Desert

One of the most commonly referred and interesting Biomes in the world is the Desert. Located all throughout the world in arid regions, they cover over 18 million square kilometers. Deserts comprise of about 30% of Earth’s attainable land surface making it one of the largest accessible Biomes in the world. Most of the great deserts are centered on latitudes between 20 and 30 degrees North and South of the Equator, but also may be accessed where large mountain ranges produce intense rain shadows. One of the most commonly referred and greatest deserts is The Sahara located in North Africa stretching over an astounding 9 million square kilometers.

Some tropical portions of the desert biome can experience annual temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius which is very hot. The cold desert regions in North America, Central Asia, and South America can have an average temperature of 15 degrees Celsius with a difference of as much as 35 degrees Celsius between July and January. The deserts in high latitudes can experience freezing temperatures in the winter. Deserts are very unique severe moisture deficit which sets this apart from other biomes, and gives it its unique characteristic. The average annual precipitation in a desert biome is less than 50 cm per year but often less than 10 cm per year as you get further away from the equator. A unique statistic is that the Atacama Desert in Chile only averages only 0.4 cm of precipitation annually. In some parts of the world, specifically in Eastern Saharan Desert, it may experience no significant rainfall for 100 years making it harder for biotic and abiotic things to survive. Due to the ITCZ shifting to higher latitudes low latitudes generally receive their rain and also when Monsoon precipitation o...

... middle of paper ...

...East and Western U.S we always hear about these heavy Sandstorms which have huge impacts of ecological disturbances. In areas such as Arizona we can also see Summer Monsoons.

Some challenges and threats to desert biomes remain as global warming is continuing to increase, it increases the drought rates blocking up water holes. These warmer conditions can transition to an increased wildfire spread which we are always hearing about in the news destroying terrestrial life. With lack of vegetation you can find grazing animals destroying plant of animals in order to maintain balance and to ultimately survive. In Western United States we hear of nuclear bomb testing where waste is dumped in desert and testing grounds. Human impacts are so detrimental to this biome that improper irrigation makes these rare soils infertile. Overgrazing is also a human impact because of the