Desert
BY: RJ TATUM, SCOTT RAKES, DANIEL ADAMS
ANIMALS IN DESERT!!
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Birds- Roadrunner, Ostrich, Vulture
Reptiles- Sidewinder Rattlesnake, Texas Banded
Gecko, Texas Horned Lizard
Arthropods- Arizona Bark Scorpion, Black Widow
Spider (western)
Mammals- Kangaroo, Meerkat, Pronghorn, BlackTailed Jackrabbit, and Many other Foxes And Rabbits.
WHAT DEFINES A DESERT!
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A desert is defined simply by the amount of
rainfall that falls in an area in conjunction with
the amount of evaporation. In essence, its any
area that receives on average less than 10
inches of rainfall per year, and where the yearly
evaporation is more than 10 inches of rain a
year.
WHERE DESERTS ARE FOUND??
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Deserts are found around the globe,
generally around a belt of 30 degrees
north and south latitude where global
wind patterns carry down dry air from
the upper atmosphere.
THE CLIMATE OF A DESERT!!
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Arid climates are those which average less than 10 inches of
precipitation a year.
Potential evaporation exceeds precipitation in the annual water
budget.
Furthermore, rainfall is highly localized and relatively unpredictable in
terms of when it will occur, although usually there are seasons of
highest probability for precipitation.
Annual variation in total precipitation may also be great.
Temperatures are also variable.
They may exceed 100° F on summer afternoons, but dip by 20-30
degrees or more at night.
Winters are cool to cold: "hot deserts" rarely experience frost; "cold
deserts" may have prolonged periods of below freezing temperatures
and snowfall.
WHY ARE DESERTS SO HOT??
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Deserts are hot primarily because of the lack of water.
When the sun shines on the ground, all of the absorbed
sunlight goes into raising the ground's temperature.
If there was moisture in the soil, much of this heat
would go into evaporation of some of the water,
pumping water vapor in the air, and keeping the soil
cooler that it would otherwise be.
This cooling is from the "latent" heat of evaporation that
is required to change liquid water into water vapor.
INTERESTING FACTS!!!
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Deserts are cold at night: Because of the lack of
water in the ground, and little water vapor in the
air, most deserts can get quite cool at night.
Dry ground does not retain as much heat as moist
ground, and water vapor is the most important
greenhouse gas, so dry air allows the surface to
cool rapidly at night through loss of infrared
radiation to outer space.
It has been estimated that the Sahara Desert
actually loses more infrared radiation than it gains
solar radiation from the sun.
HOW CAN YOU HAVE FUN IN THE DESERT???
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Human Destruction!
DESERT PLANT LIFE
Many plants can only live
in the desert because they
are designed to hold in
water for long periods of
time.
 Great example is the
cactus.
 Hollow on the inside to
hold water.
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DESERT PLANT LIFE CONT’D.
More plants than
people would think.
 Highly adapted to the
dry heat.
 Great importance to
the animals,
providing most of the
food and water.

DESERT FOOD WEB
 Not
as many
animals as other
biomes.
 More plants than
people usually
think.
 Few mammals,
more reptiles and
birds.
QUIZ
1. Name 3 animals that live in the desert
biome.
 2. Where are deserts found around the world?
 3. What are 3 characteristics of a desert?
 4. What’s the average amount of rainfall for
deserts around the globe?
 5. Why are deserts cold at night?
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WORKS CITED!
www.bing.com
 www.google.com
 www.newton.k12.ma.us
 www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htm
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