Locations & Destinations
- Deserts cover 1/5 of the worlds surface, with a latitudinal rage of 15-28 degrees on both side of the eqator
- Most hot/tropical deserts are located in Africa and the Middle East
- examples: Sahara, Kalahari, Thar, Namib, and Sonora
Climate & Soil
- very dry with little rain
- hot/tropical deserts get under 1 inch of rain a year
- Deserts are formed by high pressure zones which warms descending air currents but the moisture evaporates before becoming rain, resulting in dry hot air absorbed but the soil
- Deserts clear skies/ atmosphere allows the suns rays to directly beat on the soil making it very hot
- Clear skies also account for cool nights, because the stored heat radiates quickly in the night
- deserts are also very dry and hot because the soil/ sand absorbs very little moisture