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1.) The high Andes Mountains to the east that block moisture from the Amazon Basin and Atlantic Ocean from reaching the Atacama.
2.) The coastal mountain ranges that prevent Pacific moisture from reaching the desert.
3.) The cold Humboldt Current in the Pacific brings cold water to the coastline that has little evaporation. The air above the current is cooled so that it holds very little moisture.
4.) A perpetual inversion layer hangs over the desert. The upper atmosphere is warmer than the surface air. This prevents convection that could form rain clouds.
5.) Even when there is evaporation from the Pacific, the prevailing winds are from the east and the moisture is blown in a westerly direction, away from the desert.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThe Humbolt Current- results in cold water at the surface causing a thermal inversion -cold air at sea level and stable warm air higher up producing fog and stratus clouds but no rain.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoThe Andes Mountains to the east prevent moisture from the Atlantic Ocean from reaching the area while the coastal mountains prevent Pacific moisture from entering from the west.
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Which desert is in a double rain shadow?
Atacama
Is the Peruvian coast very dry?
Due to the rain shadow caused by the Andes Mountains, the coast of Peru is mostly desert - the Atacama and Sechura.Due to the rain shadow caused by the Andes Mountains, the coast of Peru is mostly desert - the Atacama and Sechura.
What formed the Atacama Desert?
The Andes Mountains are primarily responsible for the Atacama Desert. The mountains form a barrier to moisture from the Atlantic Ocean from crossing, forming a rain shadow desert.
Why is the driest desert is located in northern Chile?
The driest desert is Antarctica with the Atacama a close second. The Atacama is a rain shadow desert. The Andes Mountains block moisture from the Amazon Basin and the Atlantic from crossing so no rain falls in the Atacama.
What town in South America has never had rain?
The town of Calma, Chile in the Atacama Desert has never had rain.
What is a desert which was blocked by mountains?
If you mean a desert that is formed in a rain shadow there are a number in the Western United States as well as the Atacama in South America.
How much rain does a rain shadow desert receive over 12 months?
A desert receives less than 10 inches of rain per year. Some deserts, such as the Atacama (a rain shadoe desert), receive virtually no rainfall.
What is the driest desert found west of these mountains along the Pacific coast?
By 'these mountains' I assume you are referring to the Andes Mountains of South America. The desert formed in the rain shadow of the Andes is the Atacama Desert.
Are deserts often located in rain shadows?
Yes, many deserts are located in rain shadows. The deserts of North America as well as the Atacama Desert of South America are rain shadow deserts.
Why is there a desert next to the Andes Mountains?
As the Andes Mountains were forced up by tectonic action, they created a high wall that blocked moisture from being brought into the area from the Atlantic Ocean and Amazon basin. This 'rain shadow' created the Atacama Desert, one of the driest areas on earth.
What is rare in the Atacama Desert?
Rain is very rare in the Atacama Desert. Some areas have not measured any rainfall in historic times.
How are the Amazon Rainforest and the Atacama Desert alike?
Both the Atacama and the Amazon owe their very existence to the Andes Mountains. The high Andes cause moisture from the Atlantic Ocean to condense and fall on the east side of the mountains, giving the Amazon basin copious amounts of rain. However, the mountains also prevent the moisture from reaching the western slopes, causing a rain shadow, preventing rain from falling there and creating the Atacama Desert.
