GEOL 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13.10: Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, Subtropics
18 Apr 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Arid region: receives less water as precipitation than it could lose to evaporation and other processes. Have less than 25 cm of rainfall per year. Vegetation is sparse, covering less than 15% of the ground. Some contain rivers that begin flowing from areas where rainfall is more abundant. South of the sahara is the sahel: region that is relatively dry but not quite a desert. Semiarid or steppe: a region intermediate between a true desert and a more humid climate. Vulnerable to the encroachment of deserts from the north. Recently experienced a number of devastating droughts. Has rocky mountain slopes and broad valleys that can be sandy or rocky. Joshua trees grow, but vast areas of the desert have few large plants. Sonoran desert of arizona receives more rain than mojave during summer monsoon. Has more cacti and heat adapted plants. In rain shadows associated with mountain ranges.
