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Deserts
A dry, often sandy region of little rainfall, extreme temperatures, and sparse vegetation
5,820 Questions
Why do desert regions receive very little rainfall?
because deserts dont have rivers, lakes, and seas around it.
Correct answer:
Most deserts do have rivers, lakes and some have oceans nearby. Also, all deserts do receive some rainfall but it is usually less than 10 inches per year. What controls the rainfall are the prevailing winds and mountains. Most deserts lie in the rain shadow of major mountain ranges that prevent most atmospheric moisture from reaching them.
What are the cold deserts of India called?
In the lap of Himalayas lie the cold deserts of India. These are arid areas not affected by the Indian monsoons because they lie in the rain-shadow of the Himalayan mountain systems. They include Ladakh, Lahaul, Kinnaur, Spiti, Bharmour and some areas of northern Uttaranchal and Sikkim.
Indian cold arid areas have unique ecosystems. The flora and fauna is unique to the area. Major animal include yaks, dwarf cows, and goats.
There are several national parks and wildlife reservesaround the area. Oak, pine, deodar, birch and rhododendronare the important trees and bushes found there.
The culture of the people inhabiting them is diverse. They have their unique set of languages, attires, food and crafts. The economies of the cold deserts of India are supported mostly by tourism. They offer Buddhist monasteries and beautiful temples for those seeking spirituality in their travels.
These areas are also the ground of extreme debate-political as well as environmental. China and India are constantly in a debate as to who actually owns the upper northern part of Kashmir.
Recent environmental changes resulting from global warming and green house effect are wreaking havoc on the landscape of these areas. The glaciers are melting and the snow cover is fast depleting.
These areas are ideal for tourism. They offer scenic beauty that no other part of the world does. Treacherous mountains and rivers are conducive to extreme adventure sports like rafting, sky diving, and bungee jumping.
Himalayan handcrafts are great souvenirs and gifts. There are flights from all major Indian cities to the major cities. Railways and roads connect far-flung areas.
Yak (locally called Dzo) is a popular mean of transportation.
Military surveillance at some areas like Leh and Ladhak does not irk the tourist in any perceptible ways. However, be prepared to wait an extra hour at the airports for checking. Cold deserts of India are a tourist as well as geologist's delight
What kills most animals in deserts?
Which limiting factor would most likely have a negative impact on animals living in the desert?
Probably water
What sort of vegetation would you find in a desert?
Many life forms that are built to adapt to the harsh dry climates of the desert such as......
-cactus
-camels
-coyotes
-lizards
-snakes
-armadillos
-ferns
those are just a few, but there are much more
How do the people of Atacama desert harvest couds?
In some areas of the Atacama that receive dense fog from the Pacific Ocean, they have conducted experiments with equipment that can condense liquid water from fog with some success.
What are all the deserts in the western hemisphere?
North America
Great Basin Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
Sonoran Desert
Mojave Desert
Colorado Plateau Desert (includes the Painted Desert)
South America
Patagonian Desert
Atacama Desert
Sechura Desert
Many states out west have deserts, like: new Mexico, southern Utah, eastern California, Arizona, and maybe Texas. There are probably small deserts in other states too
What animals and plants live in deserts?
Armadillo lizard, Desert tortoise, camel, desert rat are the only animals that live in the desert.
cactus, Soaptree Yucca, Mojave Aster are the only plants to live in the desert
What large desert region is located in the western US?
Major U.S. deserts are found in the following states:
California
Nevada
Arizona
New Mexico
Texas
Utah
Colorado
All are in the southwest Unite States.
A cold desert is a desert that may have snow in the winter instead of just dropping a few degrees in temperature like it would in a Hot and Dry Desert. Examples: Antarctica, Great Basin Desert, Gobi Desert, Colorado Plateau Desert. Sometimes cool coastal deserts are also included in this classification - Atacama Desert, Namib Desert.
What are some desert animals name and what do they do?
· Addax Antelope - scientific name - Addax nasomaculatus
· American Golden Eagle - scientific name - Aquila Chrysaetos Canadensis
· Caracal - scientific name - Caracal Caracel
· Collared Lizard - scientific name - Crotaphytus Collaris
· Colorado Desert Sidewinder - scientific name - Crotalus Cerastes Laterorepens
· Desert Bighorn Sheep - scientific name - Ovis Canadensis Nelsoni
· Dingo - scientific name - Canis Dingo
· Elf Owl - scientific name - Micrathene Whitneyi
· Gila Monster - scientific name - Heloderma Suspectum
· Great Horned Owl - scientific name - Bubo Virginianus
· Greater Roadrunner - scientific name - Geococcyx Californianus
· Fennec Fox - scientific name - Vulpes zerda
· Kangarro Rat - scientific name - Genus Dipodomys
· Land Iguana - scientific name conolophus pallidus
· Meerkat - scientific name - Suricata Suricata
· Mexican Gray Wolf - scientific name - Canis Lupus Baileyi
· Mountain Lion - scientific name - Puma Concolor
· Ostrich - scientific name - Struthio Camelus
· Red Kangaroo - scientific name - Macropus Rufus
· Sahara Desert Ant - scientific name - Cataglyphis Bicolor
· Sidewinder - scientific name - Crotalus Cerastes
· Sonoran Desert Toad - scientific name - Bufo Alvarius
· Spotted Hyena - scientific name - Crocuta Crocuta
· Texas Horned Lizard - scientific name - Phrynosoma Cornutum
· Thorny Devil - scientific name - Moloch Horridus
· Western Diamondback Rattlesnake - scientific name - Crotalus Atrox
Can fossils of tropical plants be found in deserts?
It is possible and would indicate that at some time in the past the desert area was not a desert.
What temperature is it in the savanna desert in the summer?
114degrees
Clarification:
There is no such thing as a savanna desert. A savanna is a transition zone between a desert and another biome, such as a grassland or forest. It is arid but receives more precipitation than a desert.
What are the seasons in a dry desert?
Summer, fall, winter and spring all occur in the deserts of the world.
What do you call someone that studies the desert?
Eremology is defined as the systematic study of desert features and phenomena. Therefore, a person who studies the desert is an eremologist.
Where is desertification a particular problem?
There are many lists of the problems with desertification. If you want more you can find it in the Internet or Google.
• One quarter of the earth's surface is threatened by desertification -- an area of over
3.6 billion hectares.
• Since 1990, 6 million hectares of productive land are lost every year due to land
degradation.
• The world's drinking water supplies have fallen by almost two thirds since 1950.
• Every year, 12 million people die as a result of water shortages or contaminated
drinking water.
• Desertification threatens the livelihoods of one billion people and has already
made 135 million people homeless.
• Every year, desertification generates income losses totalling USD 42 billion.
• One of the basic premises of the UNCCD is that land degradation is both a cause
and a consequence of rural poverty. Therefore, desertification makes for poverty,
and poverty makes for further desertification
Where is the Moab Desert located?
There is no 'Moab Desert.' However, Moab, Utah, is located in the northern part of the Colorado Plateau Desert in eastern Utah.
How does the mesquite bush adapt to the desert?
It is adapted because it uses it's deep roots to find water.
How do desert plants adapt to the hot desert weather?
because then they would be thirsty for more water and since they wouldnt get it they wouldn't survive
Does the desert have a good plant life?
Yes, the desert supports a variety of plants that have adapted to an arid environment.
Why is desert sand hot during the day and cold at night?
Because there is very little shade, and the hot sun beats down on it all day. Dig a few inches down and you'll find it's much cooler. As hot air rises and cool air sinks.
How much of the Earth does the desert biome occupy?
Deserts, by definition, cover 14% of the earth's land area. Non-arable land, however, makes up a large percentage.
