Desert+Podcast


 * __Extra Credit__: Climate of the Desert Podcast**


 * Link to "The Climate of the Desert" Podcast**


 * Transcript**

Welcome to this podcast, which goes in depth on the climate of the desert biome. In order to analyze trends of the desert climate, the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period of time, we must define what generally a desert is classified as, in addition to identifying its general characteristics. The desert is one of the seven main types of biomes on our Earth, covering about one fifth of the Earth's surface, and classified as areas where rainfall is less than 50 centimeters per year, otherwise known as where evaporation exceeds the amount of precipitation (EC1). With respect to the general locations of deserts, most deserts, such as the Sahara of North Africa and those of the southwestern United States and Mexico occur and lower latitudes when compared to other types of deserts (commonly referred to as cold deserts,) which occur in basin areas and ranges, examples of which being areas in Utah and Nevada, in addition to areas in parts of western Asia (EC1) . Contrary to normal belief, most deserts have a great amount of not only simple vegetation, but specialized vegetation, in addition to specialized organisms, including vertebrates and other animals. The specialized vegetation is the result of the abundance of nutrients in soil desert, due to the fact that water is their only need to become productive (EC1) . Disturbances in the desert usually consist of fires, cold weather, or even intense rains that may cause flooding (EC1) . These characteristics, in essence, are due to the weather conditions of the desert biome - the climate.

As common belief suggests, the desert's climate is generally very hot and dry. Not many organisms (both plants and animals) can survive, which means that the organisms that do, in fact, survive, have adapted, or have changed their way of living, to fit the needs of the environment in which they live and that of the torturous climate the desert tends to have (EC2). Although days are characterized by excessive heat in the desert, during the night, it cools down to extremely cold temperatures. This may be attributed to the fact that Deserts are usually located in areas near the equator (EC2).

With respect to precipitation in the desert, these biomes receive less than 25 to 50 centimeters of rain a year, receiving the least amounts of rain during the spring and summer (EC2). The temperatures for the desert change greatly from day to night, as can be seen from these trends. The temperatures get so hot during the day that they sometimes cause you to hallucinate. During winter, the temperatures are lower than usual, in spring and summer it gets hotter, and in the fall, the weather does, in fact, cool down. Thank you for joining me on this podcast.

Home Bibliography