Table of Contents
Where is the tropical desert?
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.
What are tropical deserts?
The tropical desert is an environment of extremes: it is the driest and hottest place on earth. Rainfall is sporadic and in some years no measurable precipitation falls at all. The terribly dry conditions of the deserts are due to the year-round influence of subtropical high pressure and continentality.
What are tropical and temperate desert?
While many tropical deserts are sandy areas with dunes, low vegetation and a scarcity of water, temperate deserts are typically rockier regions, dotted with grasses and shrubs. Canyons, exposed bedrock and hoodoo formations are common features of the temperate desert.
What is the other name of tropical desert?
Tundra is the other name of tropical desert.
What animals live in tropical deserts?
Representative fauna in tropical deserts include the armadillo lizard, banded Gila monster, bobcat, cactus wren and cactus ferruginous pygmy owl. Moreover, some other animals in deserts including coyote, desert bighorn sheep, desert kangaroo rat, desert tortoise, javelina and Mojave rattlesnake, cougar.
How is tropical climate?
Tropical climates are characterized by monthly average temperatures of 18 ℃ (64.4 ℉) or higher year-round and feature hot temperatures. There are normally only two seasons in tropical climates, a wet season and a dry season. The annual temperature range in tropical climates is normally very small. Sunlight is intense.
Which is the largest desert in the world?
Antarctic desert
The largest desert on earth is the Antarctic desert, covering the continent of Antarctica with a size of around 5.5 million square miles….Ranking of the largest deserts on earth (in million square miles)
| Desert (Type) | Surface area in million square miles |
|---|---|
| Antarctic (polar) | 5.5 |
| Arctic (polar) | 5.4 |
Which is the biggest desert in the world?
the Antarctic desert
Is the Sahara desert in the tropics?
The Sahara is dominated by two climatic regimes: a dry subtropical climate in the north and a dry tropical climate in the south. The dry subtropical climate is characterized by unusually high annual and diurnal temperature ranges, cold to cool winters and hot summers, and two precipitation maximums.
Why does the rain occur little in the tropical deserts?
As the air rises, it cools and drops its moisture as heavy tropical rains. The resulting cooler, drier air mass moves away from the Equator. As it approaches the tropics, the air descends and warms up again. The descending air hinders the formation of clouds, so very little rain falls on the land below.
What are the tropical deserts in the world?
Tropical deserts are located in both continental interiors and coastal areas between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn . Representative deserts include the Sahara Desert in North Africa, the Australian Desert, Arabian Desert and Syrian Desert in Western Asia, the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa,…
What plants live in the tropical desert?
Tropical Desert Plants. Here is a Barrel Cactus , there are many other plants such as the Brittle Bush, Chainfruit Cholla, Creosote Bush, and the Crimson Hedgehog Cactus.
What are the characteristics of a desert climate?
The desert climate (in the Köppen climate classification BWh and BWk), is a climate in which there is an excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert climates hold little moisture and evaporate the little rainfall they receive.
What is the distribution of the desert?
Distribution of Deserts: Deserts are regions of scanty rainfall which may be hot like the hot deserts of the Saharan type; or temperate as are the mid-latitude deserts like the Gobi . The aridity of the hot deserts is mainly due to the effects of off-shore Trade Winds, hence they are also called Trade Wind Deserts.