Why Are Deserts Found At 30 Degrees North And South

Contents

Why Are Deserts Found At 30 Degrees North And South?

Most of the world’s deserts are located near 30 degrees north latitude and 30 degrees south latitude where the heated equatorial air begins to descend. The descending air is dense and begins to warm again evaporating large amounts of water from the land surface. The resulting climate is very dry.

Why are deserts found at 30 degrees north and south of 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.

Why do many deserts exist at 30 north and south latitudes quizlet?

Why do many deserts exist at 30 degrees North and South latitudes? … c) Most mountain ranges are located at 30 degrees N/S latitude which is where dry air masses descend creating deserts.

Why do we tend to see deserts at 30N and 30S?

Some of the air sinks toward the surface. Subsidence inhibits cloud formation and this is the reason many large deserts are found near 30N and 30S. Once the sinking air reaches the ground some flows to the equator turning west (in the northern hemisphere) as it goes due to the Coriolis force.

Why are deserts located where they are in terms of latitude?

Desert formation in these particular latitudes is primarily due to complex global air-circulation patterns caused by the rotation of the earth on its axis (earth moves at great speed near the equator and slowly near the poles) the seasonal tilting of the earth in relation to the sun and other factors.

Why are deserts not found on the equator?

(Deserts do not occur near the Equator tropics occur there). Higher in the atmosphere the now cold dry air rises and moves away from the equator. At about 30 degree latitudes in both hemispheres (north and south) the air descends. … As it warms the air expands condensation and precipitation are infrequent.

Why all deserts are on the western side?

We observe that most of the deserts are on the western sides of the continents in the subtropics. These are the results of the prevailing easterly winds of the tropics which are the trade winds. … These winds become dry when they reach the western sides of the continents and hence don’t bring any rain with them.

Why are many of the world’s deserts found at 23 30 degrees latitude quizlet?

Why are many of the world’s deserts found at 23 to 30 degrees latitude? Descending air masses warm as they go absorbing more water vapor. Which of the following regions in the ocean is sunlight able to penetrate? … These are all factors that contribute to high productivity in coastal waters.

Why are many of the world’s deserts found at 15 to 35 degrees latitude?

Why are many of the world’s deserts found at 15 to 35 degrees latitude? Descending air masses warm as they go absorbing more water vapor. Certain regions on the deep sea floor can achieve constant and high species density near: hydrothermal vents.

At what latitudes are most major deserts of the world located quizlet?

The majority of the world’s deserts are found between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

What caused deserts?

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.

Why are deserts located along the tropics?

Subtropical deserts are caused by the circulation patterns of air masses. … Hot moist air rises into the atmosphere near the Equator. As the air rises it cools and drops its moisture as heavy tropical rains. The resulting cooler drier air mass moves away from the Equator.

Why does it get so cold in the desert?

The reason that arid deserts — dry regions covering about 35% of Earth’s land — get so hot and subsequently so cold is a combination of two key factors: sand and humidity. Unlike a thermos sand doesn’t retain heat very well. … The main reason for the stark temperature change is that desert air is extremely dry.

Why do deserts form at 30 degrees latitude?

What causes places around 30 latitude to be some of the driest in the world?

Most deserts are found along the 30 degree latitude line (north and south of the equator). This is due to the pattern of cold water currents which force dry air over the land.

Where are deserts located and why?

Deserts are often found towards the west of continents. Some deserts are found on the western edges of continents. They are caused by cold ocean currents which run along the coast. They cool the air and make it harder for the air to hold moisture.

See also what process causes stress in earth’s crust

Why are there deserts at the poles?

Polar deserts are a category of cold deserts whose precipitation occasionally occurs in form of snow due to the limited moisture in the air and are localized to the polar regions of the Earth. These deserts are situated on the polar regions of the northern and southern hemispheres.

On which side of the continents 20 to 30 north and south latitudes most of the deserts are located?

western

Major hot deserts in northern hemisphere are located between 20-30 degree north and on the western side of the continents.

How are deserts distributed on Earth?

Most deserts are distributed around the globe based on the global circulation patterns and are located along a belt centered on the 30° North and 30° South latitude lines. Other geological settings that can cause desert formation are extreme distance from oceans and cold ocean currents.

Why are major deserts hot in the Northern Hemisphere?

Major hot deserts in northern hemisphere are located between 20-30 degree north and on the western side of the continents. Why? The hot deserts lie along the Horse Latitudes or the Sub-Tropical High Pressure Belts where the air is descending a condition least favorable for precipitation of any kind to take place.

Why do we find presence of a desert on the western part of India give two reasons?

Further the large latitudinal extent altitude presence of many mountain ranges and nearness to the oceans results in different climatic conditions in different regions. The western part of Rajasthan is a desert because the Aravalli Mountains lie parallel to the moisture laden winds coming from the Arabian Sea.

Which two deserts are in the Southern Hemisphere?

The deserts of the southern hemisphere which is the bottom half of Earth include the Atacama and Patagonia in South America the Namib and Kalahari in Africa and the Great Sandy in Australia.

Why do deserts form in polar regions quizlet?

Why are polar regions considered deserts? Cold ocean water absorbs heat. The air can’t hold moisture therefore the air as well as the land becomes extremely dry.

Are deserts only found near the equator?

There are many deserts around the world. The equator is mainly over open water or rainforests. So no deserts are not only found near the equator.

Why are D climates only in the northern hemisphere?

In order for a “continental” climate to develop there must be a large land area within the midlatitudes. This is simply not the case in the Southern Hemisphere. So the “D” climate is unique in that it exists in only the Northern Hemisphere where it is found in extensive areas of North America and Asia.

Where do deserts occur in the world?

Geographically speaking most deserts are found on the western sides of continents or—in the case of the Sahara Arabian and Gobi deserts and the smaller deserts of Asia—are located far from the coast in the Eurasian interior. They tend to occur under the eastern sides of major subtropical high-pressure cells.

Where are deserts found?

Hot and dry deserts can be found in North America Central America South America southern Asia Africa and Australia. Well-known hot and dry deserts include the Mojave and the Sahara. As the name suggests these deserts are very hot and very dry.

Where is the Sahara Desert?

Africa
The Sahara is the world’s largest desert it extends across most of the northern part of Africa.

How do mid latitude deserts differ from subtropical deserts?

– Subtropical deserts form in areas of high pressure that stretch worldwide because of global atmospheric circulation patterns. … – Middle latitude deserts form in the interiors of continents far from the ocean or other sources of moisture. – At these locations low levels of. precipitation are the main factor.

What are the two primary factors that cause middle latitude deserts and steppes?

What are the primary factors that cause middle-latitude deserts and steppes? The dry lands exist principally because of their position in the deep interiors of larger landmasses far removed from the main moisture source- the oceans. In addition they are separated from maritime air masses.

How is desert pavement formed?

A common theory suggests that desert pavements are formed through gradual removal of sand and other fine particles by the wind and intermittent rains leaving behind the large fragments. The larger rock particles are shaken into place by actions of different agents such as rain wind gravity and animals.

Why are deserts important to the environment?

The dry condition of deserts helps promote the formation and concentration of important minerals. Gypsum borates nitrates potassium and other salts build up in deserts when water carrying these minerals evaporates. … Desert regions also hold 75 percent of known oil reserves in the world.

Why was the Sahara desert created?

Desertification and prehistoric climate. One theory for the formation of the Sahara is that the monsoon in Northern Africa was weakened because of glaciation during the Quaternary period starting two or three million years ago.

Why do deserts receive little or no rainfall?

Some deserts are near the equator where the air is very dry. Some deserts are in the middle of a continent. By the time the wind gets there it has little moisture. … If rain falls it stays dry in deserts because the sand absorbs the water.