Atlas of the Worlds Deserts (Ecosystems)

Buy Atlas of the World's Deserts (): NHBS - Steve Parker and Nathaniel Harris, Fitzroy Books Habitats & Ecosystems Hot & Cold Deserts.
Table of contents

This is both a browsing book and beginning reference book for the topics included. For the most part, the information and layout of the book are handsomely integrated. Many of the numerous sidebars include illustrations, but there are several for example, the one describing the moloch in the chapter "Creatures of the Desert" that would have benefited from accompanying photographs. The author concludes by discussing the exploitation of deserts and their resources and some environmental issues surrounding desertification.

He ends on a somewhat hopeful note stating it is too early to tell what will happen because of climate change and the desertification process. A glossary, bibliography of books and Web sites arranged by chapter, and index complete the volume. The book is recommended for high-school, public, and undergraduate libraries, although the price will make it out of reach for some. Would you like to tell us about a lower price? If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

Learn more about Amazon Prime. The Atlas of the World's Deserts examines the hostile and extreme environments that characterize deserts, and is divided into chapters that concentrate on specific aspects of a desert's geology, life forms, history, and future. For more information including sample pages, visit the Atlas of the World's Deserts web site. Also includes color maps and photos. Read more Read less. From School Library Journal Grade 6 Up-A useful resource for students seeking either quick facts or thematic discussions, this survey of our planet's drier regions alternates sections of maps and condensed specifics with more widely ranging topical chapters.

Routledge; 1 edition September 8, Language: Be the first to review this item Amazon Best Sellers Rank: Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. These areas tend to have mild, cool winters and prolonged, moderate summers. Cool coastal deserts do not have the stereotypical cues of a desert, but they are some of the most harsh and arid regions on Earth.

The Namib Desert is classified as a coastal desert and is located in the southern part of Africa. It occupies 1, miles 2, km of coastline in the countries of South Africa, Namibia, and Angola. It is widely accepted that the Namib Desert has had a similar arid climate for more than 50 million years, which would make it the oldest desert on Earth. The Namib features gravel plains, mountains, and sand dunes. The sand dunes can grow as high as 1, feet tall m and be more than 15 miles long 30 km.

This area is almost entirely unsettled by humans.


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The Namib Desert gets less than 0. The Atacama Desert is located on the continent of South America and is largely inside the country of Chile. It is a plateau stretching miles km along the Pacific Ocean. It receives just 0. The Andes mountains block moisture on one side and the Chilean Coast range of mountains block it on the other. The result is a virtual shadow where no rainfall can be created, making it extremely difficult for any plants or animals to flourish here. Cold winter deserts are also commonly referred to as semi-arid deserts.

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Cold winter desert summers are long and dry, and though not as hot as the subtropical deserts of the world, they are not cold year-round like the polar deserts. But these deserts do have cold, dry winters — sometimes with temperatures brutally below the freezing point! These cold winter deserts are generally found at higher altitudes and in temperate zones where they can be found in the rain shadows of high mountains. The Great Basin Desert is the largest desert in the United States occupying approximately , square miles , square kilometers. To the north lies the Columbia Plateau — an expansive flood basalt plateau that covers the US states of Washington, Oregon, and parts of Idaho.

To the south, you will find other, smaller deserts of the southwestern US: The Great Basin exists primarily as a result of the great mountains that surround it, which cool the air and strip it of its moisture. It is a cold desert mainly as a result of its elevation and latitude. Its inches of annual participation primarily fall as snow — even in the warm summers! The Colorado Plateau is largely made up of desert, which covers , square miles , square kilometers of the southwestern United States. It is the only area of the United States where the boundaries of four states touch.

The plateau is a geologic enigma, remaining intact while punctuated by high mountain ranges and cut by low river canyons.

9. Syrian Desert - 200,000 Square Miles

Though the Colorado Plateau contains desert climates with warm summers and frigid winters, it is also scattered with areas of forest. The Patagonian Desert is the 7 th largest desert in the world, covering , square miles , square kilometers — the same size as the US state of Texas! It spans much of the country of Argentina with small parts residing in Chile.

To the west of the great desert are the Andes, the longest continental mountain range in the world.


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    5. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean. The Patagonia Desert is truly a cold winter desert experiencing about seven months of winter and with temperatures that rarely exceed Nightly frosts are not uncommon year-round. As is the case for most cold winter deserts, the Patagonia Desert exists because of the Andes mountains, which prevent the flow of moisture from the Pacific Ocean to the west and cause the formation of the arid desert climate.

    The desert inhabits about 70 percent, or , square miles , square kilometers , of present day Turkmenistan in Central Asia, east of the Caspian Sea. The region is no stranger to desert climates, as just northeast of the Karakum desert is the Kyzyl Kum.

    Deserts of the World

    But the desert climate is marked by long, hot, and dry summers and unpredictable, cold winters. The Karakum desert is also home to the Darvaza Gas Crater, affectionately known to the locals as the Door to Hell, which is a natural gas deposit that has been burning continuously since it was lit by Soviet petroleum engineers in Located in Central Asia between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, the Kyzyl Kum desert covers approximately , square miles , square kilometers of land. Kyzyl Kum is divided between the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, with a small portion making an appearance in Turkmenistan the home to the slightly larger Karakum Desert.

    The Kyzyl Kum desert also hosts a number of isolated mountains rising to upwards of 3, feet m. Also known as the Taklimakan or Teklimakan, the Taklamakan Desert covers northwest China and is the second largest shifting sand desert with about 85 percent of its area characterized by shifting sand dunes. The Taklamakan covers an area of , square miles , square kilometers. Its northern and southern borders are bound by two branches of the ancient Silk Road, which merchant caravans would travel to avoid the depths of the harsh desert conditions.

    Due to the rain shadow of the Himalayas, the Taklamakan possesses the quintessential cold desert climate. The extreme inland location of the desert it is located farther from an ocean than almost any point on Earth! The deserts of the world list would not be complete without the largest desert region in Aisa, the Gobi desert , covering portions of northern and northwestern China and southern Mongolia.

    As part of the great ancient Mongol Empire the largest contiguous empire in history and home to several significant cities along the Silk Road, the Gobi has been one of the more prominent deserts of our history books. The Gobi spans across , square miles 1,, square kilometers , making it the fifth-largest desert in the world boasting five of its own ecoregions. And due to a process known as desertification, the Gobi continues to expand at an alarming rate. Though the Gobi is home to sand dunes that can be covered in frost or even snow, much of its landscape is actually comprised of exposed bare rock due to winds that whip across the plateau — a far cry from the shifting sands of neighboring Taklamakan desert.

    The Gobi has also been a noteworthy source of significant fossil finds, such as the first discovered dinosaur eggs. Polar deserts are characterized by annual precipitation of less than millimeters or approximately 9.

    The 10 Largest Deserts in the World - leondumoulin.nl

    That may sound like a lot, but polar deserts even more common during the Ice Ages, mainly due to the unusually dry climate during these periods in history. Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds: Passerines 2-Volume Set 2.

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