Tropical Deserts
camels are the most well known desert animal what are the sometimes called and why are they called that
ship of the desert because they can cross the desert better than any other animal
the two distinct deserts of hot desert
winter- 20 degrees to 30 degrees and summer- 35 degrees to 40 degrees
describe location of deserts around on the western edges of continents
· Some deserts are found on the western edges of continents. They are caused by cold ocean currents, which run along the coast. They cool the air and make it harder for the air to hold moisture. Most moisture falls as rain before it reaches the land, eg the Namib Desert in Africa.
describe location far from sea
· Some deserts form in areas that lie at great distances from the sea. The air here is much drier than on the coast.
Where are most deserts found?
Most deserts are found near the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn between 15- 30 degrees north or south of the equator.
rain shadow effect
Precipitation falls on the windward side of a mountain range, resulting in lush vegetation & a warm, moist climate on one side, but a desert area on the leeward side.
Examples of Tropical Deserts
Sahara- Africa Arabian- Saudi Arabia Kalahari-Africa
describe location of deserts in rain shadow
Some deserts form in the rain shadow of mountains, eg the Atacama Desert is located in the rain shadow of the Andes. Air is forced to rise over mountains, air cools and condensation occurs, rain falls over the mountains, dry air sinks down the other side of the mountain
What is the longest desert?
The longest desert is the Sahara Desert in Africa is spans the whole width of the continent.
What is a desert?
A desert is any large extremely, dry area of land with sparse vegetation. It is one of the earths major ecosystems and supports various distinctive species of plants and animals in the harsh environment.
describe air around the tropics of capricorn and cancer
Air around the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer is dry. This is a zone of high air pressure where the air sinks. Air at the equator rises and cools - condensation then forms rain. The air then moves north and south until it gets to about 30° north and south of the equator, where it sinks. This air is dry, and no condensation can form, so there is no rain. This is known as the Hadley Cell. It shows how air moves around the atmosphere near the equator and tropics.
What is desertification?
Desertification is the process by which fertile lands are forced to become deserts due to poor agricultural practices, drought and deforestation.
What is the hottest biome on Earth?
Deserts
what temps can it be in the day and night?
It can be over 100 degrees during the day and down to 32 degrees in the night
What is climate
climate is the weather patterns prevailing over an area for long period of time
Summer day temps in hot deserts
day can exceed 40 degrees night can drop below 0 degrees
what causes the dry conditions of deserts
it is due to the year round influence of subtropical high pressure continentally
describe rainfall in tropical desert
it is sporatic and in some years no measurable precipitaion falls. can have less than 250mm of rain a year