When we think about the desert, the image that comes to mind is an image of sandy dunes under the scorching sun, the extreme heat of the day and the strong cold of the night. It is likely that the first desert that arises for us is SaharaWith its vast sand and warm climate. However, this famous desert is not the best on Earth. AntarcticaWith its icy and extreme landscape, it has this title.
Although Antarctica is a continent covered with ice and snow, meets the requirements of the desert, since it receives very little annual rainfall. According to the geological and biological definition of the desert, the place is considered a desert when it receives less than 250 mm of precipitation per year. In this sense, Antarctica is a cold desert, with a level of precipitation, which does not exceed 20 mm per year in many of its areas. This makes the white continent the largest desert on the planet with an expansion of approximately 14,000,000 square kilometersalmost Doublethan sugar.
Antarctica: Ice desert
Although the image of the desert causes heat and dryness, Antarctica This is a great example that the desert should not be warm. Its vast landscape covered with a layer of eternal ice is marked with extremely cold winds and almost a complete absence of moisture. However, in addition to the fact that in Antarctica there are unique ecosystems adapted to its extreme climate, there are unique ecosystems adapted to its extreme climate, as a colony of penguins and seals, and have become an important center of scientific research.
One of the most exciting areas of Antarctica is Dry valleys of McMermowhere the rain did not register in the last 14 million yearsAccording to scientists. These valleys are considered the dry and most arid place of the Earth, with landscapes that seem from another planet, where the wind and the lack of water made the life of practically non -existing.
Arctic polar desert: the second largest desert
In the Northern Hemisphere Arctic polar desert This is in second place among the largest deserts on the planet. With approximately 13,700,000 square kilometersThis desert covers the regions RussiaIN GreenlandIN Canada And AlaskaThe field like Antarctica, the Arctic is characterized by its extremely cold climate and lack of precipitation. Despite the desert, the Arctic is known for its biodiversity, with species adapted to extreme conditions, such as a white bear and several species of migratory birds.
Although these polar deserts have much in common in terms of the lack of precipitation, their ecosystems are very different. Bye Antarctica He is almost completely uninhabited by people from his extreme conditions, Arctic He was inhabited by various crops of indigenous peoples, and the communities of Northern Russia and Canada learned to adapt to the cold and a lack of resources.
Sahara desert: in third place, but equally exciting
He SaharaWith them 9 065 253 square kilometersIt takes third place among the largest deserts in the world. Despite the fact that this is the most famous desert, especially in its landscape of sandy dunes, sugar represents a wide variety of land, which includes a huge lengthening of sand, mountains, rocky plains and oasis. In some areas of sugar, daytime temperatures exceed 40 ° C.While the nights are cold because of the absence of clouds that retain heat.
Despite the extremely warm climate, sugar contains rich history and culture, with ancient nomadic peoples and a huge number of archaeological monuments. In addition, this is an important zone for studying climate change, since desert sand contains particles that can be transported by the wind to other regions of the planet, affecting the most distant ecosystems.
Why are these deserts so important?
Study of the desert and especially polar deserts, such as Antarctica And ArcticIt is important to understand global climatic changes. These deserts play a decisive role in the ecological balance of the planet, since the ice and snow mass act as a global temperature regulator. In addition, the study of its extreme ecosystems helps scientists better understand how life can adapt to extreme conditions that can be key in finding life on other planets.