Hobbies And Interests
Sahara Desert
The Sahara Desert stretches across the northern portion of the African continent. At its center, huge sand dunes make life very difficult. Other regions of the Sahara are more rocky and scrubby. Aquifers reach the surface in some places to form oases. For reasons not entirely clear, the Sahara Desert has expanded over the last 5,000 years. Many areas that were fertile and productive have suffered desertification. Some experts believe a combination of land overuse and climate change are slowly transforming all of North Africa into one vast desert.
Gobi Desert
The Gobi Desert in central Asia spreads across a high plateau. Rugged mountains, flat basins and sand dunes are all found within the Gobi. The Himalayan Mountains to the south catch any clouds and moisture streaming north from the Indian Ocean. The largest desert in Asia, the Gobi's elevation means that snow and ice are common in colder months. Temperatures in winter can plummet well below zero, while the summer heat tops 120 F. The Gobi is a growing desert, swallowing up grassland in China at a steady rate.
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert lies in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. The mountains catch most of the moisture from the Pacific Ocean, meaning the Mojave gets only a few inches of rain per year. Tough, scrubby plants are common throughout this desert. One of these plants, the Joshua tree, is unique to the Mojave Desert. The rapid urbanization of the West has put a lot of strain on the Mojave, with agricultural and municipal water needs draining the aquifers and river systems.
Atacama Desert
Some areas of the Atacama Desert in Chile have not seen rain for hundreds of years. Ironically, the driest desert on Earth occupies a narrow strip of land hugging the Pacific Ocean, the world's largest body of water. The arid landscape is so severe that it's been considered as a testing ground for lunar rovers. Some regions of the Atacama are as lifeless as any place on Earth, lacking even bacteria or fungi. Human and animal remains are exceptionally well-preserved in this sort of climate.
Frozen Deserts
The regions near the Earth's poles receive more precipitation than most other deserts, but still not enough to support a wider variety of life. Greenland, Antarctica and the northern reaches of Europe, Asia and North America all qualify as deserts based on their scant rainfall totals. Temperatures are extremely cold in winter, with complete darkness for long stretches of time. Indigenous peoples are fishers and hunters as the climate cannot support agriculture. Most plants are small and low to the ground, and animal life is equally adapted to the conditions.