Desert
by Aleya and Erin
Hot and Dry Deserts
Some of these deserts are found in North America, Southern Asia, Africa, South and Central America. The four major North American deserts of this type are the Chihuahuan, Sonoran, Mojave and Great Basin. These deserts are found near the equator.
Climate
Seasons in these types of deserts are generally dry and hot. The heat peaks to extremes during the daytime because there are no clouds to shield the earth from the sun's rays. Many mean annual temperatures range from 20-25° C. The extreme maximum ranges from 43.5-49° C. Minimum temperatures sometimes drop to -18° C. Rainfall is very low, The average is 1.5 cm a year. Some years are even rainless.
Soil and Vegetation
Some of the vegetation that are in these deserts are Cacti, small bushes ,and short grasses. The soil is shallow, gravely, rocky, and course textured. The soil also has good drainage. Some of the trees have leaves that have evolved to retain water.
Animals
The types of animals that live in hot and dry deserts are small nocturnal (active at night) carnivores, kangaroo rats, insects, arachnids, reptiles and birds. Some the animals are burrowers and that helps them hide from predators. they have homes under ground to keep them cool from the hot temperatures.
Human Impact
People are able to grow crops. Because when the plants die they drop seeds into the sand and that helps the sand become fertile.
Interesting Information
Deserts cover one fifth of the Earth's surface.
Cold Deserts
Cold deserts are located in polar regions. The names of the cold deserts are, the Gobi, Takla Makan, Turkestan. These deserts are in Central America and in Western North America.
Climate
The temperature patterns are 20 degrees and 35 degrees both north and south latitudes. They have long winters between -2 to 4 degrees Celsius, it's very cold and dry. In the summer, the temperature is between 21 to 26 degrees Celsius, the summer is short. Cold deserts get less than 10 inches of precipitation per year. they 're high snowfall throughout winter and little precipitation.
Soil and Vegetation
The soil is heavy, silky, and salty . It has a mixture of stone, gravel, and clay creating rocky soil.
10% of the ground is covered with vegetation. The plants are widely scattered around the desert and most of the plants have spiny leaves. They're are mostly sage bushes and they can grow at a height between 15cm and 122cm.
Animals
Some of the animals that live in cold deserts are: The Jack Rabbit, Kangaroo Rats, Kangaroo mice, Pocket Mice, grasshopper Mice, Antelope, Deer, and Ground Squirrels. These animals have adapted to the environment by being burrowers. They have thick fur for the harsh winters.
Human Impacts
when humans come and visit the deserts the pollution that happens by them affect the cold deserts by making windblown dust.
Interesting Information
Most cold deserts are found on the peaks of high mountains.
The Desert Biome for Project