Information on Desert Climates

Deserts represent one-fifth (20%) of the land surface of the world. The majority of deserts are in the Arabian Peninsula, Australia, The Americas, North and South Africa, India and Pakistan. The largest desert is the Sahara, in North Africa, and is about 3,500,000 square miles. Deserts are characterized by extreme heat and dryness, very hot in the daytime and chilly or even cold at night. The average temperature is 100 degrees during the day and below 50 degrees at night. The wettest desert does not get more than 10 inches of rain a year. A variety of plant and animal species live there, thanks to their power to adapt to the harsh environment. Animals like rattlesnakes and scorpions spend most of the day underground but come out at night to eat and hunt. Spade foot toads spend 9 months of the year underground. Deserts often get their names like "Death Valley" or "The place from where there is no return" because of their extreme conditions.

Climate of desert Desert climate An area that features this climate usually experiences less than 250 mm (10 inches) per year of precipitation and in some years may experience no precipitation at all. In some instances, an area may experience more than 250 mm of precipitation annually, but is considered a desert climate because the region loses more water via evapotranspiration than falls as precipitation (Tucson, Arizona and Alice Springs, Northern Territory are examples of this). To determine whether a location has an arid climate, the precipitation threshold must first be determined. Hot desert climates[edit] Regions with hot desert climates Hot desert climates are typically found under the subtropical ridge where there is largely unbroken sunshine for the whole year due to the stable descending air and high pressure. Hot desert climates feature hot, typically exceptionally hot, periods of the year. Examples[edit] Cold desert climates[edit] Regions with cold desert climates Mild desert climates[edit] References[edit]

climate Desert Desert Climate Animals Plants Health Concerns The desert is dry, barren, hot, and silent. Climate There are two main types of desert in the world-the hot desert and the semi-desert. Deserts are formed when something gets in the way of rain clouds. Mountains also play a roll in forming deserts. Animals When most people think of the desert, they think of camels, snakes and lizards as being the only animals that live in the desert. Here in the Oregon desert, you can find bobcats and chipmunks and woodchucks among the sycamores. Plants Plant life in the desert is scarce, but there are more plants living here than you would expect. Plants in the desert are forced to make many adaptions in order to survive in this dry, hot land. The Desert plants are of great importance to the animals of the desert. Health concerns There are many health concerns in the desert. Snake bites are another concern in the desert. Sunburn in the desert is prevented by putting on sunscreen. Biome Index

Deserts are very hot It gets cold at night in the desert. What is a Desert? - Education Videos Hi, I’m Emerald Robinson, and in this “What Is” video we’ll examine earth’s most barren biome: deserts. Most of us recognize that a desert is an area of land that is very dry. Many deserts receive less than ten inches of rain per year. The true definition of a desert, though, is a place where more water moves from the land to the atmosphere than falls to the ground as precipitation. Most deserts don’t have much humidity in the air to serve as insulation. All desert plants and animals have adaptations that help them survive these harsh conditions. Though we usually think of deserts as very hot, and dry, like Africa’s Sahara Desert, this connotation represents only one of the several types. Deserts can be semiarid, experiencing only slightly more rainfall than is lost by evaporation, like the sagebrush landscapes in Utah. Deserts can be cold, like the continent of Antarctica. Some deserts are even coastal!

Desert Climate Interesting facts