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deserts
geography
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Deserts | a dry arid area of land with less than 250ml of precipitation |
Cold desert | are permanently frozen with long, cold winters and short, mild summers |
Arid | is a land with under 250ml or no rain and to dry, barren to support vegetation |
The rain shadow effect | An area having relatively little precipitation due to the effect of a topographic barrier, especially a mountain range, that causes the prevailing winds to lose their moisture on the windward side, causing the leeward side to be dry. |
Semi-arid | climates tend to support short or scrubby vegetation, with semi-arid areas usually dominated by either grasses or shrubs. To determine if a location has a semi-arid climate, the precipitation threshold must first be determined. |
desertification | is where the desert speads becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife. It is caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities |
salinity | is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water |
hydrologic | what happens in the water |
atmospheric processes | what happens in the atmosphere |
geomorphic | ground |
biotic | living things |