3. What are the types of desert?

In our earthly life, it follows a path called water cycle because every living organism depend on water availability on their

environment for their survival. Different regions on earth receive different volume of water depending on the annual precipitation

level from place to place. The higher temperature a particular place has, the greater high heat evaporation level it has that leads to low

level of annual precipitation.

The University Of California Museum Of Paleontology (UCMP), classified desert into four major types:

1. Hot and Dry

2. Semi-arid

3. Coastal

4. Cold

Tabular Presentation of Major Types of Desert by the UCMP

DESERT TYPE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES

HOT  The seasons are generally warm throughout the year and
very hot in summer.
AND  The winter usually brings little rainfall.
DRY  Temperature exhibit daily extremes because the
atmosphere contain little humidity to block the sun’s rays.
DESERT

Sahara Desert
  Mean annual temperature range from 20-25 degrees
Celsius.
 The entire maximum temperature ranges from 43.5-49
degrees Celsius.
 Minimum temperature drops at -18 degrees Celsius.
HOT  Rainfall is usually very low and low concentrated in
short bursts between long rainless periods.
 Soils are course-textured, shallow, rocky or gravely with
AND good drainage and have no subsurface water.

DRY  Finer dust and sand particles are blowing everywhere, Chihuahuan Desert
leaving heavier pieces behind.
 Plant leaves are “replete” (fully supported with
nutrients) with water conserving characteristics.
DESERT  Plants tend to be small, thick, and covered with a thick
cuticle.
 Plants include: yuccas, ocotillo, and turpentine, bush
purely, pears, false mesquite, ephedra’s, agaves, and
brittle bush.
 Animals are nocturnal carnivores.
 Dominant animals are burrowers, insects, arachnids,
reptiles, and birds.
 Animals stay in active protected hide ways during the
hot days and come out to forage at dusk, dawn, or at
night, when the desert is cooler.
Kalahari Desert
DESERT TYPE DESCRIPTIONS EXAMPLES

 Summers are moderately long and dry winters

normally bring low concentration of rainfall.
SEMI-ARID

 Summer temperature usually average between

21-27 degrees Celsius.
 It normally does not go above 38 degrees
Celsius and evening temperature at around 10
degrees Celsius.
 Cool nights help both plants and animals by
reducing the moisture, low transpiration,
sweating, and breathing. Great Victoria Desert
 Condensation of dew caused by night cooling
may equal or exceed the rainfall receive by
some deserts.
 The average desert rainfall ranges from 2-4 cm
DESERT

annually.
 Soil is fine textured to lose rock fragment,
gravel, or sand.
 Spiny nature of many plants provides protection
in the hazardous environment.
 Large number of spine shade the plant surface to
reduce the transpiration. Sage Bush Utah, Montana
  Many plants have silvery glossy leaves allowing
them to reflect more radiant energy.
 Plants include: Creosote bush, white thorn, cat
claw, mesquite, lyciums, and jujube.
DESERT TYPE DESCRIPTIONS EXAMPLES
 During the day, insects move around twigs to
SEMI-ARID

stay on the moving shadow of a cactus or shrub.

DESERT

Animals include: Kangaroo rats, rabbits, and skunks

and insects like, grasshoppers, ants, and lizards,
snakes and birds.
 Many animals find protection in underground
burrows where they are insulated from both heat
and aridity. Great Basin Desert, North America

DESERT TYPES DESCRIPTIONS EXAMPLES

 Cool winters of coastal desert are followed by
moderately long, warm summer.
 Average summer temperature 13-24 degrees
COASTAL

Celsius, winter temperature are below 5 degrees

DESERT

Celsius.
 Maximum annual temperature is about 35 degrees
Celsius and a minimum about -4 degrees Celsius.
 Average rainfall measure 8-13 cm in many areas
and maximum annual precipitation 37 cm with a
minimum of 5 cm.
 Soil is fine textured with a moderate salt content.
 It is fairly porous with good drainage.
 Several plants have extensive root systems close
to the surface where they can take advantage of
Atacama Desert, Chile
any rain shower.
  All of the plants with thick and fleshy leaves or
stems can take in large quantities of water when it
is available and store for future use.
 Several plant surfaces are corrugated with
longitudinal ridges and grooves.
DESERT TYPE DESCRIPTIONS EXAMPLES

 When the water is available, the stem swells so

that the grooves are swallow and the ridges far
COASTAL

apart.
DESERT

 Plants include salt bush, buck wheat, black

bush, rice grass little leaf, horse bush, black
sage, and chrysothamnus.
 Amphibians that pass through larval stage have
life cycles, which improve their chances of
reaching maturity.
 Several insects lay eggs that remain dormant
until the environmental conditions are suitable
for hatching.
 Animals include insect mammals, toad, coyote,
bagger, great horned owl, golden eagle, bald Namib Desert, South Africa
eagle, lizards, and snakes.

DESERT TYPE DESCRIPTIONS EXAMPLES

 Deserts are characterized by cold winters with
DESERT

snow fall and high over all rainfall throughout

COLD

the winter and occasionally during summer.

 Occur in the Antarctic, Greenland, and the
Nearctic realm.
 Have short moist and moderately warm
summer, and cold winters. Gobi Desert, China and Mongolia
  Mean winter temperature is -2 to 4 degrees
Celsius and the mean summer temperature is
21-26 degrees Celsius.
 Mean annual precipitation ranges from 15-26
cm.
 Maximum annual precipitation ranges 46 cm.
and minimum at 9 cm.
DESERT TYPE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES
 Heaviest rainfall of the spring is usually April
or May. In the same areas, rainfall can be
heavy in autumn.
COLD DESERT

 Soil is heavy, silty, and salty.

 Plants are widely scattered.
 Areas of shade about 10% of the ground are
covered, but in some areas sage bush
approaches 85%.
 Plants height vary between 15-122 cm.
 Plants are deciduous, most having spring
leaves.
 Animals include: jack rabbits, kangaroo rats,
mice, and antelope ground squirrel.
 The burrowing habit also applies to carnivores
like the badger, kit fox, and coyote.
 Several lizards do some burrowing and moving
soil. Iranian Desert, Iran
 Deer are found only in the winter.