A hot desert climate has extremely high average temperatures and little rainfall.

To be categorized as a
dessert, these places must get less than 250mm of annual rainfall. This is one of the crucial topics in
geography. Thus, a detailed understanding of this topic is very crucial.

Hot Desert Climate

 Deserts are areas where evaporation outnumbers rainfall.

 There are primarily two types: hot deserts, such as those found in the Sahara, and temperate
deserts, such as those found in the Gobi.

Distribution - The world's major hot deserts are found on the western shores of continents between 15°
and 30°N and S latitudes.

Distribution of Deserts
Reason for their Clustered Distribution

 The hot deserts are found along the Horse Latitudes or Subtropical High-Pressure Belts, where the
air is falling, making it difficult for precipitation to form.
 The Trade that brings rain winds blows off-shore, and on-shore Westerlies blow outside the
desert's boundaries.
 Whatever breezes reach the deserts, they blow from cooler to warmer locations, lowering relative
humidity and preventing condensation.
 In the endless blue sky, there are hardly any clouds. The relative humidity levels are exceptionally
low, ranging from 60% in coastal areas to less than 30% in arid interiors.
 Every drop of rainfall evaporates in such conditions, and deserts become permanent drought zones.
 Precipitation is scanty and notoriously unreliable.
 The presence of cold currents on the western beaches causes mists and fog by cooling the
oncoming air.
 Contact with the hot terrain warms the air, and little rain falls as a result.
 The cold Peruvian Current's desiccating effect along the Chilean coast is so strong that the Atacama
Desert receives only 1.3 cm of annual rainfall.

Climate

 The effects of off-shore Trade Winds are primarily responsible for the aridity of the hot deserts,
which is why they are also known as Trade Wind Deserts.
 The world's major hot deserts are found on the western shores of continents between 15° and
30°N. and S.
  They include the greatest Sahara Desert, Great Australian Desert, Arabian Desert, Iranian Desert,
Thar Desert, Kalahari, and Namib Deserts.
 The desert in North America stretches from Mexico to the United States and is known by several
names depending on where you are, such as the Mohave, Sonoran, Californian, and Mexican
Deserts.
 The Atacama or Peruvian Desert is the driest of all deserts in South America (rain shadow
effect and off-shore trade winds) with less than 2 cm of annual rainfall.

Rainfall

 Deserts, whether hot or mid-latitude, receive less than 25 cm of yearly precipitation.

 The Atacama Desert (the world's driest place) receives almost little rain.
 Rain usually falls in the form of strong convectional thunderstorms.
 It 'bursts' out of nowhere and pours for several hours over limited areas.
 The thunderstorm is so powerful and occurs at such a fast pace that it causes flash floods in desert
terrain.

Temperature

 In the scorching deserts, there is no winter season, and the average summer temperature is around
30°C.
 A clear, cloudless sky, intense insolation, dry air, and a rapid rate of evaporation are the obvious
causes of the high temperatures.
 Coastal deserts have substantially lower temperatures due to the ocean influence and the cooling
effect of the cold currents.
 Summers in the desert interiors, on the other hand, are substantially hotter, while winters are
bitterly cold.
 The temperature in the deserts varies dramatically during the day. During the day, in a place with
dry air and no clouds, intense insolation causes the temperature to rise with the sun.
 However, once the sun sets, the ground loses a lot of heat through radiation, and the mercury
levels plummet.
 Hot deserts are known for their wide diurnal temperature fluctuation. The average diurnal
temperature ranges from 14 to 25 degrees Celsius.
 In the winter, frosts can occur at any time of day or night.

Plant adaptations - xerophytic

Plants with adaptations which allow them to live in hot and dry conditions are called xerophytic. The
following adaptations allow plants to survive in the hot desert environment:

 Small leaves - these ensure that less water is lost from the plant by transpiration because the leaf has a
smaller surface area.
 Tap roots - these are long roots (7-10 metres long) that reach deep under the ground to access water
supplies. The tap roots are much longer and bigger than the plant which is visible at the surface.
 Spines - some plants have spines instead of leaves, eg cactuses. Spines lose less water than leaves so are
very efficient in a hot climate. Spines also prevent animals from eating the plant.
 Waxy skin - some leaves have a thick, waxy skin on their surface. This reduces water loss by
transpiration.
 Water storage - some plants, known as succulents, store water in their stems, leaves, roots or even
fruits. Plants which store water in their leaves and stems also have a thick waxy skin so that they lose
less water by transpiration.
 Settled Cultivators

 Egyptians were able to produce numerous crops as early as 5,000 years ago thanks to the Nile's life-
giving waters.
 Wherever there are oases in the desert, some type of settled life is destined to emerge.
 These are depressions of various sizes where water rises from the earth to the surface.
 Simooms, or strong dust storms, are normally kept at bay by erecting a wall around the oasis.
 The date palm is the most significant tree. The fruit is both consumed and exported locally.
 Maize, barley, wheat, cotton, cane sugar, fruits, and vegetables are among the other crops grown.

Mining Settlers

 Immigrants scrambled into the Great Australian Desert in search of gold.

 The discovery of diamonds and copper in the Kalahari Desert has attracted a large number of white
people to the 'thirstland,' as it is known.
 The discovery of oil in various regions of the Saharan and Arabian Deserts in recent years has
altered this once-forgotten region of the world.
 Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Libya, Lebanon, Nigeria, and other oil-producing desert
countries include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Libya, Lebanon, and Nigeria.

Soil

 Desert soils are thin, sandy, rocky and generally grey in colour.
 Desert soils are very dry. When it does rain they soak up the water very quickly.
 The surface of the soil may appear crusty. This is due to the lack of rainfall. As it is so hot water is drawn
up to the surface of the soil by evaporation. As the water evaporates, salts are left behind on the surface
of the soil.
Development opportunities

 Mining - the desert has valuable reserves of minerals such as feldspar, phospherite, gypsum and kaolin.
These minerals are used to produce a range of things from cement to fertilisers and are therefore
valuable. Limestone and marble are also quarried in the area. Limestone is used for building and
producing cement, and marble is used in construction.
 Energy generation - energy is produced in the Thar Desert using solar panels. This energy is used to
clean water supplies contaminated with salt (desalination). Wind energy is also used to generate
electricity. A wind farm consisting of 75 wind turbines has the capacity to produce 60 megawatts (MW)
of electricity.
 Farming - irrigation in the Thar Desert has made commercial arable farming viable. Producing crops such
as wheat and cotton has created many jobs and generated income for the local economy.
 Tourism - the Thar Desert National Park attracts many visitors who want to see some of the 120 species
found there. Tourists explore the desert with local guides on camels. Tourism is an important source of
income and creates many jobs for local people. The multiplier effect of tourism creates many
development opportunities.
Challenges of development

 Extreme temperatures - temperatures in the Thar Desert can exceed 50°C in the summer months. It is
hard for people to farm, work in mines or as tourist guides during these months as it is simply too hot.
This makes development difficult.
 Water supply - the supply of water to the Thar Desert is precious and limited. With only 120-240 mm of
rain falling per year in the desert, water must be used sensibly and sustainably. Without water the
development of mining, farming and tourism and therefore the economy would not be possible. Some
parts of the desert have experienced over-irrigation, which has caused waterlogging of the ground. Here
the excess water has evaporated, leaving a layer of salt on the surface making it difficult to grow crops.
 Inaccessibility - the desert covers a huge area of 200,000 sq km. Most of the desert is inaccessible due to
the extreme environmental conditions and poor infrastructure. Beyond the city of Jaisalmer,
development is limited. This has created a honeypot site for tourists in Jaisalmer but not beyond.
Inaccessibility to many parts of the desert has led to greater differences between rich and poor.
Desertification is the process of land turning into desert as the quality of the soil declines over time. The
main causes of desertification include:

 Population growth - the population in some desert areas is increasing. In places where there are
developments in mining and tourism, people are attracted by jobs. An increased population is putting
greater pressure on the environment for resources such as wood and water.
 Removal of wood - in developing countries, people use wood for cooking. As the population in desert
areas increases, there is a greater need for fuel wood. When the land is cleared of trees, the roots of the
trees no longer hold the soil together so it is more vulnerable to soil erosion.
 Overgrazing - an increasing population results in larger desert areas being farmed. Sheep, cattle and
goats are overgrazing the vegetation. This leaves the soil exposed to erosion.
 Soil erosion - this is made worse by overgrazing and the removal of wood. Population growth is the
primary cause of soil erosion.
 Climate change - the global climate is getting warmer. In desert regions conditions are not only getting
warmer but drier too. On average there is less rain now in desert regions than there was 50 years ago.
Strategies to reduce desertification

 Planting more trees - the roots of trees hold the soil together and help to reduce soil erosion from wind
and rain.
 Improving the quality of the soil - this can be managed by encouraging people to reduce the number of
grazing animals they have and grow crops instead. The animal manure can be used to fertilise the crops
grown. Growing crops in this way can improve the quality of the soil as it is held together by the roots of
plants and protected from erosion. This type of farming is more sustainable.
 Water management - water can be stored in earth dams in the wet season and used to irrigate crops
during the dry season. This is an example of using appropriate technology to manage water supplies in
the desert environment.