Hot deserts
- Created by: magnus29t
- Created on: 02-11-22 18:45
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- Hot Deserts
- Climate
- < 250mm rain each year
- 38 degrees in the day and below freezing
- Soil is very infertile so plants can't grow and the nutrient cycle can't occur
- Plants adapted
- Cacti- have thickened area to store water
- Some short grasses- roots go deep and spread broadly to capture maximum water possible
- Thornbushes- thorns to reduce surface area to lose the least amount of water by evaporation
- Animals adapted
- Snakes, Lizards, and other amphibians
- Scorpions and insects
- Nocturnal mammals or birds at some times of the year- avoids having to use energy when its the hottest part of the day
- Plants adapted
- Desertification
- Causes
- Logging- increases soil erosion
- Soil erosion- reduces fertility of land, reduce crop yeilds
- Overgrazing- increases soil erosion
- Soil erosion- reduces fertility of land, reduce crop yeilds
- Overgrazing- increases soil erosion
- Population growth- deforestation to build settlements, over-cultivation, increase in demands for resources such as water
- Over cultivation- plants won't be able to grow in the future causing soil erosion
- Population growth- deforestation to build settlements, over-cultivation, increase in demands for resources such as water
- Soil erosion- reduces fertility of land, reduce crop yeilds
- Climate change- temps rise, rainfall falls
- Logging- increases soil erosion
- Reducing risk
- Tree planting- binds soil, create area of shade, shelter crops
- Appropriate technology- ponding banks and contour traps
- E.g. Burka Faso Magic stones used to trap water and soil which has increased crop yields by 50%
- Water management- growing crops that aren't water-intensive, drip irrigation uses less water than surface irrigation
- Soil management- allowing land to restore their nutrients between seasons, using compost and fertilisers
- Causes
- Thar desert
- Opportunities for development
- Extracting minerals
- Safaris and tourism
- Farming- water from Indira Gandhi canal
- Energy production- Jaisalmer wind park, India's largest wind farm
- Challenges
- Extreme temps- hard for workers, water evaporation
- Water supply- low rainfall, high rate of evaporation
- Inaccessibility- roads covered with sand and crack
- Opportunities for development
- Climate
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