The word "desert" alone evokes the appropriate associations for us. This space, which is almost completely devoid of flora, has a very specific fauna, and is also located in a zone of very strong winds and monsoons. The desert zone is about 20% of the entire land mass of our planet. And among them are distinguished not only sandy, but also snowy, tropical and many others. Well, let's get to know this natural landscape more closely.
What is a desert
This term corresponds to flat terrain, the type of which is homogeneous. The flora here is almost completely absent, and the fauna has a very specific characteristic. The relief zone of the desert is a vast territory, most of which is located in the tropical and subtropical zones of the Northern Hemisphere. The desert landscape also occupies a small part of South America and most of Australia. Among its features, in addition to plains and plateaus, are also the arteries of dry rivers, or closed reservoirs, where lakes could previously have been. Also, the desert zone is a place where there is very little rainfall. On average, this is up to 200 mm per year, and in particulardry and hot regions - up to 50 mm. There are also desert regions where precipitation does not fall for ten years.
Animals and plants
The desert natural zone is characterized by completely sparse vegetation. Sometimes the distances that lie between the bushes reach kilometers in length. The main representatives of the flora in such a natural zone are thorny plants, only a few of which have the usual green foliage for us. Animals that live on such lands are the simplest mammals or reptiles and reptiles that accidentally wandered here. If we are talking about an icy desert, then only animals live here that tolerate low temperatures well.
Climatic indicators
To begin with, we note that in terms of its geological structure, the desert zone is no different, say, from the flat terrain in Europe or Russia. And such severe weather conditions that can be traced here were formed due to the trade winds - winds that are characteristic of tropical latitudes. They literally disperse the clouds over the area, preventing them from irrigating the earth with precipitation. So, in the climatic sense, the desert zone is a region with very sharp temperature changes. During the day, due to the scorching sun, it can be as much as 50 degrees Celsius here, and at night the thermometer will drop to +5. In deserts that lie in more northern zones (temperate and arctic), daily temperature fluctuations have the same indicator - 30-40 degrees. Howeverhere during the day the air heats up to zero, and at night it cools down to -50.
Zone of semi-deserts and deserts: differences and similarities
In temperate and subtropical latitudes, any desert is always surrounded by a semi-desert. This is a natural area in which there are no forests, tall trees and coniferous plants. All that is available here is flat terrain or plateaus, which are covered with herbs and shrubs that are unpretentious to weather conditions. A characteristic feature of the semi-desert is not aridity, but, unlike the desert, increased evaporation. The amount of precipitation that falls on such a belt is sufficient for the full existence of any animals here. In the eastern hemisphere, semi-deserts are often referred to as steppes. These are vast flat areas where you can often find very beautiful plants and stunning landscapes. On the western continents, this area is called the savannah. Its climatic features are somewhat different from those of the steppe, strong winds always blow here, and there are much fewer plants.
The most famous hot deserts of the Earth
The zone of tropical deserts literally divides our planet into two parts - North and South. Most of them are in the Eastern Hemisphere, and there are very few of them in the West. Now we will consider the most famous and beautiful such zones of the Earth. Sahara is the largest desert on the planet, which occupies all of North Africa and many lands of the Middle East. It is divided by local residents into many "underdeserts", among whichWhite is popular. It is located in Egypt and is famous for its white sands and extensive limestone deposits. Along with it in this country there is also Black. Here the sands are mixed with a stone of a characteristic color. The widest red sandy expanses are the lot of Australia. Among them, the landscape called Simpson deserves respect, where you can find the highest dunes on the continent.
Arctic Desert
The natural zone, which is located in the northernmost latitudes of our planet, is called the Arctic desert. It includes all the islands that are located in the Arctic Ocean, the extreme coasts of Greenland, Russia and Alaska. Throughout the year, more than half of this natural area is covered with glaciers, so there are practically no plants here. Only in the area that comes to the surface in summer, lichens and mosses grow. Coastal algae can be found on the islands. Among the animals here there are the following individuals: the Arctic wolf, deer, arctic foxes, polar bears - the kings of this region. Near the waters of the ocean we see pinnipeds - seals, walruses, fur seals. Birds are the most common here, and perhaps the only source of noise in the Arctic desert.
Arctic climate
The ice zone of the desert is the place where the polar night and the polar day pass, which are comparable to the concepts of winter and summer. The cold season here lasts about 100 days, and sometimes more. The air temperature does not rise above 20 degrees, and in especially severesometimes it's -60. In summer, the sky is always covered with clouds, it rains with snow and there is constant evaporation, due to which the humidity of the air rises. The temperature in summer days is about 0. Like in the sandy deserts, winds constantly blow in the Arctic, which form storms and terrible snowstorms.
Conclusion
On our planet there are still a number of deserts that differ from sandy and snowy ones. These are s alt expanses, Akatama in Chile, where a bunch of flowers grow in an arid climate. Deserts can be found in the state of Nevada, USA, where they overlap with red canyons, forming unrealistically beautiful landscapes.
