Investigating Earth's Desert, Grassland, and Rainforest Biomes

Investigating Earth's Desert, Grassland, and Rainforest Biomes — page 9
INVESTIGATING EARTH'S DESERT GRASSLAND AND RAINFOREST BIOMES close with 134°F 56 7° C Winters are cold in temperate deserts located far from the Equator The Gobi in Central Asia for example has an average low temperature of 40°F 40° C in January and an average high of 113° F 45° C in July The temperature drops sharply in the des ert night Dry air cloudless skies and bare dry earth furnish ideal conditions for the cooling of air after sunset A 24 hour range of 25 to 45° F 14 to 25° C is common and it may exceed 60 to 70°F 33 to 39° C WORLD DISTRIBUTION There are two main types of arid desert hot and temperate Most of the Earth's deserts are found between 20° and 35° in both north and south latitudes near the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn respectively Except for a couple of coastal deserts kept cool by ocean currents these deserts are hot They occupy subtropical regions that straddle a wet tropical region around the Equator Because of the predominant air circulation patterns the air that descends into the subtropical regions has already rained out most of its moisture over the tropical lands The air is also heated as it descends which further prevents rain