Deserts Flashcards
Evaluate the potential hot deserts have for large scale agriculture
The three things you need for crops to grow are sunlight, soil and water; deserts have an abundance of sunlight so that’s not the issue, what deserts need is water. If deserts has more water this would allow plants to grow in the sand, this attracts animals and once they die and decay their nutrients turn the sand into nutrient rich soil which is ideal for agriculture. Therefore all deserts need to become ideal for large scale agriculture is a massive amount of water, however this would cost a huge amount of money. This would not be possible with many of the worlds deserts as they are found in LICs.
what is the name of the case study for deserts?
USA’s Western Desert
what are some opportunities of development in a hot desert?
-farming
-mineral extraction
-energy
-tourism
how has a hot desert created opportunities for farming?
-high temperatures and sunlight are favourable for agriculture, provided water can be found for irrigation
-aquifers: large stores of water lie beneath some desert regions, this water can be brought to the surface and can be used in aquifer based farming to grow crops
how has a hot desert created opportunities for mineral extraction?
-the western desert states are rich in minerals but not all these opportunities have been exploited due to possible conflict with other land users
how has a hot desert created opportunities for energy?
-strong insulation in deserts is good for solar power
-hydroelectric power plants supply western desert communities with power, these are powered by water leaving Lake Mead
-people drill for oils and fossil fuels to use for energy
how has a hot desert created opportunities for tourism?
-tourism has become the western deserts most important source of income
-the national park offers a wilderness area including the grand canyon
-the heritage and culture of native americans is celebrated in museums
-the entirety of Las Vegas’ economy is built off of enetertainment
what are the challenges of developing hot deserts?
-there is no settled population in some areas due to very high temperatures which is reaching the survival limit for plants
-lacks surface roads, accessibility is hard, tourists must find their own way
-there is a physical limit to how much water can be supplied
the benefits of using the River Colorado
-farming and tourism flourishes
-the Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon dam smooth out the Colorado’s flow through the year and remove its flood peaks
-Colorado’s giant reservoirs bring water to cities
-the Colorado’s aqueducts bring life giving water to farms
the drawbacks of using the River Colorado
-silts and sands get trapped behind both dams leaving the water colder
-the river ecosystem has changed and many species have been lost
-sandbanks along the river are smaller and the amount of animals that live there have declined
how have people adapted to the climate of the hot desert?
-traditional native american housing is earth houses made of wooden frames packed with clay and thatched with grass (the earth walls keeps the house cool in the day and keep it warm in the night)
-flat rooves to help collect rainwater
-small houses to reduce sunlight and keep temperatures low inside
-whitewashed walls to reflect sunlight and keep buildings cool
-outdoors they wear wide brimmed cowboy hats to prevent sunburn
-recent water shortages have led people to change their behaviour (old sports pitches have been replaced with fake grass and people have adopted drought resistant desert landscaping in their gardens)
how have kangaroo rats adapated to survive in the desert?
-they need very little water to survive and can receive all the moisture it needs from plants
-they don’t sweat or pant to keep cool
how have acacia trees adapted to survive in the desert?
-have short wide trunks so they can store water in them to use in periods of no rainfall
-their bark is also thick which makes them fire resistant in extreme heat
where are hot deserts found?
between 20° and 30° north and south of the equator
how much rainfall do deserts get each year?
less than 250mm
