Arid climate is characterized by arid conditions. It is characterized by significant jumps in air temperature throughout the day. In areas with arid climate, a slight amount of precipitation is observed - not more than 150 mm / year.
Signs of arid type of climate
Territories with arid climate are characterized by the presence of sandy terrain. This is due to the following. As a result of significant fluctuations in daily temperatures, both upward and downward, there is a systematic destruction of even the hardest rocks. The impact on the soil of strong winds leads to the formation of a wavy relief. Freely transported masses of dry rocks form all kinds of sand dunes and dunes.
In general, the arid climate is characterized by:
- the clarity of the sky;
- a sufficiently high level of moisture condensation at night;
- rapid evaporation of water from the soil in the daytime;
- strong winds, the blow of which prevents the formation of clouds, and as a result - heavy rainfall;
- significant temperature fluctuations throughout the day.
Climate of hot deserts
The area where there is a hot arid climate is located in the subtropical zone. Cloudy weather is observed in such areas throughout the year. This contributes to the maintenance of a stable high atmospheric pressure and the presence of numerous downward air flows.
In areas with a hot arid climate, extremely high air temperatures are maintained during the daytime. Sometimes the thermometer reaches above 40 ° C. With the onset of night, the temperature drops below 0 ° C. Such significant jumps occur as a result of rapid heat loss in a cloudless sky. In other words, because of the extremely low cloudiness, the so-called greenhouse effect does not occur. At the same time, frosts in hot arid climates are extremely rare.
The climax points of the arid climate of hot deserts:
- Africa - Nubian and Libyan deserts, Sahara, Namib, Kalahari;
- Middle East - Deshte Lut desert, Arabian and Syrian deserts ;
- South Asia - Thar Desert;
- Mexico and the USA - the deserts of Sonora Chihuahua and Mojave;
- Australia - Victoria Desert.
Arid climate of cold deserts
Climate zones with a cold subtype of arid climate are characterized by arid, hot summers. However, very cold winters are observed in such areas. Average temperatures are kept below 0 ° C.
Regions with a cold arid climate are in high latitudes in comparison with areas where a hot arid climate is observed. This is usually a temperate zone. Here, the maintenance of arid conditions is facilitated by mountain ranges that prevent heavy rainfall.
A striking example of a cold arid climate is the Gobi Desert, which is located on the territory of Mongolia. This region has extremely hot, dry summers and cold winters with strong, piercing winds.
Other examples of cold arid climates are the Ladakh region of India, the Kyzyl Kum desert in Central Asia, the arid regions in the western United States, known as the Deserts of the Great Basin.
It is noteworthy that very little precipitation falls in the Antarctic and Arctic zones. However, conditions here are not classified as arid, but as a polar climate.
Mild subtype of arid climate
The so-called mild, tropical arid climate is characteristic of coastal continental zones in the western hemisphere. In South America, these are separate areas of the Atacama Desert, close to the ocean. An example is the southern and central coast of Peru. As for North America, a mild arid climate is observed on the California Peninsula.
Zones with a mild subtype of arid climate are characterized by maintaining moderate ambient temperatures throughout the year, in comparison with other territories that are in the same latitudes. However, the terrain in such areas is as arid as in a cold or hot arid climate. The proximity to the coasts of cold currents, which affect the maintenance of insignificant cloud cover, contributes to the formation of such conditions.