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Major Deserts of the World

Major Deserts of the World. What is a desert? Where are deserts found? What do all deserts have in common? How do you think deserts are formed? If you found yourself in the desert, what might you see? How do people affect deserts?. Picture from National Geographic’s Surviving the Sahara.

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Major Deserts of the World

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  1. Major Deserts of the World

  2. What is a desert? • Where are deserts found? • What do all deserts have in common? • How do you think deserts are formed? • If you found yourself in the desert, what might you see? • How do people affect deserts? Picture from National Geographic’s Surviving the Sahara

  3. Learning Goals • Know what a desert is and its characteristics. • List the characteristics of both hot and cold deserts. • Name the world’s largest deserts and be able to show where they are found on a map.

  4. Desert – an ecosystem where there is very little precipitation. • Theessentialfeature of anydesertisitsdryness, oraridity. • Desertsaveragelessthan 10 inches of precipitation a year. • Precipitation- moisturein theform of rain, snow, hail, orsleet.

  5. Desert Temperatures • Hot and dry. Temperatures can range from 30° at night to 136° during the day. • Cold Temperatures can be below freezing . • Deserts located closer to the ___________ tend to be the hottest.

  6. Desert Landforms Sand Bedrock Gravel

  7. Wind erosion helps to shape the desert. Gravel “Desert Pavement”

  8. Water erosion helps to shape the desert. The Grand Canyon was formed through water erosion.

  9. Life in the Desert • How can there be life in the desert with very little water and extreme temperatures? • Adapt: to change or adjust for survival • The key survival factor for people, animals, and plants is their ability to adapt to the environment.

  10. Desert Plants • Many plants are found in the desert. They usually grow close to the ground. • These plants have special parts that help them save water. • The special parts are: thick stem, shallow and wide roots, and thick skin covered with spines instead of leaves.

  11. Desert Animals • There are many animals in the desert. • They can survive by eating other animals or by eating plants that store water. • To protect them from the hot sun, they stay in the shade or in their shelter. • Some animals sleep during the day and are active at night. • Nocturnal: Active or awake at night or taking place during the night • Some animals have hard shells to protect them from losing much water. • More animals live in hot deserts than in cold deserts.

  12. Camel Roadrunner Gila monster (lizard) Scorpion

  13. Humans have changed the deserts Shrinking deserts: Growing deserts: Desertification: the growth or expansion of deserts due to human activities. Semi-arid: receiving 10-12 inches of annual precipitation and supporting only short grass. • We have brought water in through irrigation. • We have built dams to transport water to desert regions to help farmers and keep up with growth in the cities.

  14. Deserts in Africa

  15. Deserts in Australia

  16. Aborigine: A native person who originally settled and lived in an area. Marsupial: A type of mammal that carries its young in a pouch that is part of its abdomen

  17. Deserts in Asia

  18. Deserts in North America

  19. Mojave Desert Utah California Nevada Arizona

  20. Fault lines: a crack in Earth’s outer crust along which movement takes place

  21. Sonoran Desert California Arizona

  22. Chihuahuan Desert Arizona New Mexico Texas

  23. South America ~ Patagonia

  24. Basalt: A dark or black rock that looks like glass; Basalt forms when volcanic rock cools.

  25. Habitat: the environment in which a plant or animal normally lives.

  26. Vocabulary Aborigine: a native person who originally settled and lived in an area. Adapt: to change or adjust. Basalt: a dark or black rock that looks like glass; basalt forms when volcanic rock cools. Desertification: the growth or expansion of deserts due to human activities. Fault line: a crack in Earth’s outer crust along which movement takes place. Habitat: the environment in which a plant or an animal normally lives. Marsupial: a type of mammal that carries its young in a puch that is part of its abdomen. Nocturnal: active or awake at night or taking place during the night. Precipitation: moisture in the form or rain, snow, hail, or sleet. Semi-arid: receiving 10-12” of annual precipitation and supporting only short grass.

  27. Learn more about deserts • http://www.jlhs.nhusd.k12.ca.us/Classes/Science/Net_Lessons/Biomes/deserts.html#anchor325870 Desert information • http://idptv.state.id.us/dialogue4kids/season3/desert/plants.html Desert information • http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/desert/tplants.htm Desert plants • http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecology/desert/index.weml?&tried_cookie=true Desert

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