Bina Ramesh, Hamza Hasan, Louis Masson, Alyssa Elicone, and Kathleen Zhou

A Desert in Baja, Mexico

 During the day, the temperature is high because the humidity is low and the sun’s rays don’t get blocked.  During the nighttime, heat is lost because the low humidity can’t maintain the temperature.  The average annual temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius.  Temperatures can exceed 50 degrees Celsius during the summer.

 Temperatures can go lower than freezing during the winter.  The temperatures during the fall and spring are pretty much constant.  Deserts are typically windy, which make the temperatures feel even more extreme.

FallWinterSpringSummer During the Day:23.4 – 33.5 degrees Celsius – 22.4 degrees Celsius – 34.1 degrees Celsius – 37.1 degrees Celsius. During the Night: 9.0 – 19.0 degrees Celsius. 4.9 – 6.9 degrees Celsius – 18.4 degrees Celsius – 22.3 degrees Celsius.

FallWinterSpringSummer 0-30mm per month mm per month 0-15 mm per month 0-1mm per month A desert is defined as having 250mm of precipitation per year or less

Desert in Australia’s Simpson Desert

 Deserts contain rocks, sand, gravel, clay, and silt.  Desert soil contains high amounts of minerals but low amounts of organic matter. Having low amounts of organic matter causes the soil to have a low water holding capacity, which makes water evaporate faster and makes the soil rich in sodium and calcium ions. This leads to saltpans, where little to no plants can grow.

 The top layer of the desert contains sand, small rocks and gravel, and little organic mater.  The second layer contains nutrient- poor soil.  The third layer is a layer of salt which leaches nutrients. This layer is rock fragments.  Dried up riverbeds in the desert contain sand, salt, clay, and silt.

Taken in the Sand dunes in Death Valley National Monument, California.

 Because of hot, dry weather, the desert biome does not have many plants  The plants present in the desert have learned to adapt  Desert biome contains xerophytes

Plants which have adapted to survive in an environment that lacks water. Some characteristics are… 1. Preserving moisture 2. Storing water 3. Nocturnal activity

 Most cacti are considered Xerophytes  Barrel cactus… - Cylinder shaped body- holds water -Waxy skin (seal in moisture) inch spines (shade and moisture) - Sonoran Desert plant

 Pancake prickly pear cactus… - Sonoran/ Mojave Desert - Small leaves (preserve water) - Roots adapted to dry weather - “Pancakes” can store water

 Joshua Tree… -Mojave Desert - Produces fruit - Roots store water and keeps nutrients - Leaves grow upwards to catch water

 Brittle Bush… - Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert - Leaves provide insulation -Traps moisture in the air

Taken in the Gobi desert which occupies Northern and Northwestern China in Asia.

 Rodents  Lizards  Camels  Snakes  Insects  Owls  Hawks  Small birds  Hawks  Owls  Pelicans  Storks  Lion  Red Kangaroo  Hyena  Zebra

 Animals that live in the desert adapt their bodies and behaviors to the desert’s climate.  These adaptations allow them to survive in the desert’s extreme temperatures(both hot and cold).

 Animals learn to do the following things:  Survive on minimal amounts of water  Find shade for hottest parts of the day  Dig holes in the ground to find cooler soil  Be nocturnal  Spend time in burrows

 Has toes that are fringed with elongated, pointed scales so they can run across steep dunes and then stop suddenly and wriggle out of sight into the cooler layers of sand.  Its special eyelids and countersunk lower jaw keep out sand grains.

 uses a “sidewinding” motion to move across the hot sand so that only a small portion of its body touches the hot sand at one time.

KANGAROO RATSCAMEL  Survive almost entirely on water metabolized from seeds they eat. They neither sweat nor pant like other animals to keep cool  can drink an excessive amount of water in one day (around 30 gallons!) or survive for a relatively long time without drinking any water.

Taken in Takartibah, Libya

 Often lived as nomads  Followed infrequent rains  Loose fitting clothing & head cloths  Maximize air circulation and minimize exposure to sun  Had some sort of shelter  Nomads such as Bedouin tribes had tents  Pueblo Indians had adobe huts

 Desert farming  Techniques used to allow humans to harvest crops in a normally inhospitable environment  Irrigation enables crops meant for areas of higher precipitation to grow  Canals often used for irrigation  Drip irrigation uses less water than traditional methods  Alternatively or additionally, can use plants acclimated to desert (jojoba, date palms, etc)

 Pipelines  Lack of drinking water no longer a problem  Buildings and air conditioning  Protect humans from excessive heat

AdvantagesDisadvantages Low humidity Mild winters Lots of sun More undeveloped space Less crowded Potential jobs in salt mining industry Different types of animals and plants Excessive heat Risk of dehydration / heatstroke Sandstorms Less lush landscape Potential negative impact on environment

“How is human life possible in a desert? - Curiosity.” Web. 16 Nov Lozinsky, Georgia. "Animals of the Desert." Habitat Awareness Desert Page. N.p., Web. 12 Nov < desert.htm “People of the Desert.” Web. 16 Nov