A desert is a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and, as a result, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of water makes it difficult for plants to grow, and the extreme temperatures and dry air can be challenging for animals to survive.
There are several types of deserts, including hot and dry, semi-arid, coastal, and cold. Hot and dry deserts, such as the Sahara in Africa and the Mojave in North America, are characterized by extreme heat and a lack of moisture. Semi-arid deserts, such as the Sonoran in North America and the Patagonian in South America, receive slightly more rainfall and have a wider range of temperatures. Coastal deserts, such as the Atacama in South America and the Namib in Africa, are found along the coasts and are influenced by cool sea breezes and fog. Cold deserts, such as the Gobi in Asia and the Great Basin in North America, experience cold winters and have very little vegetation.
Despite their harsh conditions, deserts are home to a variety of unique and adapted plant and animal species. Cacti, succulents, and other drought-resistant plants are able to survive in the dry desert climate. Animals such as camels, snakes, and rodents have adapted to the desert environment and are able to conserve water and survive in the extreme heat.
Deserts also have cultural and economic significance. Many desert regions have been inhabited by human societies for centuries, and they have played an important role in the development and trade of goods such as silk, spices, and gold. Today, deserts are used for a variety of purposes, including mining, tourism, and military training.
Overall, deserts are vast and diverse regions that are home to unique and adapted plant and animal life and have played an important role in human history and culture. Despite their harsh conditions, they remain a fascinating and important part of our planet.
Short notes on desert development programme
Soon the grasses die back further, and the mesquite expands. Stressful as the great drought was, no species is known to have been completely eradicated. Wild goats, wild sheep, yak, dogs, etc. Egyptian cotton is world-famous. In this way, they escape the extreme temperatures and can conserve water.
It is classified as hot deserts or cold deserts. Sand dune stabalisation and shelter belt plantation are the key activities in sandy areas, apart from development of dairy, irrigation facilities, forestation and pastures. Overgrazed grasses with poor root systems cannot compete for water with mesquite. A desert is any large and dry area mostly dominated by sand or rocks, that receives little rainfall, and have unfavorable conditions for crops and agriculture, and poses harsh living conditions for human-beings. The seven-year drought that struck in 1933 drastically altered the species composition of the unplowed parities, most of which had been subjected to heavy grazing.
The Desert Biome: Facts, Characteristics, Types Of Desert, Life In Deserts
Camels, hyenas, jackals, foxes, scorpions, many varieties of snakes and lizards are the prominent animal species living there. Question 2: For what reason is the Thar Desert known as the richest desert on the planet? ADVERTISEMENTS: Land use data compiled from 1951-52 to 1973-74 for the 12 western districts of Rajasthan indicate that land in this region, by and large, is unsuitable for cultivation and 50% of it is accounted for by current fallow, long fallows, cultural wastes and uncultivable barren lands Mann et al. Of the 68 species, 29 species are recorded in the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, requiring changing levels of assurance. Deserts land surfaces are varied. Elsewhere they growl very few crops, especially millets, jowar-bajraai coarse grains. Sometimes these are extremely hot and sometimes cold.
The important areas covered by the desert include Barmer , Jaisalmer , jodhpur, bikaner , Suratgarh and Ganganagar. Because water is in short supply, plant production in deserts is the lowest of any biome on earth. The air at this altitude is so thin that the heat of the sun can be felt intensely. During the daytime, the temperature reaches up to 50 degrees Celsius and during the night, the temperature becomes cold by going down to 0 degrees Celsius. The flora and fauna of deserts have adapted to cope with harsh, dry conditions.
This species has no tadpole stage but develops from an egg directly into an adult — an adaptation to its arid environment. Such survival would be expected, for only a small portion of the seeds of wild plants will sprout upon encountering favourable conditions. Some famous monasteries are Hemis, Thiksey, Shey and Lamayuru. It is a separate Union Territory in India with capital Leh. These revision notes are the best study material for Geography due to several reasons.
Barchan, frequently composed as Barkhan, is a sickle molded sand hill framed by the activity of wind from a solitary course. They got milk from them and hides as well which is used to make leather for belts, water bottles, etc. Polar air is very dry and produces little or no rain. If you want to understand these concepts more accurately and to make detailed notes, then go through the given link CBSE Class 7 Geography Chapter 9. In some regions natural grasslands have been replaced by weedy desert vegetation. Guptaai I Krishnaswami 1958 have made a detailed studyi I these soils and have concluded that much of the sail I is not locally derived. Life of people is undergoing change due to modernisation.
[PDF Notes] Short notes on Drought, Dust, and Deserts 2023
Such as Gangri glacier. American Association for the Advancement of Science: Science Mag. It has also caused air pollution due to gaseous pollutants like sculpture dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxides and hydrocarbons, etc. The hills are terraced by continuous rows of sheep paths. The air at this elevation is so thin that the warmth of the sun can be felt intensely.
Robins, redstarts, Tibetan snowcock, raven and hoopoe are sighted in Ladakh. The most diverse group of desert mammals are rodents. Increasing herds of sheep and cattle during the latter part of the nineteenth century had culminated in starvation of stock and disastrous economic losses when drought struck in the 1890s. Buddhism has been spread to the Tibet region from this area only. These regions are called deserts.
Short notes on Desert Ecology of India's Environment
High temperatures and low rainfall prevented crop growth on plowed fields. Mining for minerals, oil and gas disturbs the sands and brings construction and vehicles to remote areas. The big bluestem grass that could grow nearly eight feet high almost disappeared; only a deep root system and underground food reserves permitted some plants to survive. They are 100% credible with zero errors and are based on the updated CBSE syllabus and examination pattern. The drought of the 1930s was certainly not the first one Americans had known, nor was that the first time dry weather and overgrazing had damaged the grasslands and hurt the ranchers. Subtropical deserts The Sahara Desert in Africa Subtropical deserts are very hot and dry. The Thar Desert is a huge dry region covering more than 200,000 square kilometers.
Answer: Grasslands, woods, flowering, non-flowering plants, and trees are a few examples of flora. It sends roots out literally, as well as deep into the soil, sometimes as far as 8 meters 25 feet. They occur at low latitudes, to the south and north of the equator. These minerals are utilized to deliver a scope of things from concrete to composts and are in this manner significant. Yet deserts support an array of organisms that, due to a variety of remarkable and ingenious adaptations, are able to survive in this unforgiving habitat. The area experiences freezing winds and burning hot sunlight. Trucks are replacing camels in the salt trade.
