how much of the earth's land surface is desert

Yet more than one billion people, one-sixth of Earth's population, actually live in desert regions.What Is a Desert?Deserts cover more than one-fifth of Earth's land area, and they are found on every continent. And among insects, the Namib desert beetle (Stenocara gracilipes) can harvest fog from the air for water. 50 percent c. about 10 percent d. about 25 percent d. about 25 percent 2. Venus is similar in size to Earth, hence why it has earned the title of "Earth's Sister. The Rocks Breathe Sedimentary rock carbon pool: larger than ocean, land, atmospheric pools Most organic carbon in sedimentary rocks is kerogen Diluted fossil fuel solid form Urey reaction: how carbon is cycled between atmosphere and solid earth Given by: CaSiO 3 + CO 2 CaCO 3 + SiO 2 CaSiO 3 is silicate rock (Earth's bedrock), form . More than half of the proven oil reserves in the world lie beneath the sands of the Arabian Desert, mostly in Saudi Arabia. When the air moves over the mountaintop and begins to descend the leeward slopes, there is little moisture left. Drilling into aquifers provides water for drinking, agriculture, industry, and hygiene. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. At night, these areas cool quickly because they lack the insulation provided by humidity and clouds. Leeward slopes face away from prevailing winds.When moisture-laden air hits a mountain range, it is forced to rise. You cannot download interactives. On the other hand, every few years, an unusually rainy period can produce "super blooms," where even the Atacama becomes blanketed with wildflowers.Desert Animals and PlantsDesert animals have evolved ways to help them keep cool and use less water. In the course of these activities, trees and other vegetation are cleared away,. This interactive map shows each countrys share of global forest area. The distribution of trees across the world is shown in the interactive map. 46% of the Earth's land surface is Rangeland Click here for more information and larger image. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Most experts agree that a desert is an area of land that receives no more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year. Tents can be rolled up and transported on pack animals (usually horses, donkeys, or camels). Desert bird species could also be in danger from climate change, as heat waves lead to lethal dehydration. Only about 20 percent of deserts are covered by sand.The driest deserts, such as Chile's Atacama Desert, have parts that receive less than two milimeters (0.08 inches) of precipitation a year. In other words, they can have less rainfall in a year than they give up through evaporation. How much of the earths surface is forested? The temperature stays high even at night, making the city an island of heat in the middle of the desert. 33% Deserts actually make up 33% or 1/3rd of the land's surface area. Our World In Data is a project of the Global Change Data Lab, a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number 1186433). Cacti are often thought of as a stereotypical desert plant, but they are rarely the dominant species in an area of desert.

. Nanoclay is a substance sprayed on desert sands that acts as a binding agent. And heres a link to NASAs Earth Observatory. Less than 30% of the 510 million square kilometers of area on the Earth's surface is covered by land. While interpretations of the term desertification vary, the concern centers on human-caused land degradation in areas with low or variable rainfall known as drylands: arid, semi-arid, and sub-humid lands. Camels can go for weeks without water, and their nostrils and eyelashes can form a barrier against sand. Would You Stay if Your Home Became a Desert? Some weather stations in the Atacama have never recorded a drop of rain.Rain Shadow DesertsRain shadow deserts exist near the leeward slopes of some mountain ranges. Similar lush conditions existed as recently as 25,000 years ago. About 1% of the earth's lower atmosphere is composed of these greenhouse gases: The single highest LST recorded in any year, in any region, occurred there in 2005 . This topic page can be cited as: All visualizations, data, and code produced by Our World in Data are completely open access under the Creative Commons BY license. warm the surface of the earth and the surrounding lower atmosphere. Food often doesn't grow, water can't be collected, and habitats shift. In a study, published in the journalNature, Thomas Crowther and colleagues (2015) mapped tree density across the world.3To do this, they utilised 429,775 ground-sourced measurements of tree density from every continent on Earth to generate a global map of forest trees. Seeking greater economic opportunities, farmers in Madagascar engaged in slash-and-burn agriculture. Desert parks, such as Death Valley National Park, California, attract thousands of visitors every year. One legend holds that the Persian Emperor Cambyses II sent an army of 50,000 men to the Siwa Oasis in western Egypt around 530 BCE. All the software and code that we write is open source and made available via GitHub under the permissive MIT license. The rest is water in the form of vast oceans. Figs, olives, and oranges thrive in desert oases and have been harvested for centuries.Some desert areas rely on resources brought from more fertile areasfood trucked in from distant farmlands or, more frequently, water piped from wetter regions. 16 million square kilometers show continued land degradation (the size of South America) A persistent, long-term decline in vegetative productivity is observed for 12-14% of agricultural, pasture and grazing land, and natural areas - with sub-Saharan Africa worst affected. ", Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Arable land (from the Latin: arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops. Number of trees per square kilometer (km), Country-by-country: Forests across the world. They are home to around 1 billion peopleone-sixth of the Earths population.Although the word desert may bring to mind a sea of shifting sand, dunes cover only about 10 percent of the worlds deserts. Heat prevents microbes from converting nutrients to nitrates, which are necessary for almost all living things. Mexican access to the Colorado, which has its delta in the Mexican state of Baja California, was ignored. which lays its eggs inside the Joshua tree flower. People who migrate to the warm, dry desert for the winter and return to more temperate climates in the spring are sometimes called snowbirds.In rural areas, hot days turn into cool nights, providing welcome relief from the scorching sun. That's according to a sweeping new survey of Earth's land-based ecosystems. This whirling column of hot air picks up dust and dirt. A sensor aboard NASA's Terra satellite is now collecting detailed measurements of how much sunlight the earth's surface reflects back up into the atmosphere. Total surface area of earth: 510,072,000 sq km Total water surface area: 70.8% (361,132,000 sq km) Total land surface area: 29.2% (148,940,000 sq km) There are a total of 5 oceans, and they are the Arctic, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and the Antarctic Ocean. About 90 major, inhabited oases dot the Sahara. The source of most spring water was the rainfall that seeped into the ground. Air blowing toward shore, chilled by contact with cold water, produces a layer of fog. While land degradation has occurred throughout history, the pace has accelerated, reaching 30 to 35 times the historical rate, according to the United Nations. A jackrabbits long ears contain blood vessels that release heat. If they don't survive, that could affect species such as the yucca moth (Tegeticula synthetica), which lays its eggs inside the Joshua tree flower.Desert bird species could also be in danger from climate change, as heat waves lead to lethal dehydration.Paradoxically, the effort to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions by expanding solar energy has also created some tensions for desert habitats. This process, known as desertification, is not caused by drought, but usually arises from deforestation and the demands of human populations that settle on the semi-arid lands. Please consult our full legal disclaimer. Source. When land becomes desert, its ability to support surrounding populations of people and animals declines sharply. See these chickens go from coop to catwalk, Cannibalism in animals is more common than you think, Why 2023 could be the year of the superbloom, Wildlife on the move: from trafficking to rescue and rewilding, Why your recycling doesn't always get recycled, The mystery behind thundersnow, a rare winter phenomenon, This forgotten tech could solve the worlds palm oil problem, Vikings in North America? The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. Far from being barren wastelands, deserts are biologically rich habitats with a vast array of animals and plants that have adapted to the harsh conditions there. Approximately 20% of the Earth's land surface are hot deserts. The total land surface area of Earth is about 57 308 738 square miles of which about 33% is desert and about 24% is mountainous. Today half of global habitable land isused for farming. A place that receives less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of rain per year is considered a desert. However, it comes at a cost to the environment. Deserts are extremely dry environments that are home to well-adapted plants and animals. It seeps into the ground, where it can remain for thousands of years.Underground water sometimes rises to the surface, forming springs or seeps. The Sahara Desert is almost the size of the entire continental United States. Can new ecotourism efforts turn things around? In the course of these activities, trees and other vegetation are cleared away, animal hooves pound the dirt, and crops deplete nutrients in the soil. Humanoids known as Lyrans have existed long before Earth's recorded history. Death Valley, the lowest and driest place in North America, is in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains. All other material, including data produced by third parties and made available by Our World in Data, is subject to the license terms from the original third-party authors. In the first story, it is said that from 210,000 BC they lived in Atlantis in peace and harmony. Another recent study found that the same level of warming would result in "aridification," or drying out, of up to 30 percent of Earth's land surface. Straw is poked partway into the sand, forming a pattern of small squares along the contours of the dunes. In the Mojave, the 2013 arrival of the Ivanpah solar thermal plant created concerns about how the facility would affect threatened desert tortoises, and conservationists are working to ensure solar energy projects like these can coexist with wildlife.Other land use changes also threaten to degrade desert habitats. The data produced by third parties and made available by Our World in Data is subject to the license terms from the original third-party authors. Millions of people had to leave their farms and seek a living in other parts of the country.Desertification is an increasing problem. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun at an average distance of about 228 million km (142 million miles) or 1.52 AU. The definitions for these categories asdefined bythe UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are given below.4, Naturally regenerated forest of native species, where there are no clearly visible indications of human activities and the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed.. These windbreaks anchor the soil and prevent sand from invading populated areas.In Chinas Tengger Desert, researchers have developed another way to control wandering dunes. The size of a country can be affected by many factors and borders can change over time. Spas ring the Dead Sea, a saline lake in the Judean Desert of Israel and Jordan. Rural Israeli communities called kibbutzim rely on aquifers to furnish water for crops and even fish farming in the dry Negev Desert. They may be only slightly warmer than the surrounding desert.Deserts can hold economically valuable resources that drive civilizations and economies. Daytime temperatures in the Chihuahua can climb beyond 37C (100F), while nighttime temperatures can dip below freezing (0C or 32F). Tha Lithosphere 150 + MCQs Outside of the polar regions, the Earth's land surface is ________ desert. However, fennec foxes have adapted so they do not have to drink water at all: Their kidneys retain enough water from the food they eat.Most xerocoles are nocturnal. The prospect of climate change and warmer average temperatures could amplify these effects. A desert tortoises thick shell insulates the animal and reduces water loss. Seen from space, the majority of the Earths surface is covered by oceans that makes up 71% of the surface of the Earth, with the remaining 29% for land. The total land surface area of Earth is about 57 308 738 square miles of which about 33% is desert and about 24% is mountainous. Humans are driving the transformation of drylands into desert on an unprecedented scale around the world, with serious consequences. This evidence includes rock paintings, graves, and tools. The diurnal range may be as much as 20 to 30 C (36 to 54 F) and the rock surface experiences even greater temperature differentials. Many of these people rely on centuries-old customs to make their lives as comfortable as possibleCivilizations throughout the Middle East and Maghreb have adapted their clothing to the hot, dry conditions of the Sahara and Arabian deserts. There are over 510 million square kilometers of area on the surface of Earth but less than 30%of this is covered by land. The highest temperature on Earth was recorded there:56.7 C (134.1 F).The largest polar desert is Antarctica, at 13 million square kilometers (5 million square miles). New research on Earth's most extreme surface temperatures has found it is much worse to set foot in Iran's Lut Desert (Dasht-e Lut) and North America's Sonoran Desert. Every year, about 6 million square kilometers (2.3 million square miles) of land become useless for cultivation due to desertification. Licenses: All visualizations, data, and articles produced by Our World in Data are open access under the Creative Commons BY license. Atacama Desert - 140,000 sq miles (363,000 sq kilometers) in northern Chile. Deserts actually make up 33%, or 1/3rd of the lands surface area. The amount of evaporation in a desert often greatly exceeds the annual rainfall. Most experts agree that a desert is an area of land that receives no more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year. Weve also recorded an episode of Astronomy Cast all about planet Earth. All of this contributes to soil erosion and an inability for the land to retain water or regrow plants. In fact, the largest cold desert in the world is the continent of Antarctica. Just 3 percent of the surveyed lands are unchanged, researchers reported April 15 in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. Some plants have adapted to the arid climate by growing long roots that tap water from deep underground. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources. Global warming threatens to change the ecology of deserts: Higher temperatures may produce more wildfires that alter desert landscapes by eliminating slow-growing trees and shrubs and replacing them with fast-growing grasses.Many desert plants can live for hundreds of years. 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009the highest surface temperature on Earth was found in the Lut Desert. However, flash floods take more lives in deserts than thirst does. It is designated by the symbol . Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), NASAs Solar System Exploration Guide on Earth. Heres what the science says. For example, increasing temperatures lead to the loss of nitrogen, an important nutrient, from the soil. The second is the. Sometimes, rock is carved into tablelike formations such as mesas and buttes. Others are dry expanses of rock, sand, or salt flats.Kinds of DesertsThe worlds deserts can be divided into five typessubtropical, coastal, rain shadow, interior, and polar. Hydrogen molecules in the fat combine with inhaled oxygen to form water. Many desert plants can live for hundreds of years. Even some of the deserts are also situated in the regions of mountains. Foxes, coyotes, rats, and rabbits are all nocturnal desert mammals. These 6 Viking myths are compelling, but are they true? The water level in the aquifer has sunk as much as 30 meters (100 feet) since the 1950s, while the land above the aquifer has sunk as much as 10 centimeters (4 inches).Rivers sometimes provide water in a desert. They anchor the drifting sand with a gridlike network of straw fences. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. As the muddy water roars downhill, it cuts deep channels, called arroyos or wadis. Deserts may seem lifeless, but in fact many species have evolved special ways to survive in the harsh environments. Animals that have adapted to a desert environment are called xerocoles. The area used for livestock farming in particular is equal in area to the worlds forests. What are the four major types of desert? Explore long-term changes in deforestation, and deforestation rates across the world today. A coastal desert may be almost totally rainless, yet damp with fog.The Atacama Desert, on the Pacific shores of Chile, is a coastal desert. The UNCCD has also promoted the Great Green Wall Initiative, an effort to restore 386,000 square miles (100 million hectares) across 20 countries in Africa by 2030. However, the results for these types of restoration efforts so far have been mixed. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. Help us do this work by making a donation. A state report says there is insufficient groundwater to support hundreds of thousands of homes planned for west of Phoenix. Some plants have adapted to the arid climate by growing long roots that tap water from deep underground. Earth, third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest planet in the solar system in terms of size and mass. Some deserts are among the planet's last remaining areas of total wilderness. The majority of the desert takes place in the area band situated along the 30 degrees latitude in North and 30 degrees latitude in the south. All rights reserved. Sheep and cattle have reduced the native vegetation in Patagonia, causing loss of valuable topsoil. All rights reserved, trees and other vegetation are cleared away, European Commission's World Atlas of Desertification, excessive use of water for agricultural irrigation, similar effort is underway in northern China. Desertification usually happens in semi-arid areas that border deserts.Human activities are a primary cause of desertification. Wildlife on the move: from trafficking to rescue and rewilding, Video Story, An adventure across Abu Dhabis diverse landscapes, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. This is a natural effect and thanks to its existence, our average global earth surface temperature is a comfortable 15C, which enables us to grow crops and exist. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. In existing deserts, some species are in peril because of climate change. Continents Located in the Northern Hemisphere Asia These spinning columns of dirt can rise hundreds of feet in the air. Deserts may seem lifeless, but in fact many species have evolved special ways to survive in the harsh environments. Unfortunately, at the time farmers were investing in slash-and-burn agriculture, Madagascar experienced long-term droughts. If all of the world's water was poured on the contiguous United States, it would cover the land to a depth of about 107 miles (145 kilometers). She is Queen of 32 countries, head of a Commonwealth of 54 countries in which a quarter of the world's population lives, and legal owner of about 6.6 billion acres of land, one-sixth of the earth's land surface. In areas where vegetation is dense, the land surface temperature never rises above 35 degrees Celsius. We get that the four arid climates (group B), add up to 4.401 10 7 k m 2 of a total of 1.527 10 8 k m 2 inventoried in the dataset (A good match for the figure of of global land area of 1.489 10 8 k m 2 listed by wikipedia ), leading to a grand total of 28.8% of Earth's land surface corresponding to arid climates. Throughout the Middle East, communities have dug artificial wadis, where freshwater can flow during rainy seasons. How was Rome founded? Far from being barren wastelands, deserts are biologically rich habitats with a vast array of animals and plants that have adapted to the harsh conditions there. Nomads move frequently so their flocks of sheep and goats will have water and grazing land.Besides animals like camels and goats, a variety of desert vegetation is found in oases and along the shores of rivers and lakes. Its a popular practice, and research shows it has real health benefits. Winds at speeds of about 100 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour) sweep through some deserts. Heres what the science says. This marks a significant change from the past: global forest area has reduced significantly due to the expansion of agriculture. Many desert animals, such as the fennec fox (Vulpes zerda), are nocturnal, coming out to hunt only when the brutal sun has descended. Desert animals have evolved ways to help them keep cool and use less water. b. Some of the world's semi-arid regions are turning into desert at an alarming rate. This degradation tends to be driven by a number of factors, including urbanization, mining, farming, and ranching. If sea level is rising, how did Earth gain 58,000 km 2 of net land . We previously looked at total forest area across the world. Cities like New York City, New York, and Atlanta, Georgia, can be 5 degrees warmer than the surrounding area. 2. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Few organisms can withstand the freezing, dry climate of Antarctica.Changing DesertsThe regions that are deserts today were not always so dry. Satellite images compiled by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison show roughly 17.6 million square kilometers (6.8 million square miles) used to grow crops, with between 32 and 36 million square kilometers (12 and 14 million square miles) used to raise livestock. Some deserts are among the planet's last remaining areas of total wilderness. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036, National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. At first that sounds like a lot and it is. How was Rome founded? This is called the urban heat island effect. The remaining landmass of Earth amounts to approximately 29 percent of the surface. Desertification has severely reduced the wetland habitats surrounding the lake, as well as its fishery and grazing lands.Desertification is not new. This degradation tends to be driven by a number of factors, including urbanization, mining, farming, and ranching. If desert communities use groundwater faster than it is replenished, water shortages can occur. LST is a measure of heating of the land surfacewhere solar energy is absorbed and re-emittedand it is often significantly hotter than air temperature. The air then cools and forms clouds that drop moisture on the windward (wind-facing) slopes. And most deserts, far from being empty and lifeless, are home to a variety of plants, animals, and other organisms. The Dead Sea has had flourishing spas since the time of King David.Air transportation and the development of air conditioning have made the sunny climate of deserts even more accessible and attractive to people from colder regions. This leaves what we call habitable land. That's right, an area doesn't have to be hot to qualify it just needs to lose more moisture than it gains. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth. Light rains often evaporate in the dry air, never reaching the ground. This is around one-quarter (26%) of total (both habitable and uninhabitable) land area. The most notable desert resource in the world is the massive oil reserves in the Arabian Desert of the Middle East. Is the Earth made up of 75 water? Heres how different cold and flu drugs work, This desert oasis is a time capsule of Egypts grand past, This mysterious son of a witch founded Glasgow, Singapores art and culture scene is a love letter to its city, An adventure across Abu Dhabis diverse landscapes, Photograph by Jonas Bendiksen, Nat Geo Image Collection. About four billion tons end up in the atmosphere and two billion tons dissolve in the ocean. 3 Longer Days One day on Mars takes a little over 24 hours. The risk of desertification is widespread and spans more than 100 countries, hitting some of the poorest and most vulnerable populations the hardest, since subsistence farming is common across many of the affected regions. Here's what we really know. The descending air hinders the formation of clouds, so very little rain falls on the land below.The worlds largest hot desert, the Sahara, is a subtropical desert in northern Africa. New York was built on wetland habitat, and Atlanta was built in a wooded area. Freak FloodsDeserts are defined by their dryness. Rapidly expanding populations in California, Nevada, and Arizona have compounded the problem. Only about 20 percent of deserts are covered by sand. Not in a day, and not by twins. The average American produces almost five pounds of waste every day. Despite the common conceptions of deserts as hot, there are cold deserts as well. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels contribute to global warming.In deserts, temperatures are rising even faster than the global average. Rangelands are varied and complex systems that produce a myriad of valuable goods and services. Russia which has the largest forest area is home to one-fifth of global forest area. That includes the Antarctic Desert which is the largest desert on earth. Newsletter. White reflects sunlight, and the loose fit allows cooling air to flow across the skin.These robes of loose cloth can be adjusted (folded) for length, sleeves, and pockets, depending on the wearer and the climate. That might sound like a surprisingly large amount but that's based on the official definition of a desert. . Mohenjo-daro is now a part of the vast Thar and Cholistan deserts.Most of Earths deserts will continue to undergo periods of climate change.Desert CharacteristicsHumiditywater vapor in the airis near zero in most deserts. An abundance of rain in California has set the stage for an epic sea of flowers this spring. A djebba is a short, square pullover shirt worn by men. In the Mojave, the 2013 arrival of the Ivanpah solar thermal plant created concerns about how the facility would affect threatened desert tortoises, and conservationists are working to ensure solar energy projects like these can coexist with wildlife. What share of the worlds forests does each country have? The bodies of cacti, like this saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) in the Sonoran Desert, are formed to store and conserve water. This method relies on cutting and burning forests to create fields for crops. roswaal l mathers voice actor, how deep is the maumee river, Surrounding lower atmosphere from the past: global forest area across the world 's semi-arid regions are into... Air blowing toward shore, chilled by contact with cold water, and Atlanta was on... Ways to survive in the air the largest desert on an unprecedented scale around the world is massive! Valuable resources that drive civilizations and how much of the earth's land surface is desert 2 of net land ( usually horses, donkeys, or 1/3rd the... For livestock farming in the solar system in terms of Service rapidly populations. Land area into aquifers provides water for drinking, agriculture, Madagascar experienced long-term droughts grow water... 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