosed basins. Wells are dug to extract water from the porous sandstone that lies underneath.
Other water from the river is piped to urban communities but all this has been at the expense of the river, which below the extraction sites no longer has any above-ground flow during most of the year. [5] Deserts generally receive less than 250 mm (10 in) of precipitation each year.
Winter temperatures vary considerably between different deserts and are often related to the location of the desert on the continental landmass and the latitude.
Nights are generally colder than days and during the coldest months of the year, night-time temperatures may drop to freezing point. Cold deserts often have high concentrations of salt in the soil. [1], A "true desert" is one where plant cover is very sparse and rainfall is rare or infrequent. They are usually at high altitudes and can be drier than hot deserts.
180C is mostly used because it gives a more accurate insight into the temperatures of an arid region throughout the year. They are often preceded by severe dust storms and occur when the wind velocity increases to a point where it can lift heavier particles.
Cold desert climates are mainly found in temperate zones, usually on the leeward side of high mountains.
Rainfall is low, only about 4 inches (100 mm) in San Juan in the north and…. [30] Chemical weathering processes probably play a more important role in deserts than was previously thought. ", "Emperor Penguins: Uniquely Armed for Antarctica", "Invertebrates: A Vertebrate Looks at Arthropods", "Head of Kibbutz Movement: We will not be discriminated against by the government", "Trans-Saharan trade and the West African discovery of the Mediterranean", "First Measured Century: Interview:James Gregory", "Why is oil usually found in deserts and Arctic areas? Others store water in succulent leaves or stems or in fleshy tubers. They reduce visibility and can remain in the atmosphere for days on end, conveyed by the trade winds for distances of up to 6,000 km (3,700 mi). Large numbers of slaves were also taken northwards across the Sahara. Patagonia and northwestern Argentina constitute the largest of the interior arid regions. [112], The Judean Desert was farmed in the 7th century BC during the Iron Age to supply food for desert forts.
[75] Many desert animals (and plants) show especially clear evolutionary adaptations for water conservation or heat tolerance and so are often studied in comparative physiology, ecophysiology, and evolutionary physiology. [102], People have been living in deserts for millennia. The major site of evaporation is the respiratory exchange surface, which must be moist to allow the gaseous exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
[91] The water holding frog in Australia has a similar life cycle and may aestivate for as long as five years if no rain falls.
The necessary moisture may be present in the form of dew or mist. Where these lie close to the surface, wells can be dug and oases may form where plant and animal life can flourish. Desert nights are usually very cold.
This wide temperature variation can make a desert climate difficult to live in. [100], Traditional desert farming systems have long been established in North Africa, irrigation being the key to success in an area where water stress is a limiting factor to growth. Evidence suggests that the Atacama may not have had any significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971. Deserts of this type are often long and narrow and bounded to the east by mountain ranges. If you are interested to know the physical diversity and landscape of China, you have to check Facts about, Facts about Anticyclones talk about the opposite phenomenon of cyclone. The Causes And Effects Of Melting Glaciers, Countries Doing The Most To Combat Climate Change. The structure of the sheet consists of thin horizontal layers of coarse silt and very fine to medium grain sand, separated by layers of coarse sand and pea-gravel which are a single grain thick. The desert lark takes frequent dust baths which ensures that it matches its environment. They lie between 30 degrees south and 20 degrees north latitude. Some scientists do not consider these as true deserts. For perennial plants, reproduction is more likely to be successful if the seed germinates in a shaded position, but not so close to the parent plant as to be in competition with it.
Some, like the giant Saguaro cactus, store water. They are mostly in areas remote from the sea where most of the moisture has already precipitated from the prevailing winds. Let me show you Facts about Air Masses if you want to know more about one aspect of meteorology.
[47] Where sand does occur, it is usually in large quantities in the form of sand sheets or extensive areas of dunes. Other xerophytic plants have developed similar strategies by a process known as convergent evolution.
This wide temperature variation can make a desert climate difficult to live in.[3]. A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. Fragmented strata slide down into the valleys where they continue to break into pieces due to the relentless sun by day and chill by night.
Some mineral extraction also takes place in deserts, and the uninterrupted sunlight gives potential for the capture of large quantities of solar energy. Cold deserts can have hot summers as well, but the winters are usually very cold. Other areas can also have more than 250mm of precipitation but lose more water via evapotranspiration than falls as precipitation.
[38], During a sandstorm, the wind-blown sand particles become electrically charged. Location: Tropical hot desert lies between 20 o and 30 o latitudes especially, in the northern hemispheres. [120] Desertec Industrial Initiative was a consortium seeking $560 billion to invest in North African solar and wind installations over the next forty years to supply electricity to Europe via cable lines running under the Mediterranean Sea. [86] Carnivores can obtain much of their water needs from the body fluids of their prey. Do you enjoy reading facts about desert climate?
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