Trivia about Deserts
Trivia about Deserts
I thought they were just dry lands, but there was so much I didn't know.
Deserts have little sand
There is an image that "deserts = sand everywhere," but only about 20% of the world's deserts are made of sand, with the rest consisting of rock, gravel, and clay.
Even in the Sahara Desert, sandy areas make up only about 25% of its total area, with the majority being rocky wilderness. While the word "desert" brings sand to mind, by definition, it is an "arid region with an annual precipitation of 250mm or less," and whether or not there is sand is irrelevant.
The world's largest desert is Antarctica
There is a strong image that "when you think of a desert, you think of the Sahara," but by the definition of a desert (a region with very little precipitation), the world's largest desert is the Antarctic continent.
Antarctica's annual precipitation is less than 200mm, fitting the definition of an arid region, and its area of about 14 million km² exceeds that of the Sahara Desert (about 9.4 million km²). It is just that "it doesn't look like a desert because it is covered in snow," but it is classified as a type of desert as an extremely arid region.
Desert temperatures drop rapidly at night
There is an image that "deserts are always hot," but deserts have a very large temperature difference between day and night.
Sand has a lower heat storage capacity compared to water, so heat escapes rapidly once the sun sets. In the Sahara Desert, even if it is over 40°C during the day, it can drop below 10°C at night. It is a harsh environment where cold protection measures for desert travel and life are completely opposite between day and night.
Cacti are not everywhere in the desert
There is a strong image of cacti growing in deserts, but cacti are mainly distributed in the deserts of the Americas and are almost non-existent in the Sahara or Arabian deserts.
There are "succulents (different species that look like cacti)" in the deserts of Africa and the Middle East, but there are no plants of the Cactaceae family. It is said that the image of "desert = cactus" is largely influenced by Hollywood movies and the like.
Desertification is an environmental issue
It is said that about 6 million hectares of land (about 1.6 times the area of Japan) are desertifying every year worldwide, and it is an environmental issue deeply related to agriculture, water shortages, and food problems.
It is particularly progressing in China, Africa, and Central Asia, and efforts for afforestation and desert greening are underway in various places. Japan is also affected by yellow sand from China's deserts, so it is not a problem that concerns others.
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