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The Desert Biome |
Deserts are full of interesting questions. How can anything survive in a place with hardly any water? Why is it so dry to begin with? You can find at least one desert on every continent except Europe. Each desert is different in some way, but they all have one thing in common. In order for an area of land to be considered a desert, it must receive less than 10 inches of water a year. Clouds are scarce in deserts. Without clouds, there can't be rain, snow, or any other precipitation. Clouds also shade the land, so without them, the desert gets mighty hot as the Sun beats down during the day. At night, the desert can become very cold, because there isn't moisture in the air to hold onto the heat. The geology in deserts differs depending on the location. Some deserts have sand dunes - great waves of sand weathered from rock, that move over time as wind blows the sediment. Other deserts have no dunes but instead have unique rock formations carved by wind and streams that only flow when there is moisture. Many plants and animals survive in these vast, dry lands. Learn more about life in the desert by exploring the links below.
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Map of the Biomes of the World
Deserts are full of interesting questions. How can anything survive in a place with hardly any water? Why is it so dry to begin with? You can find at least one desert on every continent except Europe. Each desert is different in some way, but they all have one thing in common. In order for an area of land to be considered a desert, it must receive less than 10 inches of water a year. Clouds are scarce in deserts. Without clouds, there can't be rain, snow, or any other precipitation. Clouds also shade the land, so without them, the desert gets mighty hot as the Sun beats down during the day. At night, the desert can become very cold, because there isn't moisture in the air to hold onto the heat. The geology of each desert is unique. Some deserts have sand dunes - great waves of sand weathered from rock, that move over time as wind blows the sediment. Other deserts have no dunes but instead have unique rock formations carved by wind and streams that only flow at times when there is moisture. Many plants and animals survive in these vast, dry lands. Learn more about life in the desert by exploring the links below.
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Map of the Biomes of the World
Deserts are very hot and dry places. Deserts get very little rain each year. So how do plants and animals live here? This section on the desert ecosystem will explain how! Do you know what a desert looks like? It is made of sand and rocks. Sometimes the sand is red! There aren't a lot of clouds over deserts, so it gets really hot during the day and cold at night. Let's explore the desert ecosystem and find out more! Click on plants, insects and arachnids, reptiles, birds, mammals or a special page for camels to learn more!
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Map of the Biomes of the World
Last modified October 23, 2008 by Lisa Gardiner.
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). � The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe� is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer
