In What Respect Is The Atacama Desert Different From The Patagonian Desert?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Atacama desert is a hot desert which lies in the Western Coastal Region across the Tropic of capricorn in North Chile whereas Patagonian desert is a cold desert which lies

between 40°S and 50°S

in Argentina in eastern highlands.

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What kind of desert is the Patagonian Desert?

Patagonia Desert Patagonian Steppe Biome temperate grasslands,

savannas

, and shrublands

What is special about Atacama Desert?

The Atacama Desert is

the driest nonpolar desert in the world

, as well as the only true desert to receive less precipitation than the polar deserts and the largest fog desert in the world. Both regions have been used as experimentation sites on Earth for Mars expedition simulations.

Is the Atacama Desert Hot or cold?

Old, hot and dry

In other deserts around the world, like the Sahara, the mercury can soar above 130 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius). But temperatures in the

Atacama are comparatively mild throughout the year

. The average temperature in the desert is about 63 degrees F (18 degrees C).

What is a Atacama Desert?

Atacama Desert. / (Spanish ataˈkama) / noun.

a desert region along the W coast of South America

, mainly in N Chile: a major source of nitrates.

Where is the Atacama Desert?

Atacama Desert, Spanish Desierto de Atacama, cool, arid region in

northern Chile

, 600 to 700 miles (1,000 to 1,100 km) long from north to south. Its limits are not exactly determined, but it lies mainly between the south bend of the Loa River and the mountains separating the Salado-Copiapó drainage basins.

How was the Patagonian Desert formed?

The Patagonian Desert was formed

by a “rain shadow”

. This means that mountains prevented rain and other forms of moisture from getting to the desert. This makes the desert very dry and harsh. … The Patagonian Desert is a large, cold desert predominantly located in Argentina, with parts in Chile.

What are 3 interesting facts about the Atacama Desert?

  • 01The Atacama Desert is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 km strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains.
  • 02The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert in the world.
  • 03It is the only true desert to receive less precipitation than the polar deserts.

Why is Atacama Desert very thinly populated?

Explanation:

There is virtually no water in the Atacama so food cannot be grown there

. Drinking water must be piped in from elsewhere and food trucked in from other areas. There is very little employment available except for some mining operations.

Where is the Atacama Desert located in relation to the Andes Mountains?

The Atacama Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 km (990 mi) strip of land on

the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains

.

When did the Atacama Desert form?

Scientists and biologists were able to verify that, long before this,

3 million years ago

, the Atacama Desert was part of the ocean. It was later when it became a desert. This is due to the atmospheric phenomenon known as the Foehn effect.

When was the Atacama Desert discovered?

Figure 7 About a century ago while conducting research for his book Desert Trails of Atacama (1924), Isaiah Bowman discovered this

1835

map of Chile’s desert north by the Copiapó Mining Company, whose offices Charles Darwin visited when he traveled through the region.

What is the Atacama Desert climate?

The climate is

magnificent throughout the year

, with more than 90% of the days being radiant. In winter (June, July and August) the average daytime temperature is 22°C (72°F) and by night 4°C (39°F), descending to -2°C (28°F) in extreme cases; days are very pleasant, inviting you to lay in the sun’s corridors.

Why Atacama is the driest desert in the world?

Why is the Atacama Desert so dry? The Atacama Desert is located in a zone called the “shadow of rain”. … Basically,

there is an absence of rains and high evaporation

. These natural, complex, and dynamic factors make the Atacama Desert an incredibly dry place.

What is the meaning of Atacama?

Wiktionary. Atacamanoun.

The Atacama Desert, a long desert in Chile, and the driest desert on Earth

according to various sources. Atacamanoun. A region towards the north of Chile.

Where is the Atacama Desert located quizlet?

The Atacama Desert is a desert plateau in

South America

covering a 1000-km strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains.

Is the Atacama Desert on the equator?

Most deserts lie between 15° and 35° north and south of the equator. … They were created by air that rises over the equator and comes down over the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

Is there a desert in Patagonia?

The

Patagonian Desert

is a mix of desert and semidesert that covers the Patagonian tableland that extends from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean.

Where is the Atacama Desert located answers?

The correct answer is

Chile

. The Atacama Desert is located in northern Chile. It is a dry and arid region. It is considered to be the driest desert in the world.

What continent is the Patagonian Desert in?

Patagonia (Spanish pronunciation: [pataˈɣonja]) refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of

South America

, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains, lakes, fjords, and glaciers in the west and deserts, tablelands and steppes to the east.

Why is the Monte desert a desert?

The major river is the Río Colorado and its tributary the Río Desaguadero, which meet in the south of the region and provide its principal source of irrigation water for wine crops. …

These rain shadow effects

are the primary reason for the aridity of the region and the formation of the Monte and other nearby deserts.

What are two 2 facts about the Atacama Desert?

  • Driest Desert in the World – Studies conducted by NASA have concluded that this desert located in northern Chile is in fact the driest desert in the world. …
  • Rainless (or just about) – Average rainfall in this region is about 1 mm per year.

What causes fog in the Atacama Desert?

Deserts have little rain, but if they’re near the coast, they can have fog—which you may remember is just a cloud on the ground,

water vapor condensing

around particles in the air. In the Atacama, fogs often roll in from the Pacific, but the water droplets are too small to produce rain.

What animals live in the Atacama Desert?


Colonies of seals, penguins, terns, gulls, cormorants, boobies, pelicans, and oystercatchers

can all be found along the coast as well. Despite its barren and inhospitable nature, the Atacama is a uniquely beautiful and atmospheric place, well worth a visit if travelling to the region.

What plants grow in the Atacama Desert?


Salt bush, tufted grass, buckwheat bush, black bush, ‘tola’ shrubs, rice grass, ferns, little leaf horsebrush, black sage, and chrysothamnus

, are some varieties of plants that are found in this region. Most plants are small with little or no leaves.

Which country has no rain?

The driest place on Earth is in

Antarctica

in an area called the Dry Valleys, which have seen no rain for nearly 2 million years. There is absolutely no precipitation in this region and it makes up a 4800 square kilometer region of almost no water, ice or snow.

How hot does the Atacama get?

The temperature in the Atacama Desert can reach highs of

around 104°F (40°C) during the dayime

, whilst falling to temperatures of 41°F (5°C) or below at night. The Atacama Desert is 50 times drier than Death Valley.

How hot does it get in the Atacama?

Whilst during the summer months the average temperatures are

around 27°C (81°F) during the day and 16°C (61°F) at night

. That may put the Atacama way behind the Sahara Desert with summer highs of a positively roasting 50°C (122°F), but it’s certainly more enjoyable to hike in!

What is the humidity in the Atacama Desert?

The daily atmospheric relative humidity of the Atacama Desert ranges from

0% at noon to 100% at midnight in the hyperarid core area

, with a mean value of~30% [31, 37, 38]. Since warmer air has a higher capacity for moisture, the moisture content at 4°C is generally similar to that of the air above Atacama soils. …

Which Desert is rich in gold reserves?

Explanation:

The Atacama desert

is rich in metallic mineral resources such as copper, gold,etc.

What is the altitude of the Atacama Desert?

The Atacama Desert is a conflicted prospect—unflinchingly flat in parts, yet fringed by the last, westernmost outriders of the Andes; a 49,000-square-mile (78,850 square kilometer) pocket that sits at an elevation of

7,900 feet (2,408 meters)

yet manages to be one of the most persistently dry corners of the planet ( …

Why is the Atacama Desert Hot?

Though drier than all other deserts, the temperature in the Atacama Desert is

quite cool

, ranging from 0-25 degrees Celsius, thanks to its high altitude. The reason for the extremely arid weather is its location, in the rain shadow, smack between the Andes mountains and the Chilean Coast Range.

What is the history of the Atacama Desert?

History.

About 10,000 years ago

, the region which we now call the Atacama was more humid and less hostile to human life than it is now. It attracted nomadic groups who came to hunt and collect food. Fast forward 4,000 years, the land dried up, gradually transforming into the landscape as we know it today.

What is driest desert in the world?


The Atacama

is the driest place on earth, other than the poles. It receives less than 1 mm of precipitation each year, and some areas haven’t seen a drop of rain in more than 500 years.

Is there water in the Atacama Desert?

However, although the region has an abundance of minerals,

it lacks in available fresh water

. The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on earth and fresh water, which is critical to the mining process, is a vital resource to be used sparingly.

Why does the Atacama Desert receive almost no rainfall?

This dry air has almost no water vapor so it can be easily heated by the sun, causing high ground temperatures with very low humidity. Another reason that the Atacama doesn’t get enough rainfall is

because of a phenomenon called rainshadow

.

Which desert is the smallest desert in the world?

  • At only 600m wide, Canada’s Carcross Desert is said to be the world’s smallest desert (Credit: Mike MacEacheran)
  • The Carcross Desert is a rare habitat for plants and insect species that may be new to science (Credit: Mike MacEacheran)
Diane Mitchell
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Diane Mitchell
Diane Mitchell is an animal lover and trainer with over 15 years of experience working with a variety of animals, including dogs, cats, birds, and horses. She has worked with leading animal welfare organizations. Diane is passionate about promoting responsible pet ownership and educating pet owners on the best practices for training and caring for their furry friends.