Desert

1.0 Introduction

Desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation , less than enough to support growth of most plants .It is characterized by dry conditions and a wide temperature range . Other regions of the world have cold deserts, including areas of the Himalayas and other high altitude areas in other parts of the world . Polar deserts cover much of the ice free areas of the arctic and Antarctic . An alternative definition describes deserts as parts of earth that don't have a sufficient vegetation cover to support human population . Plants in this kind of biome have developed a series of adaptations to conserve water and deal with these temperature extremes . Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's surface and occur where rainfall is less than 50 cm/year . Desert have differen types like trade wind deserts , midlatitude deserts , rain shadow deserts , coastal deserts , monsoon desert , polar deserts , paleodeserts and extraterrestrial deserts .

2.0 Classification

Deserts are sometimes classified as "hot" and "cold" deserts . Cold deserts can be covered in snow or ice; frozen water unavailable to plant life. These are more commonly referred to as tundra if a short season of above-freezing temperatures is experienced, or as an ice cap if the temperature remains below freezing year-round, rendering the land almost completely lifeless . In some parts of the world, deserts are created by a rain shadow effect in which air masses lose much of their moisture as they move over a mountain range; other areas are arid by virtue of being very far from the nearest available sources of moisture . Deserts are also classified by their geographical location

and dominant weather pattern as trade wind, mid-latitude, rain shadow, coastal, monsoon, or polar deserts . Former desert areas presently in non-arid environments are paleodeserts . Many deserts are formed by rain shadows; mountains blocking the path of precipitation to the desert (on the lee side of the mountain) . Deserts are often composed of sand and rocky surfaces. Sand dunes called ergs and stony surfaces called hamada surfaces compose a minority of desert surfaces.

3.0 Organisms live in Desert ( Animals and Plants )

Desert plants have developed various ways to get as much water as possible and to reduce water loss . Many desert plants are succulents and they store water in their swollen stems or leaves . Examples of animals living in the desert are Sonoran Desert Toad , Arizona Bark Scorpion , Black Widow Spider , Cactus Wren , Great Roadrunner , Lappet Faced Vulture , Caracal , Black Tailed Jack Rabbit , Fennec Fox , Kangaroo Rat , Meerkat , Pronghorn , Spotted Hyena , Sidewinder Rattlesnake , Texas Banded Gecko , Texas Horned Lizard , Desert Lark , Fat Sand Rat and Camels . In plants , deserts have Barrel Cactus , Brittle Bush , Chainfruit Cholla , Creosote Bush , Crimson Hedgehog Cactus , Desert Ironwood , Joshua Tree , Jumping Cholla , Mojave Aster , Ocotillo , Palo Verde , Triangle Leaf Bursage and Saguaro Cactus .

4.0 Specific Examples of Desert

There are different deserts all over the world such as Mohave Desert in California , Temperate Desert in Northern Nevada , Sahara Desert in Africa , Great Victoria Desert in Australia , Simpson Desert in Australia , Sonoran Desert in Southwestern North America , Namib Desrt in Southern Africa , Rajasthan Desert of India , Thar Desert of Pakistan and Atacama Desert of coastal Peru .

5.0 Problems in Desert

Arid Environment
y

Lack of water prevents a desert from supporting much plant and animal life, although some species thrive in this environment.

Desertification
y

Desertification is the process in which once usable land becomes inhospitable and loses its ability to sustain life, essentially becoming unusable. Desertification is growing due to misuse of land resources, such as over-farming and over-grazing.

Human Activity
y

Though droughts trigger desertification, human activity is the largest cause, reports the United Nations. Over-cultivation, poorly drained irrigation systems, mismanagement of available water, digging for fossil fuels and introduction of invasive species are only some of the environmental problems in desert biomes created by humans.

Degradation
y

According to the Global Assessment of Human-Induced Soil Degradation, 20 percent of the world's deserts are affected by land degradation. The major causes of land degradation are overgrazing, wood collection, deforestation and non-sustainable agricultural practices.