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The Four Major Deserts In North America

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Most people think that all deserts are hot and dry but there are four major desert types. They are a hot and dry desert, a semiarid desert, a coastal desert, and a cold desert. A hot and dry desert is the typical desert that is 68-77 degrees Fahrenheit and it lacks precipitation. A semiarid desert is similar as a hot and dry desert. A coastal desert is a desert that is cool in the winters and hot in the summers. A cold desert that has a cold climate all year long. There are four major hot and dry deserts in North America. They are the Chihuahua, Sonoran, Mojave and the Great Basin. There are others outside of the U.S. including the Southern Asian reasm, Neotropian (South and Central America), Ethiopian (Africa) and Australian. The seasons …show more content…

They also include the Nearctic realm (North America, Newfoundland, Greenland, Russia, Europe, and Northern Asia). Semiarid means a climate or place that is partially acid or semi-dry and has less than 20 inches of precipitation each year. Summers are land and dry, and like hot deserts, winters normally bring little rainfall. Summer temperatures are around 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Normally the temperature does not go above 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. The average rainfall ranges from 2-4cm annually. The soil can be sandy and fine-textured to loose rock fragments or gravel. In areas such as mountain slopes the soil is shallow, rocky or gravely with good drainage. Most plants have a spiny nature in this desert to help protect from the hazardous environment. “Many plants have silvery or glossy leaves, allowing them to reflect more radiant energy. This plant often has an unfavorable odor or taste. Semiarid plants include: creosote bush, bur sage, white thorn, cat claw, mesquite, brittle bushes, lyciums, and jujube” (Umcp.berkeley.edu) during the daytime many animals find protection in underground burrows where they are3 insulted from heat and humidity. These animals include: mammals such as kangaroo rats, rabbits, and skunks; insects like grasshoppers and ants; reptiles like lizards and snakes; and birds such as the burrowing …show more content…

The desert has cool winters and long, warm summers. The average tempetures for the summer is 55-75 degrees Fahrenheit. The winter tempetures are 41 degrees farheiet or below. The maximum temperate is about 285 degrees Fahrenheit. The average rainfall is 8-13 cm in a year. The maximum rainfall over a long period of time is 37cm. the minimum of rainfall is 5 cm. the soil is fine textured with a moderate salt content. “All of the plants with thick and fleshy leaves or stems can take in large quantities of water when it is available and store it for future use.” (Umcp.berekely.edu) the plants that live in this types of desert include: the salt bush, buckwheat bush, black bush, rice grass, little leaf horse brush, black sage, and chrysothamnus. The animals that have to live in this desert have to have adaptations to this desert like dealing with the desert heat and the leak of water. The animals that live in this desert include: insects, mammals, amphibians, birds, and

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