Science · 6 pages · 12 min
Why deserts are not all hot
A desert is defined by scant precipitation, so some deserts are cold rather than hot.
When the purchase is complete, return to the original window. It will refresh.
From the opening
A desert is a region defined by dryness, too little precipitation for the demand of the air and the ground, not by heat. Cold deserts exist where the air is dry because it is intensely cold, or because of distance from moisture and rain shadows, even when winters are severe. The opening covers aridity is the definition, not heat, cold air holds little vapor, and the Gobi and the Antarctic interior.
The rest of the brief — the later sections and the reading notes — opens after Stripe confirms payment.
Inside
- Aridity is the definition, not heat
- Cold air holds little vapor
- The Gobi and the Antarctic interior
- A cold wet coast is not a desert
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Aridity as the climatic definition of a desert
- Cold deserts, including polar deserts and the Gobi