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GCSE Geography *** > Hot Deserts > Flashcards

Hot Deserts Flashcards

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1
Q

Physical characteristics of a hot deserts

A
  • receives less than 250mm of rainfall per year
  • temperatures fluctuate from 50* in the day to 0* at night
  • it is dry and arid
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2
Q

Soils in a desert

A
  • weathering and winds cause dunes

* soil is fertile when irrigated as minerals such as calcium haven’t been leached

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3
Q

Interdependence in the desert

A
  • people depend on animals for food and produce
  • plants rely on nutrients in the soil
  • soil rely on plants dead matter for their nutrients, and help retain water as plants shade the soil, plants also stops leaching in wetter seasons
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4
Q

What adaptions do camels have ?

A
  • eyelashes : help keep sand out of their eyes
  • heat loss: large surface area to volume ratio maxims heat loss
  • long time without water : lose very little through urination and sweating
  • thick &a thin fur : thick fur on top of camels body to shade it from sun. Thin fur on its legs for easy heat loss
  • food shortage : a fatty hump which provides energy in times of food shortage
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5
Q

What adaptions do cactus’ have ?

A
  • waxy coating on stem : helps reduce water loss
  • succulents : plant store water in stems
  • no leaves : helps reduce water loss during photosynthesis
  • hair : leaves with hair protects the plant from excessive sunlight
  • long roots : areas of ground are covered by roots below the cacti, so that deep ground water can be absorbed
  • spikes and spines : stop animals eating the plants for water
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6
Q

What is the biodiversity like in the amazon ?

A
  • biodiversity is fragile
  • there is limited food for the animals to survive so if a species dies out it will have a huge effect on other species
  • it’s also harder to find alternative food source
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7
Q

Location of the western desert

A
  • Western USA

* covers Arizona and parts of Utah, Nevada, California, and New Mexico

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8
Q

How many square kilometres does the western desert cover?

A

200,000km2

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9
Q

What are the development opportunities in the western desert ?

A
  • mineral extraction
  • tourism
  • migration
  • farming
  • energy
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10
Q

Why is mineral extraction a development opportunity ?

A
  • the western desert is rich in minerals such as copper, uranium and other elements
  • some of these haven’t been extracted due to conflict with tourists and farmers
  • mining was discouraged due to lack of water sources however one was found later on
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11
Q

Why is tourism development opportunity?

A
  • tourism has become the western deserts most important source of income
  • Las Vegas attracts 37 million people each year
  • National parks bring lots of tourism as they offer people a wilderness area
  • Lakes such as Lake Mead, and Lake Powell have been created as a water management project, they attract 2 million visitors a year through sailing and waterskiing
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12
Q

Why is migration a development opportunity?

A
  • Arizona is home to the Navajo people

* in 1800s europeans migrated here

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13
Q

Why is farming a development opportunity?

A
  • farming is thriving due to high temperatures and sunlight, provided water can be found for Irrigation
  • canals : most canals are use for large-scale industrialise agriculture
  • Aquifers , Are large stores of water lying beneath some hot desert regions. This water can be brought to the surface by digging a well. There are aquifers in California in Coachella Valley which produces lush crops
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14
Q

Why is energy a development opportunity?

A

• The strong insolation in the desert provide a fantastic opportunity for solar power
• The Sonoran Solar project in Arizona is a new solar project plants, it will provide energy for 100,000 homes
• Lakemead also produces hydroelectric power when it’s water leaves it
People have been drilling for fossil feels since 1905. There are 25 active oil production sites now

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15
Q

Why is development in the western desert uneven?

A
  • high-temperature is mean less or no settled population in certain areas
  • in the Mojave desert’s Death Valley, temperatures approaching 50°C in July
  • there is a low carrying capacity of the land
  • native American settled in areas where temperatures were tolerable for themselves and their crops and animals
  • indigenous communities form near water either rivers or aquifers also their food (wild animals) live near water sources
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16
Q

What does carrying capacity mean?

A

The maximum number of people and area of land can support before environmental damage occurs

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17
Q

Why is accessibility a challenge in the western desert?

A
  • The low population density of less than one person per square kilometre means part of the western desert lack surface roads
  • even if there are roads or tracks the temperatures make it dangerous if your car breaks down
  • in 2015 and elderly tourist died of dehydration after getting lost off-road in Mojave desert
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18
Q

How have people adapted to the climate in the western desert?

A
  • copapah people lived in Earth houses
  • had flat roofs to help collect rainwater
  • were small to reduce sunlight and keep temperature is low inside
  • had whitewashed walls to reflect sunlight and keep buildings cool
  • Outdoors people wear straw hats to prevent sunburn
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19
Q

How is the population distributed in the western desert?

A
  • loss Angeles, long beach and San Diego a highly populated with more than 200 people per kilometre squared
  • Las Vegas is also highly populated
  • Nevada have less than one person per kilometre squared it is because of high temperatures, lack of water and inaccessibility
20
Q

Why is Las Vegas so highly populated ?

A

• Las Vegas is also highly populated this is because in 1800 rail road developers moved and realise Las Vegas valley was rich in water, and perfect for a train station, soon after the first balloon, shops and hotels, better roads were laid in 1900. It can now have over 37 million people annually

21
Q

Why is there a limited water supply in the western desert?

A

This is due to population growth :
• there is a water crisis due to the population increasing however the water supply is not this is occurring in the Colorado river

22
Q

How long is the Colorado river ?

A

2300 km

23
Q

What fills The Colorado river?

A

• By melt water from the Rockies and wind river mountains, this water is transported through USA and down to Mexico

24
Q

Why is here variation in the Colorado’s river discharge?

A

• The snowmelt brings huge volumes of water in the summer, the Colorado has a very low flow between September and April due to no meltwater filling the river

25
Q

What two dams built and when?

And what do they help do to the Colorado river?

A
  • The hoover dam was built in 1935
  • The Glen Canyon dam was built in 1963
  • the two dams and their reservoirs smooth out the Colorado’s flow through the year and remove its flood peaks and also bring additional benefits
26
Q

What are the benefits of the two Dams ?

A
  • The Colorado’s giant reservoir brings water to cities throughout the western desert. Including Phoenix , San Diego and Las Vegas
  • The Colorado’s aqueducts bring life-giving water to farms growing fruit and vegetables in places like Coachella. The total agricultural benefits I calculate it to be US$1.5 billion per year
  • 1.4 million acres of land is irritated by the Colorado river. This irrigated soil produces 15% of the USA is crops and 13% of its livestock
27
Q

What is the total agricultural benefits of the Colorado river to the USA ?

A

$1.5 million per year

28
Q

How many acres of land does the Colorado river irrigate?

A

1.4 million

29
Q

What percentage of the USAs crops does the Irrigate soil caused by the Colorado river grow ?

A

15%

30
Q

What percentage of the USAs livestock does the Colorado river support?

A

13%

31
Q

The disadvantages of the two dams?

A
  • Salt and sand gets trapped behind both dams, because the silt is too deep in the water for the sunlight to reach and warm up it up it makes the reservoir colder than The lower reservoir. As a result, the rivers ecosystem has changed many species have been lost
  • because of the reservoirs, locals rivers have been starved of sediment, therefore the sandbanks are smaller . Plants and animals that live on the sandbanks have also declined, e.g. Willow flycatcher ma
32
Q

Why is the population growth in the western desert major concern?

A
  • 30 million people in the Southwest USA depend on water from the Colorado
  • places like Phoenix’s population is meant to double by 2050
  • there is a physical limit to how much water can be taken from the Colorado
  • there is also a political agreement with Mexico, stating water must be allowed to flow into Mexico
33
Q

Causes of desertification

A
  • population growth
  • removal of wood
  • climate change
  • soil erosion
  • overgrazing
  • Overcultivation
34
Q

Why is population growth a cause of desertification ?

A

• as population increases there is an increase in livestock, which eats more vegetation, this means the amount of vegetation is reduced, so there are no plant to intercept the rain and the soil is left exposed to hot sun so bakes and cracks

35
Q

Why is removal of wood a cause of desertification?

A
  • people collect more firewood keep warm at night or for food
  • this leaves the ground exposed to the sun so the soil bakes and cracks, and no more vegetation can grow
36
Q

Why is climate change because of desertification?

A
  • climate change is making temperatures hotter and rainfall less reliable and more variable
  • rivers and water holes are drying up, this means less water for plants and therefore they die
37
Q

Why is soil erosion a cause of desertification ?

A
  • Overcultivation and overgrazing both result in soil erosion
  • because of drought and or animals eating the vegetation the topsoil is exposed to the Sun which bakes it hard
  • when there is rainfall the soil cannot absorb the water and the surface run-off washes the soil away
38
Q

Why is overgrazing a cause of desertification?

A
  • if animals overgraze one area for too long, all the vegetation is eaten and unable to regrow
  • Nomadic groups used to wander freely, following the rain where ever it fell. They would leave land before all the vegetation was gone, giving it a chance to recover.
  • civil war and political instability also force herders to stay too long in places
39
Q

Why is overcultivation a cause of deforestation?

A
  • overcropping land can exhaust soil is fertility

* aquifers have been drained dry because of overcultivation

40
Q

Why is the population growing in desert frindges ?

A
  • Great life expectancy
  • migration caused by drought and desertification, people will then be displaced to another area, increasing other areas population
  • higher birthrate
  • The increase in climate change refugees have being forced to move into desert fringes, because of conflicts in the Sahel region
41
Q

What project are used to tackle desertification ?

A
  • planting acacia trees
  • stone lines
  • planting pits
  • great green wall
42
Q

How does planting acacia trees help tackle desertification ?

A
  • desertification has caused trees to disappear
  • The acacia tree project was created by the UN in 2004
  • The planting of acacia trees provide shelter for their crops
  • it is a native tree so doesn’t change the biodiversity
  • it restores the soils fertility
  • The trees also remove CO2 from the atmosphere
  • they also provide food as fruits and creates biodiversity
  • The trees stormwater and prevent soil erosion which means water can infiltrate
  • it’s shades the crops
  • The trees leaves, when they decompose, create nutrients in the soil
43
Q

How does stone lines prevent desertification ?

A
  • large stones are laid in long lines by hand in pits along the contours of the land
  • Stonelines slow down the water by placing the stones to spread out the water across the land which water might not reach
  • if there is soil erosion the Stoneline catches the soil
  • Stonelines however don’t stop the soil being baked by the sun which decreases the chance of vegetation growing
44
Q

How do you planting pits prevent desertification?

A
  • planting pets are small pets that’s around the pond catching and holding water around the plants, catching water run-off
  • The run-off that carry soil weather gets caught in the pits helping the plant grow
  • The holes, don’t start this all being baked by the sun
  • if there is too much rain the plant can drown
45
Q

How does the great green will prevent desertification?

A
  • it is a project developed by the African Union
  • it will cover 7775 km along central Africa and have a total area of 11,662,500 hectors
  • it provides green space and parks
  • many trees are not maintained properly
  • The planting and maintaining of the trees creates jobs
  • it is sustainable as the trees wouldn’t damage the land
  • it shades the soil from the sun
  • it can provide food to eat or sell
  • people who live in poor areas may chop down the trees for firewood before the trees are affective
46
Q

How does appropriate technology or ‘efficient stoves’ tackle deforestation ?

A

• wood is a vanishing re-sauce because of deforestation, and therefore wood for cooking is hard to find
•

GCSE Geography *** (10 decks)

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