Abiotic+Factors+Desert

= Abiotic Factors =


 * __1. Climate__**
 * __2. Precipitation__**
 * __3. Light__**
 * __4. Temperature__**
 * __5. Water__**

=__**Climate**__=

====Climate in a desert biome can be described as extremely hot and barren. Also, they are situated between the tropical regions north and south of the equator. There are three main factors that form a desert climate: the presence of high pressure which creates cloud-free conditions, cold ocean currents, and mountain ranges that create rain shadows. The humidity, water vapor in the air, is around 0 g. This is because light rains never reach the ground, as they often evaporate in the parched air. Whirlwinds are also prone to form in desert biomes. Whirlwinds are winds that can unexpectedly form when hot air collides with cold air and starts to spin rapidly (F1).====

=__**Precipitation**__=

====Although many people assume deserts don't get any precipitation at all, they average a solid 5-10 inches of rain a year. Places like the Sahara desert typically get less than 1.5 inches of rain a year, known as where evaporation exceeds the amount of precipitation. Precipitation is a significant abiotic factor because it can affect other factors in a desert biome, such as temperature and soil quality. Precipitation in a desert can take place in the form of either rain or snow. 'Hot' deserts are those that receive rain as their central form of precipitation. Contrastingly, 'Cold' deserts are those that have snow as their main form of precipitation (F2).====

(F6) =__**Light**__=

====Sunlight is a vital factor in a biome with little to no precipitation like a desert. This is because the sun is the main reason plants are able to grow in the desert, due to the little amount of water they receive. A negative effect of this light is the ultraviolet rays that can severely harm animals in this biome. The UV rays from the sun have a negative correlation to the scarcity of animals found in the desert biome (F3).====

(F7) =__**Temperature**__=

====Although deserts reach very high temperatures during the day, they drop to extremely cold temperature when the sunsets. Since the air is so arid in a desert, heat rapidly escapes during the evening. While the average temperature of a desert during daytime can exceed 100° Fahrenheit, the average during the nighttime can go below 25°. While temperatures are relatively high the whole year, they have a relation to the seasonal changes that occur. For example, temperatures will be higher in the summer time compared to the winter time. (F4) This relationship is shown in the graph presented below.====



This graph shows the variation of average temperature over a 12 month time period in El-Oasr el-Akhdar, Egypt (F8).
=**__Water__**=

====Even though it is rarely present, rain is the main source of water in the desert. This turns to the reliance on groundwater, stored in aquifers below the surface. Groundwater can remain underground for thousands of years. Sometimes, springs and seeps are formed when that water rises back to the surface. Groundwater is a replenishable resource in the desert, but if it is used up faster than it is replenished, water shortages are likely to occur. Other sources of water include rivers such as the Colorado River, which passes through three deserts in the American Southwest (F5).====

(F9)

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