Deserts are scorching hot dry areas that receive very little precipitation. Some deserts temperatures get as high as 54°C. However, other deserts have cold winters or are cold year round. Deserts are commonly known as baron. However, this is not true in all circumstances they are actually home to many plants, animals, insects and reptiles. However, all deserts do have something in common; all desert are dry.
Deserts generally receive 25 cm of rain yearly. However, the water evaporates quicker then the organisms in the desert can use it. This is the biggest reason why plants, animals and other organisms struggle to find water. Deserts are found on every continent and cover about one-fifth of Earth’s land area. One sixth of the world’s population lives in the desert, which is approximately 1 billion people. Some deserts are mountainous and others are dry expanses of rock, sand, or salt flats. There are five different kinds of deserts in the world. These five types are categorized based on their dryness. The five categories are subtropical, coastal, rain shadow, interior, and polar.
Humidity in the desert is near zero and rain usually evaporates before hitting the ground. The only time deserts receive rain is during cloudbursts. These are violent storms that release a huge amount of rain in about one hour causing flash floods. Plants in the deserts have adapted so they absorb the water quickly and bloom soon after.
The desert ground is cracked because of the suns constant rays upon it. The constant rays of sun causes a lack of humidity which also negatively affects the deserts landscape. Some deserts are extremely hot. However, deserts cool quickly at night due to a lack of insulation and vegetation. Winds in the desert can reach 100km an hour and can cause dust storms and mini tornados.
The notable features of deserts include; dunes, tall bare peaks, flat-topped rock formation, and smooth canyons. However, wetter deserts have lush vegetation instead of the above examples. Many of the rock formations are caused by water rushing over the dry land. The reason the earth looks so cracked is because water cuts cracks in the desert. These kinds of formations are called wades or arroyos. Basins are also formed by water. This occurs when water has nowhere to go and dries up leaving playas or a salt surfaced lakebeds. Ground waters in the desert can push to the surface and form small pools of water. This can cause an oasis to develop. An oasis is a small area where plants and animals often thrive do to pools of water forming.
The vegetation in the desert is unique. There are large amounts of plants and animals. Some of the plants include the cactus, brittle bush and jumping cholla. All of these plants have adapted to the dry conditions requiring little water to survive. In addition to this, many have developed prickly spines to help protect against predators. An example of this is the cactus which uses the spikes to retain water and ward of predators.
In conclusion deserts are baron and contain very little water. Deserts take up a large portion of our planet. Around 1 billion people on our planet live in deserts. And even more species of plants and animals live there. The desert is tough but not unbeatable.