Deserts

Desert Environment
Deserts are the worlds
driest habitats. They get
less than 25 centimeters
(10 inches) of rain each
year.

Most deserts are very hot,

but some are cold.

Deserts are usually very

windy.

Some hot deserts have

large sand dunes, which are
large mounds of sand built
up by the wind.

At night it can get very cold

because there are no
 Comparing Rainfall
Costa Rica gets about
100 inches of rain each
year.

Deserts get less than 10

inches in a year.
 Hot Deserts
Australian, Australia

Chihuahuan, North
Central Mexico and
Southwestern US

Kalahari, Southwest
Africa

Mojave, Southwestern US

Sahara, Northern Africa

Sonoron, Southwestern
US
 Cold Deserts
Atacama, Peru and Chile

Gobi, Northern China and

Southern Mongolia

Great Basin, Western US

Iranian, Iran,
Afghanistan, and Pakistan

Takia Makan, Western

China

Turkestan, Middle East

and Russia
 Polar Deserts
Artic, in parts of US,
Canada, Greenland, Antarctic in Antarctica
Iceland, Norway,
Sweden, Finland, Russia
 Top 10 Deserts by
Size
Desert: Size:
Antarctic Desert (Antarctica) 5,339,573
Arctic Desert (Artic) 5,300,000
Sahara Desert (Africa)
3,320,000
Arabian Desert (Middle East)
900,000
Gobi Desert (Asia)
500,000
Kalahari Desert (Africa)
Patagonian Desert (South
360,000
America) 260,000
Great Victoria Desert (Australia)
250,000
Syrian Desert (Middle East)
200,000
Great Basin Desert (North
America) 190,000
Where are the worlds
deserts?
 Many deserts are found in bands along 30 degrees latitude north and 30
degrees latitude south (between the red lines on the map).
Some deserts located by mountains and are caused by the "rainshadow"
effect. As air moves up over a mountain range, it gets cold and loses the
ability to hold moisture -- so it rains or snows. When the air moves down
the other side of the mountain, it gets warmer. Warm air can hold lots of
moisture, so it doesn't rain as much, and a desert is formed.
 Desert Plants
-Desert plants have
adapted to cope with little
rain fall.

-The cactus is the most

famous desert plant.
They have thick stems
that can store lots of
water. Some have strong,
sharp spikes to prevent
animals from eating
them.

-The Welwitschia plant

has leaves that absorb
tiny droplets of water
 Desert Animals
-Desert animals have to
survive hot days and cold
nights.

-Fennec foxes have a coat of

fur that keeps them warm at
night and cool during the day
because of the light,
reflective fur.

-Jackrabbits lose heat

through their large ears.

-Desert squirrels flip their

bushy tails over their backs
during the day. This gives
them shade from the sun.
 Other Interesting Facts
-The plants that are able to
grow in the desert biome store
water in their stem. They
normally grow spaced out so
that their roots can extend and
find water.

-Some deserts are so hot that

when it rains, the water
evaporates in the air before
ever hitting the ground.

-The driest desert on Earth

receives on average 1
centimeter of rainfall every 5 to
20 years.