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).
Why the Atacama Desert is dry?
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.
Why is the Atacama Desert so cool?
1. The Atacama Desert sits between the Andes and Chilean Coast Range at such a height that prevents moisture reaching it from the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. It receives less than 1mm of rainfall per year and some parts of the desert have no recorded rainfall at all. ... The desert is also famous for mining copper .
Is the Atacama Desert tropical?
An interesting variant of tropical and subtropical deserts are the so-called West Coast Desert areas found on the western coastal margins of the regions discussed above (such as in the Sonoran Desert of North America, the Peru and Atacama deserts of South America, and the Sahara [Moroccan part] and Namib deserts of ...
How hot is the Atacama Desert?
In fact, the Atacama Desert’s high altitude means that it’s relatively cool compared to many deserts. During the southern winter months of June to August, temperatures reach highs of around 22°C (72°F) during the day and can reach as low as -2°C (28°F) at night.
What is hottest desert in the world?
Seven years of satellite temperature data show that the Lut Desert in Iran is the hottest spot on Earth. The Lut Desert was hottest during 5 of the 7 years, and had the highest temperature overall: 70.7°C (159.3°F) in 2005.
Is there any life in the Atacama Desert?
The climate of the Atacama Desert limits the number of animals living permanently in this extreme ecosystem. Some parts of the desert are so arid, no plant or animal life can survive . ... Red scorpions also live in the desert.
Is Atacama Desert worth visiting?
Atacama Desert is definitely worth visiting , considering the fact you can enjoy both stunning landscapes in Valley de la Luna and see rare animal species like vicuñas, and flamingos. Spending one week in San Pedro de Atacama during January is the best plan to visit Atacama Desert.
What is so special about the Atacama Desert?
The Atacama is the oldest desert on Earth and has experienced semiarid conditions for roughly the past 150 million years, according to a paper in the November 2018 issue of Nature. ... The average temperature in the desert is about 63 degrees F (18 degrees C).
What is the coldest desert?
The largest desert on Earth is Antarctica , which covers 14.2 million square kilometers (5.5 million square miles). It is also the coldest desert on Earth, even colder than the planet’s other polar desert, the Arctic. Composed of mostly ice flats, Antarctica has reached temperatures as low as -89°C (-128.2°F).
Which country has no rain?
World: Longest Recorded Dry Period
The world’s lowest average yearly precipitation in 0.03′′ (0.08 cm) during a 59-year period at Arica Chile . Lane notes that no rainfall has ever been recorded at Calama in the Atacama Desert, Chile.
Which is the driest desert on Earth?
The driest place on earth officially is in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile and southern Peru, in western South America (Figure SM4. 3). There are locations in the Atacama that have not received measurable rainfall in decades. This map features January precipitation.
What is the driest country in the world?
Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent in the world. About 35 per cent of the continent receives so little rain, it is effectively desert. In total, 70 per cent of the mainland receives less than 500 millimetres of rain annually, which classes it as arid, or semi-arid.
Is there water in the Atacama Desert?
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.
What happened in the Atacama Desert in Chile in 1971?
Flooding hits Chile’s Atacama desert. The worst flooding in over a decade. Hundreds forced from their homes. Hundreds of people have been forced from their homes after four days of heavy rain brought flooding to Chile’s Atacama Desert.
When was the last time it rained in the Atacama Desert?
Published: Tuesday 12 March 2019 . Last week, it rained so much in Atacama Desert — the driest place on the planet — that a waterfall that remained dry for 10 years has come to life.
