Research and Background Deserts Research and Background

Climate A desert usually gets less than 10 inches of rain a year. There are 3 reasons for that. 1. Some deserts are near the equator so the air is very dry. 2. Some deserts are in the middle of the continent so by the time the air and wind get to the desert it no longer has much humidity. 3. Some deserts are near mountains which block the rainfall. The average temperature of a desert in the day is 20-25 degrees Celsius but in extreme cases the temperature can reach 43-50 degrees. The average temperature in the night is 10-13 degrees Celsius. In the day the deserts floor absorbs the heat from the sun but at night the desert releases its heat because the sun is no longer shining on it and since there is no clouds to catch the heat the temperatures drop rapidly. Deserts can reach extreme lows of -4 at night.

Deserts in Canada Some of the deserts in Canada are: Carcross Desert in the Yukon Fraser Canyon which is 84 km from Fraser river Thompson Country in Kamloops which is close to the Thompson River Nk’mip desert in B.C. The Nk’mip desert is claimed to be Canada’s only true hot desert. The others have desert- like traits but are not true deserts.

Conditions Most of the deserts in the world are populated deserts, 1/6 of people in the world live in deserts. So it would be easy to live in most of them, but the deserts that are not populated have a lot of challenges. The challenges are: Lack of humidity Lack of water Extreme heat Lack of food Lack of vegetation

Obstacles of Exploring Deserts The obstacles of exploring deserts are: The distance from here to a desert (the travel) The money it would cost for all the equipment (the expenses) Getting a team together (the people) Transporting the equipment The extreme conditions (lack of humidity, lack of water, lack of food, extreme heat and Lack of vegetation)

Investigating Deserts are an important part of the earth. We should explore deserts to understand them and know how to protect and preserve them. If we explore them we will know more about other things such as mountains, clouds, rain, the atmosphere and so on. We would never have been able to thrive in deserts if we hadn’t researched them first. We use desert research for our own benefits so we NEED to preserve and protect them, 1/6 of the worlds population lives in deserts.

Exploration and Technology Deserts Exploration and Technology

Past Exploration Many people have researched the desert but a few have been VERY successful. Jeremy Curl- Jeremy Curl explored the Sahara desert in 2008. He was the first non-African to cross the Tanezrouft area of the Sahara. In his travels he learned about tribes and there hardships in the desert. Ludwig Leichhardt- Ludwig Leichhardt explored the Hunter river valley, there he studied flora and fauna and the farming methods of the region. He is told to be the most famous scientist to study in northern Australia. (all of his expeditions took place between 1825-1848)

Technology for Exploring Explorers need technologies for exploring hot places like the desert, some of them are: Desert RATS, desert RATS are suits that are equipped with many gadgets and protective-ware to explore the deserts Rovers, much like the rovers we use on mars. The rovers are either big or small, the big rover can explore deserts a lot longer than humans can and the small rovers are used to go in places humans can’t. Satellites, Satellites are used to video tape storms and/or natural disasters in deserts that humans can’t get close to. Compass, Maps, ropes, lights and satellite phones.

Technologies for Surviving Advanced irrigation systems, Irrigation systems spray water, they are mostly used in populated deserts. Deserts RATS. Compass, Maps, ropes, lights and satellite phones.

Canadian Technologies Canada has not made any technologies for exploring the desert yet. But the Canadian government has been approached by the Global Science Community. They have asked Canada to help investigate one of the extreme environments.

Exploring Deserts Responsibly The desert is a very important place on the planet and we should try to preserve it or at least not damage it. Mining and residential use are the two biggest things that are causing an impact. When explorers go into the desert they should be careful, not leaving things, not damaging plants and harming animals or the land.