The desert climate is extremely arid, with significant temperature variations depending on latitude. Based on latitude, deserts are classified into low-latitude deserts and mid-latitude deserts.
Low-latitude deserts, also known as hot deserts, are found in tropical high-pressure regions, near the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, such as the Sahara Desert in North Africa, the Arabian Desert in Southwest Asia, and the Central Australian Desert.
Mid-latitude deserts, also known as cold deserts, are located in the interior of temperate zones, such as the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia in China, and the deserts of the Southwestern United States.
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A “dust storm” in the Sahara Desert (Photo: .thesahara) |
The desert climate has several notable characteristics:
1. Little rainfall, extreme dryness: Most deserts in China receive less than 50-100mm of annual rainfall. The driest areas receive no more than 10mm, such as in the southeastern Taklamakan Desert, where the Keriya River area receives only 16.9mm; in Tokson County, the Keriya area receives just 5.9mm.
2. Sandy winds: During sandstorms, the sky is filled with dust, and sand is blown everywhere. When the wind stops, layers of sand accumulate into dunes, with the tallest dunes reaching over 400 meters.
3. Cold winters and extremely hot summers: The temperature differences throughout the year and within a single day are significant. In the Northwest deserts of China, the average temperature in January is around -20 degrees Celsius, while in July, it can reach approximately 50 degrees Celsius. The temperature difference between day and night can be even more pronounced. In the Turfan Valley, daytime summer temperatures can soar to 82.3 degrees Celsius, while nighttime temperatures can drop below 0 degrees Celsius, resulting in a difference of over 80 degrees Celsius. It can be said that the temperature fluctuations in desert climates are the most extreme among all climate types.
Life in the desert is limited to a few drought-resistant animal and plant species, such as camels, gerbils, sand worms, cacti, and some shrubs and wild apples. However, wild plants in the desert are not uncommon; according to incomplete statistics, there are about 1,000 species in China, of which more than 300 can be used for medicinal purposes.
