Table of Contents
- 1 Why do deserts not form at the equator?
- 2 Is there a greater area of desert to the north or south of the equator?
- 3 Where is the equatorial region?
- 4 Why deserts are on western side of continents Upsc?
- 5 Why are there so many deserts next to mountains?
- 6 How does the sub-tropical high pressure belt move with the seasons?
Why do deserts not form at the equator?
Most deserts are away from the equator partially because the equator has a tropical climate and warmer climates are wetter and partially because deserts result from mountains that are mostly away from the equator. For one, the equator doesnt receive the highest amount of sunlight during the year.
Why are most deserts above the equator?
With warm air rising above the equator and the cooled air falling to the north and south, two circular patterns of air movement are created around the equator. At 30 to 50 degrees north and south of the equator, this falling air makes dry air drier. It also turns the land below it into a desert.
Which desert is near equator?
Location of tropical rainforest climate Most hot deserts are found near the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, between 15-30° north and south of the Equator. The largest hot desert is the Sahara in Africa which spans the whole width of the continent. Hot deserts have an extreme climate and challenging environment.
Is there a greater area of desert to the north or south of the equator?
Deserts cover more than one-fifth of the Earth’s land area, and they are found on every continent. The hot deserts of the world are located between 15° and 30° north or south of the equator, where the air is subsiding or sinking air (find out why deserts are found along the tropics here).
How are deserts formed on Earth?
Deserts are formed by weathering processes as large variations in temperature between day and night put strains on the rocks which consequently break in pieces. Rocks are smoothed down, and the wind sorts sand into uniform deposits. The grains end up as level sheets of sand or are piled high in billowing sand dunes.
What type of climate is found near the equator?
The climate region near the equator with warm air masses is known as tropical. In the tropical zone, the average temperature in the coldest month is 18 °C. This is warmer than the average temperature of the warmest month in the polar zone.
Where is the equatorial region?
The equatorial region is located between 5° and 10° latitude on either side of the equator. It stretches in the Amazon lowlands in South America, Congo basin in Africa and the East Indies, from Sumatra to New Guinea. Being located near the equator, it is characterized by high sunshine throughout the year.
What is the largest desert in the world?
The 10 Biggest Deserts on Earth
- Syrian Desert.
- Great Victoria Desert.
- Patagonian Desert.
- Kalahari Desert.
- Gobi Desert.
- Arabian Desert.
- Sahara. A dust storm whips over the western Sahara in January 2013. (
- Antarctica. Antarctica is the world’s largest desert.
Which continent has the largest area of hot desert?
The largest desert on earth is the Antarctic desert, covering the continent of Antarctica with a size of around 5.5 million square miles….Ranking of the largest deserts on earth (in million square miles)
| Desert (Type) | Surface area in million square miles |
|---|---|
| Antarctic (polar) | 5.5 |
| Arctic (polar) | 5.4 |
Why deserts are on western side of continents Upsc?
The trade winds prevail in the lower portion of the earth’s atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere. These winds become dry when they reach the western sides of the continents, and hence don’t bring any rain with them. As these regions become devoid of moisture, deserts are formed.
What makes Antarctica a desert?
Antarctica is a desert. It does not rain or snow a lot there. When it snows, the snow does not melt and builds up over many years to make large, thick sheets of ice, called ice sheets. Antarctica is made up of lots of ice in the form of glaciers, ice shelves and icebergs.
How does topography contribute to the formation of desert areas?
The presence of mountains can contribute to an area, such as a desert, getting little rainfall. Mountains cause hot air to cool, which means less water can be held in the air. The other side of the mountain will get no rain, and mountains will split the area, creating both humid woodlands and dry deserts.
Why are there so many deserts next to mountains?
Deserts next to mountains are in part due to the rain shadow. As moist air rises across a mountain range, it rains, and that happens on the windward side of the mountain. The leeward side becomes a desert.
How does the leeward side of a mountain range become a desert?
The leeward side becomes a desert. So make sure that the prevailing winds are parallelto the mountain range, not acrossit, and perhaps that the land rises in the direction of the wind. Basically a T-shaped mountain range, which puts each area on the windward side of the cross of the T.
What makes Africa’s climate unique?
X-PLANATION Characteristics and Position of Africa’s Major Climate Regions Africa’s position is relatively unique in the sense that it almost has a mirror image of climate zones to the north and South of the Equator with regard to latitude.
How does the sub-tropical high pressure belt move with the seasons?
The sub-tropical High Pressure Belt also migrates with the seasonal movement of the overhead sun. Areas in Africa have their rainfall season when the heat Equator moves into its respective hemisphere. Figure 2 is more simplified. It shows conditions for an Equinox with the overhead sun over the Equator.