Desert Biomes-Meteorologist Owen Richardson 3/16/15

Desert Biomes-Meteorologist Definitions & Facts Weather: Describes changes that happen day to day to conditions regarding sunlight, precipitation, humidity, air pressure, temperature, etc. Climate: Describes the average weather conditions in a certain place or during a certain season. Climate changes to not occur daily but over hundreds or thousands of years Deserts cover 20% of the worlds land Land is classified as a desert if there is less than 10 inches of rainfall per year Most large deserts are found away from the coasts, in areas where moisture from the oceans rarely reaches

Desert Biomes-Meteorologist 4 Types of Deserts Hot and Dry: Parch terrain and rapid evaporation Examples: Sahara, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq, California and South Africa Semiarid: Stark temperature differences due to seasonal changes Examples: Utah, Montana, Greenland, Russia Coastal: Cooler temperatures due to off shore ocean wind Examples: Chile, Africa Cold: Ice desert due to lack of moisture in the air Examples: Polar Regions

Desert Biomes-Meteorologist Hot & Dry Desert Weather and Climate Are located in subtropical climate zones which have low humidity These deserts are located within 35 degrees north and south of the equator Rainfall of less than 10 inches per year and extreme evaporation Sunshine 365 days a year due stable descending air and high pressure systems Maximum temperatures are around 120 Degrees Fahrenheit Nighttime temperatures can drop to freezing (32 Degrees F) or below

Desert Biomes-Meteorologist Semiarid Desert Weather and Climate There are both cold semi-arid and hot semi-arid climates These deserts are located all over the globe and are not as dry as the as the Hot and Dry deserts Nighttime condensation of dew may be higher than the 10 inches of annual rain in hot and dry deserts Stark temperature differences from season to season Temperatures can reach 100 degrees F in summer and 10 degrees F in winter

Desert Biomes-Meteorologist Coastal Desert Weather and Climate Coastal deserts lie on the western coast of Africa and South America These are considered coastal fog deserts who's dryness is a result of cold ocean pressure systems and winds Average rainfall is around 8-13 centimeters annually which is very low Average summer temperatures can reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit and winter can get as low as 25 degrees Fahrenheit

Desert Biomes-Meteorologist Cold Desert Weather and Climate Cold deserts are located near the north and south poles Nearly all moisture is locked up in the form of ice Short, moist summers and long, cold winters The summer temperatures can be as high as 39 degrees Fahrenheit and winter temperatures can dip to -15 degrees Fahrenheit Rainfall can be as high as 5 inches per year Snowfall can reach 3 inches per year

Desert Biomes-Meteorologist How Does Desert Weather Impact the Environment? Global warming is causing deserts to grow larger each year across the globe Winds can also carry sand grains off the dunes and deposit them in non desert areas. This can turn fertile land into desert land which is another reason deserts increase in size each year Precipitation through rainfall and other forms of condensation are eliminated from the environment once they enter a desert climate Rain is absorbed quickly into the dry ground of hot deserts or turned ice in cold desert regions

Desert Biomes-Meteorologist How Does Desert Climate Effect Global Weather? Climate describes average weather conditions over hundreds of years Desert climates effect global weather because they deserts are steadily growing every year An example of desert growth is The Sahara Desert, which grows up to 30 square miles per year Our deserts expanding effects global climate by raising average temperatures and making land uninhabitable