People enjoy rock climbing, dirt biking, and hiking in the desert. Fig. It is, thus, apparent that the ground surface is more or less always baked in the sun. The Desert Biome is an ecosystem that forms due to the low level of rainfall it receives each year. Water sources are rare, but the Sahara does have two rivers and twenty seasonal lakes. How can the impacts of climate change be managed? 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. Location: North Africa. Hot and cold deserts. Stop procrastinating with our smart planner features. For instance, in cold deserts, winters are cold, with snowfall, and high total rainfall, both in the winter and infrequently in the summer. the Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world encompassing 3.5 million square miles across 11 countries. It spans multiple Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. True or False: The majority of hot deserts are found south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Many people think it's also the biggest but in fact, it comes in third, after Antarctica and The Arctic. The land after desertification cannot support crop growth or livestock, therefore leading to food insecurity. Deserts cover approximately a fifth of the Earth's land surface and can be found on all continents. Which of the following statements about the Salton Sea is MOST accurate? Developed by Srishti IAS | All rights reserved. Experts have several ways of categorizing the different types of deserts, but most will agree on some version of the following four classifications: hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold. Though they still photosynthesize during the day, most cacti save their respiratory processes for nighttime, allowing them to use less water than they would normally have to. km). Fig. With an extreme climate hot deserts have very challenging environment for living beings. Some desert soils appear cracked, while others are little more than loose piles of endless grains of sand. True or False: Unlike most American deserts, the Colorado Desert does not have any cacti. How can we increase the amount of food produced globally? It is important to note that not all hot deserts are found around the equator. The name of the desert has come from the Tswana word Kgala, meaning "the great thirst". A desert, first and foremost, is an area with little rain or biodiversity. Economic activities in glaciated upland areas, Glaciation Photo gallery Goat Fell, Isle of Arran. What challenges have been caused by urban growth in Mumbai? You will hardly any kind of vegetation there. Deserts are often found towards the west of continents. Seven years of satellite temperature data show that the Lut Desert in Iran is the hottest spot on Earth. Earlier, we mentioned camels. Hot deserts typically experience which two seasons? h) Montane deserts. True or False: The Sahara Desert is located in North Africa. NASA has taken readings from these desserts showing the surface temperature gets as hot as 159.3F regularly, and it is at its hottest in the summer months. Farming, mineral extraction, energy, and tourism. Spanning parts of Mongolia and China, it measures 0.5 million square miles (1.3 million sq. The lack of vegetation. Chihuahuan Desert. How does food insecurity affect the environment? The interesting fact about it is that many shipwrecks can be found up to 50 meters inland ascribed to the movement of the desert. How can alternate livelihoods act as a solution to desertification? Two Earthquakes Compared Nepal and LAquila, Lombok Indonesia Earthquake 2018 Case Study, 2018 Sulawesi Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami Case Study. Temperatures there can reach 159 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) on average. It is the largest desert of the world. Weather conditions can be closely tied with health-related pains and outdoor activities. What are the air masses that affect the UK? Read about our five favourite deserts across the world. Temperate regions lie between the polar regions and the tropics. Also, the rate of evaporation typically overtakes precipitation. How does extreme climates in deserts impact development. Have all your study materials in one place. What is this effect called? km). Locust and dung beetles are native to this bleak region. 9 November 2009. They have two seasons: hot and hotter! 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. 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. What is the impact of humans on the temperate deciduous woodland? False! Climate change is only a natural cause of desertification. Climate change is both a natural and human cause of desertification. But the real challenge is the heat. False! These deserts are found in high, flat areas, called plateaus, or mountainous areas in temperate regions of the world. 4 - A caravan of dromedary camels in Egypt. Combined, these deserts are called the Great Australian Desert. How has demand for water in the UK changed? The Sahara desert covers around 31 percent of Africa and is filled with plants and wildlife accustomed to the dry desert climate. Succulents retain water. Sustainable development in the Temperate Deciduous Woodland. Typical daily highs in a hot desert reach around ______C. The largest hot desert in the world is the Sahara Desert in North Africa. In the U.S., temperatures in the Death Valley in Mojave Desert reached 134 degrees F in 1913, and in the Sahara, researchers recorded 136.4 F. The Mojave and Sonoran Deserts in the U.S. are some of the hottest deserts in the world. Your email address will not be published. Though they still photosynthesize during the day, most cacti save their respiratory processes for nighttime, allowing them to use less water than they would normally have to. km), the Great Basin is one of the big four deserts in North America. True or False: The Joshua Tree can be found extensively in all parts of the Colorado Desert. Despite the challenging conditions, hot desert biomes are home to a variety of unique and adapted plant and animal species. Hot desert vegetation includes cacti and other succulents, hardy shrubbery, trees, and flowering plants. That means that the desert only gets 10 percent of the rain that a rainforest gets! What factors influence the effects and response to tectonic activity? These deserts are not as harsh, hence, a variety of animals can live in coastal deserts than in arid and semi-arid deserts. 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. What term is used to describe the growing in size of the world's deserts? They occur within the Trade wind belt where the winds are off-shore. Picture a desert. But hot deserts are what come to mind when we think of desert ecosystems. Follow. Which is the driest place in the world answer choices Sahara Mojave Desert, USA Namib Desert Atacama Desert Question 13 30 seconds Q. Subtropical deserts - they are the hottest deserts with dry terrain and rapid evaporation rate. It is most known for its scorching hot climate and mountainous sand dunes that reach as high as 183 meters. However, the Antarctica, which is a polar desert, is the largest desert overall. Temperatures during the daytime can get as high as 55 C. At night, deserts cool down, sometimes even below 0 C. Deserts cover about 20% of the world's land. Although very different they do have common characteristics. It receives less precipitation than any other non-polar desert. The key to remembering the difference? It is most known for its scorching hot climate and mountainous sand dunes that reach as high as 183 meters. Whatever winds reach the deserts blow from cooler to warmer regions, and their relative humidity is lowered, making condensation almost impossible. Desert Biome. Which of the following BEST characterizes desert soils? In fact, an astonishing 98 percent is permanently covered by a sheet of ice. It is located in North Africa and crosses many countries including Egypt and Sudan. True or false? Spanning eleven countries, it covers nearly an entire third of Africa. Where Are Hot Deserts Located in the World? Therefore, we can see that cold ocean currents play a very important role in the formation of hot deserts along the western coast of the continents and in between 20-30 degrees latitude. Kalahari Desert - a desert covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa; Karoo Desert - a desert covering parts of southern South . This climate is found in: ADVERTISEMENTS: (1) Africa - the Namib and Kalahari deserts of coastal Angola and southwest Africa, interior Botswana and South Africa, and Sahara desert; Desertany large, extremely dry area of land with sparse vegetationis one of Earth's major types of ecosystems. Deserts are found in all continents of the world but the nature and size of these deserts vary greatly. During the summer, temperatures rise up to forty degrees Celsius. The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world. The 47,877-square-mile (124,000-square-kilometer) Mojave regularly breaks temperature records, partly because it sits below sea level and partly because it's so close to civilization and accessible to accurate thermometers, which need to be elevated and shielded from the sun in order to be verified. How does geology affect the formation of river landforms? For some plants in the desert, their strategy is just to wait for better conditions. 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. Probably the first one that springs to mind, the Sahara Desert is the world's hottest. Although the 40,441-square-mile (104,741-square-kilometer) Atacama Desert of Chile and Peru is a very hot desert with daytime temperatures hovering around 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in the hot season, some places in the world get hotter. Create beautiful notes faster than ever before. Where are polar and tundra environments located? They include the biggest Sahara Desert (3.5 million square miles), Great Australian Desert, Arabian Desert, Iranian Desert, Thar Desert, Kalahari and Namib Deserts. The Sahara Desert spans over 3,629,360 square miles across the continent and is the world's hottest desert. In conclusion, hot desert biomes are extreme and challenging environments that are characterized by low precipitation, high temperatures, and sparse vegetation. It is located in Southern Africa, covering most of Botswana, as well parts of Namibia, and South Africa. 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 9 Deadliest and Most Dangerous Deserts, record for the highest air temperature recorded on earth, The 4 Largest Deserts in North America are Stunning, The 9 Deadliest and Most Dangerous Deserts on Earth, The 9 Largest Animals That Live in Deserts, Discover the 8 Most Beautiful Deserts on Earth, The 8 Coldest Deserts On Earth Are Incredibly Frigid, 7 Hottest Deserts on Earth are Absurdly Warm. Cold deserts are found at higher. It creates less pressure and demand on land and resources. This interesting species of desert plant life is one that needs to be approached with caution, even if its innocuous facade seems appealing. They are mainly found around 30 to 50 degrees latitude, called the mid-latitudes. Take a look at the map below, which shows the global distribution of hot deserts. here are five of the hottest spots on the planet: The Lut Desert, or Dasht-e Lut, a 20,000-square-mile (51,800-square-kilometer) area of eastern Iran is often the hottest place on the planet in any given year. That distinction belongs to Death Valley, in California's Mojave Desert. Hot and dry deserts can be found in North America, Central America, South America, southern Asia, Africa, and Australia. As a subtropical desert, it is a barren landscape of rock and gravel. Many semiarid deserts get so little rain . Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. Desert soils tend to be very dry and lacking in nutrients. Dromedaries can also go up to 15 days without drinking water. km). Deserts cover about 20% of the Earth. WORLD PRIVATE SECURITY . Special appendages, such as long ears, help to dissipate heat. Temperatures of this desert remain high around the year, as lots of the desert is at low elevation. Extreme climate, accessibility, and water supply. How has the vegetation in the temperate deciduous forest adapted to the climate? In my spare time, you can find me getting out into nature. True or False: The Colorado Desert is technically classified as a cold desert because it snows so often. Deserts are landscapes that receive little precipitation and, often, are barren. Due to intense heat, rain is known to evaporate in hot and dry deserts before it can even reach the ground. Deserts make up around 33% of the earths land and are the home of many different plant and animal species. 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! This desert plant has narrow purple flowers with lavender rays surrounding a yellow disk-like center, which grows up to 2 inches in diameter. How do changes affect the balance of an ecosystem? Name the methods of prevention to desertification. ZIMSEC O Level Geography Notes: Location of Hot Deserts. Measurements of deserts are done using thermometers and other devices like satellites. The two biggest factors in the formation of hot deserts are location and weather. Fig. The formation of the Sahara Desert in North Africa has been linked to weather and wind patterns caused by the Intertropical Convergence Zone, where southeast and northeast easterlies meet. Remember that moist, hot air always rises from the equator. Since deserts are associated with difficult living conditions, they are often some of the world's most sparsely populated regions. The reason behind cold temperature is its location along the coast of Benguela current. How to reach this desert: They are all able to inhibit plant and animal life that are able to survive there. What is the impact of humans on the desert? At 0.19 million square miles (0.49 million sq. The Sahara or 'the Greatest Desert' is the largest hot desert in the world. While this is certainly the case for some regions, all do not fit this description. They cover nearly a third of the earth's surface and may be found in 60 countries. Being one of the earths hottest deserts, temperatures stay high year-round. Out of the 8 coldest deserts, 2 are polar deserts and some of the coldest places in the world. As the air continues to move away from the equator most of its moisture has already been dropped, and there is virtually nothing left by the time it reaches the . Human-made climate change is having a severe impact on our global deserts. How have animals adapted to the rainforest environment? Animals species found in the desert are jackrabbits, kangaroo rats, grasshoppers, pocket mice, and antelope ground squirrel. The Gobi Desert is the fifth largest desert in the world. Africa. Most, but not all, hot deserts are found around the equator between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. What are the causes of deforestation in the Amazon? The subtropical Sahara, the world's biggest hot desert biome, covers 3. Deforestation leads to soil becoming more vulnerable to soil erosion, which leads to desertification. It measures roughly 0.26 million square miles (0.67 million sq. If you've found the resources on this page useful please consider making a secure donation via PayPal to support the development of the site. Next: Why are deserts located along the tropics? For cold deserts see The Ice Cap Biome. A hot desert is a part of the world that has high average temperatures and very low precipitation. 1: BW climate (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BW_climate.png) by Maulucioni (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Maulucioni), Licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en), Fig. Deserts are one of the many habitats on earth. These areas are about halfway between the equator and the north and south poles. Many people assume that deserts cannot support any form of life, but they actually harbor about 4,000 different plants and animal species. Many of the species survive by desiccating but not dying out completely when no rain falls; others produce hardy spores that can remain dormant for years. Lizard After Emerging from Burrow The Great Basin spadefoot toad has adapted to deal with limited water and heat by burrowing into the ground and staying there until it rains. Some of the most common adaptations include storing water in the leaves or stems, having few leaves or waxy coverings on the leaves to reduce water loss, and having long tap roots that can penetrate the deep water table. Around 900 plant species can be found in the Arabian desert, 102 mammals, and 310 different bird species. The coldest deserts of all remain freezing year-round and are inhabitable by . It is also considered a desert due to the lack of precipitation; the frigid air is too cold to hold moisture. Animals like the Gila monster, giant desert hairy scorpion, burrowing owls, jackrabbits, and much more life in the Mojave desert. What is chemical and mechanical weathering? Foxes are able to live here because of their burrowing and nocturnal habits. It covers an area 5.5 million square miles and has average temperatures of -128 degrees Fahrenheit. Why is the Human Development Index important? What is the impact of humans on the Taiga? Most of these deserts are located on the western sides of the continental masses on which they lie. 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. Approximately 33 percent of the Earths land is covered by desert. The rain shadow effect likely played a big role in the formation of the Colorado Desert, which is shielded from the Pacific Ocean by the Peninsular mountain ranges. How has hot desert vegetation adapted to the climate? Strategies used to reduce the risk of desertification - water and soil management, tree planting and use of appropriate technology. Sand dunes, dry valleys, and salt flats are some of the areas landscapes. False! They are also known as polar deserts. Latitude is not the only factor that determines climate. 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