Today. Climate change is both a natural and human cause of desertification. True or false? The gray fox has adapted a very unique skill to help increase its survival in an environment where food is scarce. It is the seventh largest desert in the world, clocking in at 0.25 million square miles (0.65 million sq. Extreme climate, accessibility, and water supply. The largest hot desert in the world, northern Africa's Sahara, reaches temperatures of up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) during the day. Pinterest. Characteristically, a desert is an area of the world that experiences very little precipitation, and, as a consequence, supports very little life relative to other areas. km). The relative humidity is extremely low, decreasing from 60 percent in coastal districts to less than 30 percent in the desert interiors. This includes many different types of rodents, like kangaroo mice, cactus mice, and hamsters, as well as larger animals like owls, foxes, bobcats, and coyotes. It is considered a desert because it rains on average only 10 mm every year. Many desert organisms live in deep, cool burrows underground. Without them, people would have great difficulty crossing the hot terrain. The site is self-funded and your support is really appreciated. Deserts are located in areas of. False. How does desertification lead to food insecurity? Due to its unique location between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes, the Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth. They occur within the Trade wind belt where the winds are off-shore. Deserts are one of the many habitats on earth. They are all able to inhibit plant and animal life that are able to survive there. 2 likes 3,296 views. 103,500 km. False! What are the economic and environmental issues of energy production? Shivansh Khurana. All cacti are succulents, a group of plants that are characterized by their thick leaves and stems. , for example parts of the Arctic and the Antarctic. Why is the Human Development Index important? This is because, with little vegetation around, there's nothing to retain any heat. Some desert soils appear cracked, while others are little more than loose piles of endless grains of sand. Namib Desert. How has rainforest vegetation adapted to the climate? The site is self-funded and your support is really appreciated. Because of its heat, no one can survive in the heart of this desert. latitudes. Latitude is not the only factor that determines climate. Its large ears help it to keep cool. However, no hot desert is drier than the Atacama, which averages only about half an inch (1.5 centimeters) of rain per year, and some years are entirely rainless. 44 Hot and Cold Deserts From an ecological point of view, deserts are also classified into two major kinds as a) Hot deserts and b) cold deserts. These locales are portrayed by, for the most part, warm to extremely hot temperatures with cooler winters. Why is there opportunity for mineral extraction in the desert? Hot deserts generally have two seasons: winter and summer. The hottest temperature ever recorded was a scorching 134.1 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius) on July 10, 1913 at Furnace Creek Ranch located in Death Valley, California. In fact, the most important characteristic of a desert is that it receives very little rainfall. The Syrianalso known as the Syrian or Jordanian Steppeis the tenth largest desert in the world, measuring approximately 0.19 million square miles (0.49 million sq. Deserts make up around 33% of the earths land and are the home of many different plant and animal species. Follow. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is held in which Colorado Desert city? Saudi Arabia is where most of the desert lies, and parts of it also extend into Yemen, Jordan, and Abu Dhabi. Reptiles and insects are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, meaning they cannot regulate their own body heat and are dependent upon sunlight to warm them up. Fig. Developed by Srishti IAS | All rights reserved. The major hot deserts of the world are located on the western coasts of continents between latitudes 15 and 30N and S. The biggest desert, Sahara Desert (3.5 million square miles) is also one of the hot deserts. Stop procrastinating with our smart planner features. 1. What is the location and importance of Mumbai? But some of major deserts of world are always cold, like the Gobi desert in Asia and the desert of Antarctica. But that's only ten inches or less of rain per year. It receives less precipitation than any other non-polar desert. The vast majority of cacti are endemic to the Americas. Most of these deserts are located on the western sides of the continental masses on which they lie. The Arabian Desert has its highest temperatures around August. What are shanty town improvement schemes? Measuring 5.5 million square miles (14.2 million sq. The Sahara desert is the worlds largest hot desert and covers most of Africas North half. Because of the lack of moisture in the air, heat quickly dissipates as the sun sets. Explore. That doesn't mean some of the hottest deserts in the world can't also reach record low temperatures. Namib Desert. Covering a combined total of about one-fifth to one-third of the land surface of the Earth, deserts are landscapes or regions that receive little precipitation, with a relatively high level of evaporation, creating a deficit. Name the four main development opportunities in a desert. The Desert Biome is an ecosystem that forms due to the low level of rainfall it receives each year. The world's hot deserts are located between 15 and 30 north or south of the equator, where the air is subsiding or sinking air ( find out why deserts are found along the tropics here ). Out of the 8 coldest deserts, 2 are polar deserts and some of the coldest places in the world. The Antarctic is classified as a polar desert. Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates. But the real challenge is the heat. Temperate regions lie between the polar regions and the tropics. Hot deserts in the Americas include the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Mojave Desert in the United States, the Sonoran Desert (which straddles the US-Mexico border), and the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico. Sustainable development in the desert The Great Green Wall. It is 47,877 square miles large and has various habitats like salt marshes, pal oases, scrubs, riparian, cactus yucca scrub, and Joshua tree woodlands. One of the most striking features of hot desert biomes is their extreme temperature fluctuations. This air is later warmed by contact with the hot land, and little rainfalls. What are the causes of deforestation in the Amazon? Suppose a high mountain range is preventing rain clouds from reaching a dry area. Spread over a vast region of Northern Africa, the Sahara desert is the largest hot desert in the world, being almost as large as the United States. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It is most known for its scorching hot climate and mountainous sand dunes that reach as high as 183 meters. the Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world encompassing 3.5 million square miles across 11 countries. The Kalahari is a subtropical desert located in southern Africa. Despite these harsh conditions, it is home to numerous desert animals, including camels, lizards, and scorpions. Sahara Desert; Area (km): 9,200,000. Castleton A tourist honey pot in The Peak District, Case Study Inner City Redevelopment Londons Docklands. The area is also rich in fossils, including dinosaur eggs, and animals like Bactrian camels, Siberian ibex, and Gobi brown bears. The Sonoran desert is 86,100 square miles large and one of North Americas most diverse deserts. Locust and dung beetles are native to this bleak region. 2: Rain Shadow (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rain_Shadow.tif) by Wade Greenberg-Brand/Paleontological Research Institution, Licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en). 3. km), it is the largest desert in the world. Tree roots help to hold soil together and prevent soil erosion. A hot desert is a hot and dry area with very little precipitation and low biodiversity. Main Body- Explain: Why major hot deserts are located between 20-30 degrees latitudes and the western side of the continents? Desert soils are very dry and may enable flash floods. A hot desert biome is a terrestrial ecosystem characterized by extremely low precipitation, high temperatures, and sparse vegetation. Despite its name, it covers more of Jordan than Syria. The key to remembering the difference? Popular Locations. It measures roughly 0.26 million square miles (0.67 million sq. The Sahara is the largest of the world's hot deserts it covers 3,600,000 square miles (9,200,000 square kilometers) of Northern Africa! Picture a desert. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. What are the environmental impacts of economic development in Nigeria? How does food insecurity affect the environment? You will hardly any kind of vegetation there. Rainwater is directed to the tree's base by funnel-like leaves, where it is absorbed by shallow roots. Rainfall in the desert is very low. Desert Biome Plants Desert plants must obtain moisture and store it for times when no rain falls. The dromedary camel (which has one hump) is endemic to the Sahara Desert and the Arabian Desert. Located in Argentina, the Patagonian Desertalso known as the Patagonian Steppeis the sixth largest desert in the world. The Thar desert is located west of the Aravalli mountain in Rajasthan, and sandy hills make up most of the Thar Desert. It is common knowledge that the melting ice caps are shrinking the polar deserts, but global warming is also leading to higher rates of desertificationthe process where fertile land becomes dry and arid. Hot deserts are not only blisteringly hot, they're dry and sunny. The Great Victoria is a subtropical desert located in Australia. Wild animals such as meerkat, hyena, kudu, and wildebeest call this region home. The Sahara desert is the world's largest hot desert. It is also considered a desert due to the lack of precipitation; the frigid air is too cold to hold moisture. . The Atacama Desert is located on the Pacific Coast of South America, and covers southern Peru and northern Chile. However, the Antarctica, which is a polar desert, is the largest desert overall. Subtropical deserts - they are the hottest deserts with dry terrain and rapid evaporation rate. In August 2020, Death Valley in the Mojave Desert in Southern California clocked the highest verified temperature by thermometer on land ever recorded: 130 degrees Fahrenheit. The extent and cause of the aridity varies, and this means that no single definition fully describes the conditions in all deserts. True or False: The Colorado Desert is technically classified as a cold desert because it snows so often. Weathering and mass movement in river valleys. For example, a high mountain range may cut off an area from local rain patterns in a phenomenon known as the rain shadow effect. The Arctic Desert looks a lot like normal elements as the Antarctic Desert; notwithstanding, it has a somewhat higher precipitation speed of 50cm every year - approximately a similar sum as the Sahara. Nov 13, 2013 - Map showing the main desert areas of the world. However, since animals are able to move around and make decisions as well, many of them rely on behavioral adaptations too. Soils in hot deserts are dry and lacking in nutrients. Sign up to highlight and take notes. Landforms in the middle course of a river. g) Extra-terrestrial deserts- deserts of other planets, Eg. There is also the more general process of desertification: natural disasters and/or human activity can wear out soil, eventually making it desert-like. The Thar Desert is one of the hottest deserts in the world but is home to hundreds of different animals that can tolerate the heat. The weather there is characterized by extreme heat and cold. Origin Cold deserts are found in the Antarctic, Greenland, Iran, Turkestan, Northern and Western China. Deserts cover about 20% of the Earth. Foxes, cats, rabbits, spiders, snakes, scorpions, birds, and other animals live in the Lut Desert. What is the role of transnational companies in Nigeria? These deserts are found in North America, Greenland, Europe, and Asia. Take a look at the map below, which shows the global distribution of hot deserts. The River Tees landforms of erosion and deposition, Case Study Ganges/Brahmaputra River Basin, Geological time is on a different time to human time, Different rocks create contrasting landforms and landscapes. Temperatures are slightly cooler in the winter. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Storing water in wet seasons and drip irrigation. Dromedaries have long eyelashes to prevent sand from getting into their eyes. Sustainable development in the Temperate Deciduous Woodland. You've heard of this one. It is most known for its scorching hot climate and mountainous sand dunes that reach as high as 183 meters. Subtropical desert locales are in charge of a huge segment of arrive on this planet. Unlike most global deserts, the Antarctic covers the entire continent. What challenges have been caused by urban growth in Mumbai? 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