DESERTS

LIFE IN THE DESERTS : 

LIFE IN THE DESERTS Efforts by:-Arpita,Anisha,Naman, Kanggan and Aashi VII - A

What is a desert ? : 

What is a desert ? A Desert is an arid region characterized by extremely high or low temperature and has scarce vegetation. It may be too hot or too cold. We have seen that water means life to plants, animals and people. It is difficult for anyone to live in places where there is no water to drink, where there is no grass for their cattle to feed on and where there is no water to help the crops to grow. Desert are an important part of nature. They are there like the dense forests and the deep oceans. Just because they are hot and cold, one should not look upon them as a useless part of the earth.

The Hot Desert-SAHARA : 

The Hot Desert-SAHARA Location

Climate : 

Climate The Climate of the Sahara desert is scorching hot and parch . It has a short rainy season. The sky is cloudless and clear. Here the moisture evaporates faster than it accumulates. Days are hot. The temperature during the day may soar as high as 50 degree centigrade. It has an area of around 8.54 million. sq. km. The Sahara Desert touches eleven countries.

Flora & Fauna : 

Flora & Fauna Vegetation in Sahara desert includes cactus, date, palms, and acacia. In some places there are oasis ,with date and palms surrounding them. Camels, hyenas, jackals, foxes, scorpions and many kinds of snakes and lizards are the prominent animals living there. Sahara Desert covers a large Part of North Africa. It is the world’s largest Desert.

People : 

People Since water is available, the people grow date palms. The discovery of oil, a product in great demand throughout the world, in Algeria, Libya and Egypt is constantly transforming the Sahara desert. The Sahara desert despite its harsh climate has been inhabited by various groups of people, who pursue different activities. Among them are the Bedouins and Tuaregs. These groups are nomadic tribes rearing livestock such as goats, sheep, camels and horses. The oasis in the Sahara desert and the Nile Valley in Egypt support settled population.

The Cold Desert - LADAKH : 

The Cold Desert - LADAKH Location

Climate : 

Climate Ladakh lies on the rain shadow side of the Himalayan. Where dry monsoon winds reaches Leh after being robbed of its moisture in plains and the Himalayan mountain. The district combines the condition of both arctic and desert climate. Therefore Ladakh is often called “ COLD DESERT”.

Slide 9: 

The main features of this COLD DESERT are:  Wide diurnal and seasonal fluctuations in temperature with -40C in Winter and + 35C in Summer. Precipitation is very low with annual precipitation of 10cm mainly inform of snow.  Air is very dry and relative humidity range from 6-24%.Due to high altitude and low humidity the radiation level is very high. The global solar radiation is as high as 6-7 Kwh/mm. Dust storms are very common in the afternoon. Soil is thin , sandy and porous The entire are is devoid of any natural vegetation. Irrigation is mainly through channels from the glacier-melted snow .

Flora & Fauna : 

Flora & Fauna A cold desert, Ladakh has high-speed winds, dry atmosphere, rocky and uneven terrain and very low temperature. Ladakh is situated at 4,600 m above sea level. There are hardly any trees and vegetation in sight except for the few narrow valleys that are fertile. the rarefied fauna that can be found here is of Oriental and Pale arctic type. There are animals who have adapted themselves to survive in the harsh conditions. Most common animals found here are - Yak (a wild ox), the largest animal found in Ladakh, Nyan, the largest sheep in the world, Bharal, the blue sheep and Urial, the smallest sheep in the world.

People : 

People The people in Ladakh are mainly Muslims or Buddhists. In fact several Buddhists monasteries dwell in the Ladakh landscape with their traditional ‘gompas’. In the summer season the people are busy cultivating barley, potatoes, peas, beans and turnip. The climate in winter months is very harsh. Leh, the capital of Ladakh is well connected both by road and air. Life of people is undergoing change due to modernization. But the people of Ladakh have over the centuries learned to live in balance and harmony with nature.

THANK YOU : 

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