Most of the world's hot deserts lie between 20° and 35° north and south of the equator . The main temperate deserts are found in the middle latitudes.
Where are hot deserts distributed?
Most hot deserts are found near the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, between 15-30° north and south of the Equator . The largest hot desert is the Sahara in Africa which spans the whole width of the continent. Hot deserts have an extreme climate and challenging environment.
How are deserts distributed on Earth?
Most deserts are distributed around the globe based on the global circulation patterns and are located along a belt centered on the 30° North and 30° South latitude lines. Other geological settings that can cause desert formation are extreme distance from oceans and cold ocean currents.
What is the geographic distribution of the desert?
Most of the world's deserts are located near 30 degrees north latitude and 30 degrees south latitude , where the heated equatorial air begins to descend. The descending air is dense and begins to warm again, evaporating large amounts of water from the land surface. The resulting climate is very dry.
Where are most deserts located?
Deserts cover around 20% of the Earth and are on every continent. They are mainly found around 30 to 50 degrees latitude , called the mid-latitudes. These areas are about halfway between the equator and the north and south poles. Remember that moist, hot air always rises from the equator.
Why there is no desert in Equator?
(Deserts do not occur near the Equator, tropics occur there). Higher in the atmosphere, the now cold, dry air rises and moves away from the equator. At about 30 degree latitudes in both hemispheres (north and south), the air descends. ... As it warms, the air expands, condensation and precipitation are infrequent.
Which is the biggest desert in the world?
| Desert (Type) Surface area in million square miles | Antarctic (polar) 5.5 | Arctic (polar) 5.4 |
|---|
What are the 4 types of deserts?
The four main types of desert include hot and dry deserts, semi-arid deserts, coastal deserts, and cold deserts .
What causes deserts to form?
Deserts are formed by weathering processes as large variations in temperature between day and night put strains on the rocks, which consequently break in pieces. ... Rocks are smoothed down, and the wind sorts sand into uniform deposits. The grains end up as level sheets of sand or are piled high in billowing sand dunes.
Does desert have two S's?
Desert, spelled with one S, refers to a dry region. Dessert, spelled with two S's, refers to a sweet dish eaten after a meal . Sometimes, though, desert is an entirely different word referring to what you deserve, especially in the phrase just deserts.
What is an example of geographic distribution?
Geographical distribution is the natural arrangement of animals and plants in particular regions . For example. wild potatoes are found in significant numbers along the west coast of South America and Central America. ... In other instances animals from the same species, get seperated, and therfore grow in different places.
What kinds of animals live in the desert?
- Desert fox, Chile. Now for the cool animals; the Addax antelope found in the Sahara Desert is one of the most beautiful antelopes in the world. ...
- Addax antelope. ...
- Deathstalker scorpion. ...
- Camel. ...
- Armadillo lizard. ...
- Thorny Devil. ...
- Rock Hopper penguin.
Why do many deserts exist at 30 N and S latitude quizlet?
a) The temperature is much higher and evaporates the moisture. b) Having released all of its moisture at lower latitudes, dry air descends at 30 degrees N/S. ... c) Most mountain ranges are located at 30 degrees N/S latitude, which is where dry air masses descend creating deserts.
Where is the coldest desert in the world?
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).
What is the climate like in hot deserts?
Climate. The climate is very hot. ... The climate is very dry with less than 250 mm of rainfall a year . Hot deserts have two distinct seasons: summer, when the temperature ranges between 35-40°C, and winter, when the temperature ranges between 20-30°C.
Why are deserts so hot?
But what makes it so hot in a desert? Deserts occur where there is a lack of moisture and thus an abundance of sunlight . ... With no evaporative cooling and a relative lack of vegetation to use the sunlight, most all of the sunlight goes into warming the ground surface. This causes very hot afternoon temperatures.
