Cold deserts, such as the Gobi Desert, are places with little rainfall and low temperatures in winter due to their geographical characteristics.
The McMurdo Dry Valley in Antarctica has received no rain for approximately 2 million years. Photo: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS/ASTER Science Group
When people think of deserts, they picture scorching sand dunes and a blazing sun. However, this is only one aspect of desert climate. Beyond the Sahara and the Great Australian Desert, some desert environments are associated with much colder temperatures.
Deserts are defined as areas that receive very little rainfall and are not necessarily related to temperature. Many deserts are extremely hot, with daytime temperatures reaching 54 degrees Celsius, but temperatures drop very low at night due to lack of moisture and the poor heat retention properties of sand.
Some deserts experience cold weather for extended periods, day or night. Scientists simply call these places cold deserts. Unlike hot deserts, cold deserts are often found around temperate regions at high altitudes, for example on plateaus or between mountain ranges. They are usually located deep inland, isolated from coastal waters – a factor that increases air humidity.
The Gobi Desert in northern China and southern Mongolia is one of the most striking examples. Summers here are very hot, but winter temperatures can remain as low as -38 degrees Celsius. One reason for this desert's extreme cold is its high latitude, situated on a plateau approximately 910-1,520 meters above sea level. The aridity of the Gobi Desert is caused by the rain shadow effect. To the south of the desert lies the Himalayas, a mountain range that blocks moisture-rich clouds from the Indian Ocean.
Another example is the Patagonian Desert, the largest desert in Argentina. It's relatively warm in the summer, but in winter, temperatures rarely exceed 12°C, averaging just 3°C. The United States also has cold deserts, for example, the Great Basin Desert between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains.
Some areas of the Arctic and Antarctic are classified as polar deserts. In fact, the Antarctic Polar Desert is the world's largest desert, typically receiving less than 50 mm of rainfall per year, much of which falls as snow or ice crystals. Polar deserts don't get much rain because frigid temperatures don't retain much water vapor, resulting in lower humidity and a low chance of rainfall.
Antarctica is also the driest continent on the planet. Some of the driest areas in Antarctica, called dry valleys, have not received a drop of rain for about 2 million years. Along with the continent's extreme temperatures, this exceptionally dry condition is also caused by the surrounding mountain ranges that block the rain. Despite this climate, life still exists in the dry valleys. However, there are no seals or penguins. The rare life forms that do exist there are lichens, mosses, algae, and cyanobacteria.
Thu Thao (According to IFL Science )
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