DESERTS

WHAT IS A DESERT?• Deserts cover more than one fifth of the

Earth's land and they are found on every continent.

• Deserts can be "hot" or "cold".

• Deserts receive less than 10 inches of precipitation a year. Lack of water creates a survival problem for all desert organisms, animals, plants and people.

Sub Tropical Deserts

These are the hottest deserts with parched* terrain* and rapid evaporation.

*Parched: to make extremely, excessively, or completely dry, as heat, sun, and wind do.*Terrain: a tract of land, especially as considered with reference to its natural features

Cool Coastal Deserts

Located at the same latitude as sub-tropical deserts but the average temperature is much cooler because of frigid offshore ocean currents

Cold Winter Deserts

These deserts have stark* temperature differences from season to season ranging from 100 degrees in the summer to 100 degrees in winter

*Stark: harsh, grim, or desolate, as a view, place, etc.

Polar Regions

Polar regions are considered deserts because nearly all moisture is locked up in the form of ice.