What are some key facts and characteristics of different deserts?
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Subtropical Deserts are the hottest of all deserts.
Temperature: Reaches above 50°C during the day, which decreases very sharply during the night, owing to low humidity.
Yearly rainfall: Quite scarce, as the weather could be so extreme that raindrops evaporate before reaching the ground. Inland areas of Sahara receive less than 1.5 cm rainfall, which is one of the driest places on the planet.
Soil type: Coarse-textured and rocky with no subsurface water.
Plants that grow here: Mainly shrubs and small trees which are adapted to prevent loss of moisture; examples include creosote bush, mesquite tree, yuccas, ocotillo, sotol, ephedras, and agaves.
Animals found here: Nocturnal, and mainly carnivorous, animals here hide during hot daytime hours, becoming active during the night-time when it gets colder. Examples include mammals, insects, reptiles, arachnids.
Examples of subtropical deserts: Sahara desert in Africa is the largest of all subtropical deserts. Some other deserts of this group include the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, and the Tanami Desert of Northern Australia.
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Coastal Deserts are characterized by cold winters and relatively long and warm summers.
Temperature: Between 13-24°C during summer, with maximum range being about 35°C. During winter, it stays around 5°C or lower.
Annual rainfall: About 8-13 centimeters, which is more, compared to both the subtropical and coastal deserts.
Soil type: Fine-textured with a high content of salt and other nutrients.
Plants that grow here: Those growing here have roots that are close to the surface to absorb rainwater. Examples include saltbush, buckwheat bush, little leaf horsebrush, black sage, and Chrysothamnus.
Animals found here: Mammals, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and insects.
Examples of coastal deserts: The Atacama Desert in South America (driest place in the planet), the Namib Desert, and The Western Sahara desert of Africa.
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Cold Winter/Semi-arid Deserts are characterized by long dry summer and mild, wet winters.
Temperature: Between 21-27°C in summer, which can go up to 38°C; evenings are cooler by about 10 degrees. During winter, the temperature ranges between 2-4°C, which can go down to 40°C.
Annual rainfall: Between 2-4 cm in average.
Soil type: Sandy, fine-textured with loose rock fragments and low salt content
Plants that grow here: Mainly, cactus, as well as creosote bush, bur sage, whitethorn, mesquite, lyceums, and jujube. The leaves of cacti are transformed into spines to reduce loss of water.
Animals found here: Mammals, insects, reptiles and birds. During day time, these animals hide in the shadows of shrubs or in the burrows to protect themselves from intense heat.
Examples of cold winter deserts: Gobi desert in Central Asia, Patagonian desert in Southern America.
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Polar Deserts are characterized by long cold winters and short warm summers. Winter witnesses relatively higher rainfall than summer.
Temperature: Ranges between 21-26°C (during summer), and between 2-4°C in winter.
Yearly rainfall: Between 15-26 cm in average
Soil type: Salty and contains silt. Soil is porous, where the alluvial fan is found.
Plants that grow here: Mostly algae, lichens, and some fungi. Short grasses, birches, willows, and mosses might grow in moist areas.
Animals found here: Mammals, birdsJackrabbits, kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice, grasshopper mice, antelope, and ground squirrels.
Examples of Polar deserts:
The Antarctic, which covers 14.2 million square kilometers (5.5 million square miles), is the world’s largest polar desert and the world's largest desert.
The second-largest polar desert is the Arctic.
ℹ️ Deserts are arid ecosystems that receive fewer than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year.
ℹ️ Deserts cover about one-fifth of the total land area on earth.
ℹ️ Gobi desert can be also classified as a rain shadow and an inland desert.
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