Desert

1
Desert
2
Desert
3
What is a Desert Like?

• The hot desert is a land of extremes extreme
  heat and extreme dryness sudden flash floods and
  cold nights. Because deserts are such a harsh
  environment, deserts often have names likes
  "Death Valley," "the empty quarter," and "the
  place from where there is no return."

http//www.mbgnet.net/sets/desert/index.htm
4
Characteristics of Deserts
There are different types of deserts ranging from
hot and dry deserts to cold deserts. Deserts
have wide variations of plant and animal life
from desert to desert. One of the main
characteristics of a desert is that a desert
receives very little precipitation throughout the
year. Deserts will often be extremely hot
during the day and at night the temperature will
fall 40 - 50 degrees or more. The reason for
this is that there is little evaporation in the
atmosphere to block sunlight during the day and
at night allows heat to escape easily.
5
Dryness/Rainfall
6
Location

• Many deserts are found in bands along 30 degrees
  latitude north and 30 degrees latitude south
  (between the red lines on the map).
• Some deserts located by mountains and are caused
  by the "rainshadow" effect. As air moves up over
  a mountain range, it gets cold and loses the
  ability to hold moisture -- so it rains or snows.
  When the air moves down the other side of the
  mountain, it gets warmer. Warm air can hold lots
  of moisture, so it doesn't rain as much, and a
  desert is formed.

7
Plants

• Barrel Cactus
• Brittle Bush
• Chainfruit Cholla
• Creosote Bush
• Crimson Hedgehog Cactus
• Desert Ironwood
• Joshua Tree
• Jumping Cholla
• Mojave Aster
• Ocotillo
• Palo Verde
• Pancake Prickly Pear Cactus
• Saguaro Cactus
• Soaptree Yucca
• Triangle-leaf Bursage

www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert_plant_page.htm
8
Plants
Barrel Cactus
Old Man Cactus
Saguaro
9
Plants
Prickly Pear Cactus
Dragon Tree
http//www.mbgnet.net/sets/desert/index.htm
10
Desert Animals

• http//www.mbgnet.net/sets/desert/index.htm

http//www.desertanimals.net/