Unit 1B- Hot Deserts

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What is the climate in a hot desert?
Very little rainfall, less than 250mm per year, 45 degrees in day and 5 degrees at night
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What is the soil like in a hot desert?
Shallow, with a coarse gravelly texture. Isn't very fertile
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What are the plants like in a hot desert?
Sparse amount, quite short
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What are the animals like in a hot desert?
Animals adapted to the harsh environment
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What are the people like in a hot desert?
Grow few crops where there are natural springs or wells or travel all the time
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Where do plants gain their nutrients from?
The soil and provide nutrients and water to animals that eat them
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How does the hot and dry climate affect the soil?
They are salty and low in nutrients because little decomposition of dead plant by fungi and bacteria
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What does the sparse vegetation do?
Limits the amount of food available
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How do animals and people cope with the little water?
Constantly moving or digging wells
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How do people grow crops?
Irrigate the land
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How are plant roots adapted to the conditions?
Extremely long to reach deep
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How are succulent plants adapted to the conditions?
They have large, fleshy stems for storing water and thick waxy skin to reduce water loss
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Some plants have small leaves or spines, what does this do?
Give them a low surface area
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What do the seeds of some plants do?
Only germinate when it rains
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How are Fennec Foxes adapted to the conditions?
They are nocturnal so can stay cool
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How are Desert iguanas adapted to the conditions?
Able to tolerate high body temperatures
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How are Camels adapted to the conditions?
They store large amounts of fat which they can beak down into water when needed, triple eyelids, long eyelashes and they can close their nostrils
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Where are the highest areas of biodiversity?
Around ponds or rives and desert margins
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Where are the areas with the most people?
Water
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How does development around desert margins affect animals?
Because their habitats are being divided up by roads
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How is global warming affecting animals?
Making desserts hotter and drier and animals are being forced to move to cooler areas
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What countries does the Sahara cover?
Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria,
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What is morocco?
The world's largest exporter of phosphate
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What is Algeria?
A leader in oil exploration and extraction
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What % of Algeria's income comes from oil extraction?
60%
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What is the benefit of the sun?
It shines for at least 12hrs
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What is being planned in Tunisia?
Planned to supply enough electricity to meet the needs of 2 million homes in Western Europe by 2018
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What are tourist activities in the Sahara?
Camel Trekking in Morocco and city visiting in Mrrakech
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What it the population of the Sahara?
2 million
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What can high temperatures cause?
Illness or death and healthcare may be far away
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What else can hot temperatures cause?
It is often too hit for tourists so employment in tourism is seasonal
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What is the problem with the Sahara being huge?
People and materials have to travel long distances often by air and expensive
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What is the average annual rainfall of the Sahara?
Less than 70mm in some places
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What are used to extract water form in the Sahara?
Deep Boreholes
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What is the problem with Boreholes?
It isn't sustainable
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What is desertification?
Degradation of land so that it becomes more desert like
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What is a key part of desertification?
Soil erosion
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Why is soil erosion a key part?
Exposed easily removed by wind or water
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How does rainfall cause desertification?
Because there is going to be less rain due to climate change so more plants will die
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How does temperature cause desertification?
Temperatures expected to increase so more water evaporates and makes soils drier
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How does the removal of fuel wood cause desertification?
Many people rely on wood for fuel for cooking and the removal means the soil is easily eroded
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How does over cultivation cause desertification?
If crops are planted in the same area all nutrients get used up
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How does population growth cause desertification?
Because this puts pressure on the land leading to more deforestation, more overgrazing and more over cultivation
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How can water management reduce desertification?
Growing crops that don't need much water and using drip irrigation so soil isn't eroded
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How can tree planting reduce desertification?
Act as windbreaks to protect soil and stabilise sand to prevent desert form encroaching farm land
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How can soil management reduce desertification?
Leaving areas of land to rest in between grazing or planting lets them recover their nutrients
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How can appropriate technology reduce desertification?
Cheap, sustainable and available materials that are easy for local people to maintain
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What are some examples of appropriate technology?
Sand fences to trap windblown sand, terraces which stabalise soil.
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How can the rate of deforestation be reduced?
By using solar cookers which use the sun's energy to cook food.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What is the soil like in a hot desert?

Back

Shallow, with a coarse gravelly texture. Isn't very fertile

Card 3

Front

What are the plants like in a hot desert?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What are the animals like in a hot desert?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What are the people like in a hot desert?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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