Introduction to the deserts

In this brief introduction, we will discuss the location of deserts, some of their key physical characteristics, flora and fauna, the effect on climate and human use.

Key locations and types of deserts

A desert is a landscape or region receives an extremely small amount of rainfall less than sufficient to support plant growth. Deserts are defined as areas with rainfall annual average of less than 250 millimeters (10 inches) per year, or in areas where water is lost through evapotranspiration falls as precipitation. Deserts are part of a broad classification of areas on an annual average basis, has a moisture deficit (ie, potentially can lose more than what you get). Deserts are found where vegetation is sparse to almost nonexistent, and represent approximately one third (33%) of the surface of the earth. This brief introduction should focus in hot deserts. hot deserts usually have a wide range of diurnal and seasonal temperatures, with daytime temperatures and low nighttime temperatures (Due to very low humidity). In hot deserts daily temperature can reach 45 ° C / 113 or more during the summer and bath at 0 º C/32 º F or less in winter. dry desert air is unable to block the sunlight to heat-trapping day or overnight.

Thus, during the day most of the heat the sun reaches the ground, and when the sun sets the desert cools quickly by radiating its heat into space. Urban areas in deserts lack large (Over 14 ° C/25 ° F) daily temperature variations, in part due to the effect of urban heat island. Many deserts are formed by rain shadows, mountains blocking the way of precipitation in the desert (on the leeward side of the mountain). Deserts are often composed of sand and rock surfaces. The sand dunes called ergs and stone surfaces called hamada. Exposures of rocky terrain are typical, and reflect minimal soil development and sparse vegetation. Soil is rocky, due to low chemical weathering. The largest hot desert of the Sahara in North Africa, covering 9,000,000 square kilometers and 12 countries. Other major hot deserts are the Arabian desert, the Kalahari Desert Great Victoria Desert Great Basin and the Syrian desert. Deserts are also classified by their situation geographical and climatic changes prevailing trade winds for mid-latitude, rain shadow, coastal monsoon, or polar deserts. Former desert areas currently in non-arid areas are, for example paleodesert Nebraska Sand Hills. Montane deserts are arid places with a great height, the most notable example is north of the Himalayas, particularly in the region of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir regions in the Kunlun Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau.

Many web sites this category have elevations exceeding 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) and the thermal regime can hemiboreal. These places owe their profound aridity (precipitation annual average is often less than 40 mm or 1.5 inches) to be far from the nearest sources of moisture available. Montane deserts are normally cold. deserts rain shadow form when tall mountain ranges block clouds from reaching areas where the wind goes. As air moves mountains, it cools and moisture condenses, causing precipitation on the windward side. When the air reaches the leeward side, it is dry, as it has lost most of its moisture, which results in a desert. The air is heated, it expands, and blows over the desert. Hot, dry air carries the moisture in the desert. An example of a rain shadow desert Death Valley lies in the rain shadow of the mountains of the Pacific coast of California and the Sierra Nevada.

Main Features physical

Sand covers only about 20 percent of Earth's deserts. Most of the sand found in the leaves sand and sea of sand, large areas of undulating sand dunes. In general, there are six kinds of desert a mountain) and the desert basin 2) Hamada deserts, which consist of training of the plateau 3) standard, which consists of 4 blocks of rock) ergs which are formed by sand seas 5) basins of and 6) Badlands, which are in the margins arid lands covering nearly all surfaces are clay-rich desert plains where wind erosion removal of fine material by wind has exposed gravel mainly consists of loose stones, but with occasional stones. Other areas of arid lands are composed of exposed rock outcrops, desert soils, and fluvial deposits of alluvial fans, beaches, lakes, desert and oasis. The outcrops occur as small mountains surrounded by vast plains of erosion. Several types of dunes exist. Barchan dunes are produced by winds blowing over a flat, crescent-shaped. or longitudinal dunes Seif dunes That Are parallel to a strong wind blows in one general direction. transverse dunes run at right angles to the direction of the constant wind. Star dunes are star-shaped and has several edges that extend around a point. Oases are vegetated areas wet from springs or wells for irrigation. Many are artificial. Oases are often the only places in deserts that support crops and permanent habitation.

Flora and Fauna

Deserts have a reputation for support a little life, but in fact, deserts are often very biodiversity, including animals that remain hidden during the day to control body temperature or reduce water needs. Some for example, wildlife includes the Mojave Desert brush mice, cactus mice, gray fox, porcupine, kangaroo rat coyote, hare and several species of lizards. In the deserts of Australia, Bilbao, Perentie, thorny devil dragon, bearded, Red Kangaroo and Dingo as examples. These animals have adapted to live in deserts are called xerocoles. Many desert animals (and plants) are very clear evolutionary adaptations Conservation of water or heat tolerance, and therefore often studied in comparative physiology, evolutionary physiology and ecophysiology.

A well-studied example is the specialization of the kidneys of mammals show species living in deserts. Many examples of convergent evolution have been identified in organisms of the desert, cactus and even among Euphorbia, kangaroo rats and gerbils, lizards Phrynosoma and Moloch. Some flora includes shrubs, Prickly Pears, Desert Holly, and Brittlebush. Most desert plants as drought or salt-like xerophytic. Some store water in their leaves, roots and stems. Other desert plants have long taproots that penetrate groundwater if any, or have adapted to the climate by having wide circulation of the roots to absorb water from a larger area of land. Another adaptation is the development of small spiny leaves lost less moisture than deciduous higher surfaces.

The stems and leaves of some plants lower the surface speed of the winds carrying sand and soil protection against erosion. Even small fungi and plant organisms found on the surface of the soil (soil cryptobiotic called) can be a vital link in preventing erosion and the support of other living organisms. Deserts typically have a cover that is rare, but very varied. giant saguaro cactus of the desert Sonora provide nests for desert birds and serve as "trees" of the desert. Saguaro grow slowly but can live to 200 years. When nine years which are about 15 centimeters (6 inches) tall. After about 75 years, the cacti develop their first branches. At maturity, the saguaro cactus is 15 meters high and weigh 10 tons. That dot the Sonoran and reinforce the general impression of deserts as cactus-rich land. Although cacti are often considered the characteristics of desert plants, other plants are well adapted to arid environments. These include pea and sunflower families. Cold deserts have grasses and vegetation dominant shrub.

Biodiversity Case Study – The Atacama

Atacama is the driest place on Earth and is virtually sterile, because it is blocked from moisture on both sides of the Andes and coastal mountains of Chile. The cold Humboldt Current and the Pacific anticyclone is essential to maintain the dry climate of Atacama. The average rainfall in the Chilean region of Antofagasta is just 1 mm per year. Some weather stations in the desert Atacama have never received rain. The evidence suggests that the Atacama Desert have not been heavy rainfall from 1570 to 1971. It's so arid that mountains that reach up to 6.885 meters (22.590 feet) are completely free of glaciers in the south of 25 ° S and 27 ° S, may have been glacier-free throughout the Quaternary, if the permafrost extends to an altitude of 4400 meters and remains above 5600 meters.

Some places in the Atacama desert, receive a marine fog known locally as Camanchaca, hypolithic provide enough moisture to algae, lichens and cacti, even. But the region is in "the shadow of the mist" crest high coastline, the average height of 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Antofagasta, the soil of Mars was compared. Because a supernatural appearance, the Atacama Desert has been used as a filming location scenes Mars. The desert is also and especially so in 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace. In 2003, a team of researchers published a report in the journal Science entitled "Martian soil, as in the Atacama Desert of Chile and the dry limit of life Microbial "in which duplicated the tests used by the Viking 1 and Viking 2 on Mars to detect life, and were unable to detect any sign of Atacama Desert soil. The region may be unique on Earth in this regard and is used by NASA to test instruments for future missions to Mars. Let's look more closely at some of the biology in a given region of Atacama – Near Pan de Azucar National Park.

Pan de Azucar NP is divided into two ecosystems:. Taltal coastal desert and desert steppe Sierra Vicuña Mackenna More than 20 species of cactus in the region, mainly the genus Copiapoa the guanaco is the largest mammal found in the park. Other mammals include red fox, gray fox and the hare. The coastal area is home to marine mammals such as otters and South American lion ocean. Among the birds are the Humboldt penguin in Peru and Pelican. Also genera Tropidurus and Callopistes reptiles inhabit the park.

Applications human

Mineral Resources

Deserts may contain a large amount of mineral resources across its surface. This event also determines the color of minerals. For example, many red desert sand is the result of the accident laterite. . Some deposits are also formed, improved, or preserved by geological processes that occur in arid areas as a result climate. Groundwater seeps into the minerals and redeposited in areas near the water table. This leaching process concentrates these minerals as ore that can be exploited. Evaporation in the accumulation of minerals in arid lands enriched lakes. Lake beds known beaches name can be a source of mineral deposits formed by evaporation. Water evaporation in closed basins precipitates minerals such as gypsum, salts (including sodium nitrate and sodium chloride), and borates.

The minerals formed in these evaporite deposits depend composition and temperature of seawater at the time of presentation. important evaporite resources occur in the Great Basin Desert United States, deposits minerals made famous by "teams of 20 mules that once carried loads of borax from Death Valley to the railroad. Boron, borax and borate evaporites, is an essential ingredient in making glass, enamel, agricultural chemicals, water softeners, and pharmaceuticals. Borates are extracted evaporite deposits in Searles Lake, California and other desert areas. The total value of chemicals that have been produced from Searles Lake superior U.S. $ 1 billion The Atacama Desert in Chile is unique among the deserts of the world in its abundance of minerals. Sodium nitrate explosive is removed and fertilizer in the Atacama Desert, from the mid 19 th century. Nearly 3 million tons were mined during World War 1. See our group Chile Mining and Energy Mining www.chronosconsulting.com farm and our other articles about items in the base.

Valuable minerals located in arid lands include copper iron-United States, Chile, Peru, and Iran, and lead and zinc ore in Australia, and deposits of gold, silver and uranium Australia and the United States. Minerals and rocks non-metal such as beryllium, mica, lithium, clays, pumice and scoria also occur in arid regions. Sodium carbonate, sulfate, borate, nitrate, lithium, bromine, iodine, calcium, strontium and come from sediments and near surface brines formed by evaporation of inland water bodies, often geologically recent. The Green River Formation of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah contains alluvial fan deposits and beach evaporites created in a large lake whose level fluctuated million years. Economically significant deposits of trona, a major source of sodium compounds, and thick layers of oil shale were created in the arid environment.

Among the most productive oil fields on Earth are found in arid and semi-arid areas of Africa and the Middle East, although the oil fields originally formed in shallow marine environments. The recent climate change to these deposits in an arid environment. It is noteworthy that Ghawar, the largest site oil and most productive in the world, mainly in the neighborhood and Al Dahnadeserts theEmpty. For more information please check the oil tanks of oil www.chronosoil.com However, others are supposed to wind and are now in wet environments. The Rotliegend, a deposit of hydrocarbons in the North Sea is associated with extensive evaporite deposits. Several large oil and gas in the United States may come from eolian sands. Ancient alluvial fan sequences also may be reservoirs of hydrocarbons.

solar energy resources

Deserts are increasingly seen as sources of solar energy. The Negev Desert and the surrounding region, including the Arava Valley are the sunniest parts of Israel and part of this is arable land, which explains why became the center of Israeli solar industry. David Faiman, a world expert on solar energy, said energy needs of a country like Israel could achieved by building solar power plants in the Negev. Faiman also believes that technology now exists to provide all the electricity in the world need 10 percent of the Sahara. Solel has nine fields of solar collectors in the Mojave Desert in California who recently signed a contract to build the Mojave Solar Park will be the world largest manufacturer of solar production.

Human life in deserts

A desert is a hostile environment and potentially fatal to humans without preparation. In hot deserts, temperatures greater loss of water causes rapid due to sweating, and lack of water sources to fill with it can lead to dehydration and death within days. In addition, unprotected humans are also at risk of heatstroke. Humans also can accommodate dust storms in some deserts, not only in its adverse effects on the respiratory and eye but also in its potential harmful effects on equipment such as filters, vehicles and communications equipment. Sandstorms can last for hours, sometimes days. This fact survive in the wilderness more difficult for humans. Despite this, some crops are hot deserts of their home for thousands of years, including Bedouins, the Tuareg people.

Modern technology, including advanced irrigation systems, desalination and air conditioning made deserts much more hospitable. U.S. States and Israel, for example, agriculture in the desert, has found widespread use and places like Las Vegas has a lot of air conditioning. In the deserts cold, hypothermia and frostbite are the dangers in-chief, and dehydration in the absence of a heat source to melt the ice for consumption. Fall by ice or ice layers in ice water is a particular hazard requiring urgent action to prevent rapid hypothermia. Hunger is also a danger to low body temperature food requires much more energy to maintain body heat and movement. As in hot deserts, some people like the Inuit have adapted harsh conditions of cold deserts. Most of the traditional life of man in deserts is nomadic. Depends on water to find hot deserts, and after infrequent rains for pasture for livestock. In cold deserts, we must find a good hunting and fishing in the shelter of snow storms and extreme winter and store enough food for winter. Permanent settlements in the deserts need two types of permanent water sources and power supplies and adequate housing, or technology and energy supply. Many deserts are flat and lack background, reference points, or composed of repeating formations such as sand dunes or the scrambled icefield glaciers. Advanced skills or devices required to navigate through these landscapes and the inexperienced travelers miss, when reserves are exhausted after they have lost. In sand storms or snow storms can cause more serious disorientation in poor visibility.

The danger for wildlife in the desert was made in the accounts of explorers, but not cause a higher rate of death in other environments such as tropical forests or forests, and is not in itself affect distribution rights. Protection against polar bears could be desirable in some areas of the Arctic, as you can guard against the poisonous snakes and scorpions in selecting sites on which to camp in some hot deserts. However, it is difficult to overstate the importance of deserts in our cultural and historical context. Three of the world's largest religions, Christianity, Islam and Judaism have begun and are at the heart of the desert. The three monotheistic religions are and have today enormous geopolitical influence extends far beyond its region of origin, see the articles on Christianity here Articles on basic Biblon and www.biblon.com. Deserts are also now a major source of tourism and travel, for example, Joshua Tree, Death Valley National Park and vital to the film industry.

Deserts are also vital areas of scientific interest. – Specific examples include deep canyon on the western edge of the Desert Colorado is associated with the University of California at Riverside is located at the mouth of Boyd PL Canyon Desert Research Center. Get a variety of visiting researchers and students and, in addition to research, tackling issues of environmental conservation, as the fate of the fingers alligator belt. Another middle of the desert created a visionary biologist, training and research Gobabeb in Namibia is the driest on the coast of Namibia Namib-Naukluft Park Pilgrim. Since the program United Nations Environment concludes: "People have lived in the desert for thousands of years as hunter-gatherers, farmers and ranchers, and some people still do today. But others now live in neighborhoods located in deserts, or enjoy deserts temporarily for tourism or recreation. Other over the extraction of profits from mining and other nonrenewable resources. Desert environments are large and probably growing around the world and its future will be better support if it is based on a thorough knowledge of their structure and function, and the influence of human activities in the past, present and future. "

Dr Simon Harding

www.chronosconsulting.com

www.coberongreen.com

About the Author

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