Desert Case Study

Essay by BrumDubaiJunior High, 8th gradeA+, April 2008

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The hot deserts are located on the tropic lines not the equator and most of them are on the west coasts of the continents

At the equator hot air rises and cools dropping its moisture. It then attempts to reach the poles at high altitude. As it does so it becomes denser and sinks. Some dry air is then withdrawn back towards the equator creating the desert belt.

The hot desert is very hot in summer and during the day. It is much colder in the winter and during night. The amounts of cloud and rainfall are small.

In somewhere like Britain this is what happens:

Air Usually Rises Air cools condensation gives cloud and rain

In somewhere like Dubai:

Air Descends Air warms no condensation gives no cloud or rain

Deserts are usually on the west coast because part of the formation of the desert is prevailing wind. Prevailing wind is wind blowing from the dry land in the center of the continents.

There are a lot of plants in the deserts even though they barely have rain. Plants are usually xerophytic (adapted to not having much water) or halophytic (can live with lots of salt).

Desert plants, have made behavioral adaptations, they have developed a lifestyle coinciding with the wettest seasons and/or coolest temperatures. These types of plants are usually called perennials. Desert perennials often live by remaining lifeless during dry times of the year, then coming back to life when it rains. Most annual desert plants germinate only after heavy seasonal rain, and then complete their reproductive cycle very quickly. They bloom for a few weeks in the spring. Their seeds then remain lifeless in the soil until the next year's annual rains.

Lack of water creates a survival problem for all desert animals and plants. But...