PILOT : DESERTS AS AN EXTREME ENVIRONMENT
Don't add the extra 'S' you pudding...
Last updated July 2008 - this page now ARCHIVED
Deserts: why are they extreme ?
Deserts Wikipedia article - usual comments....
Temperature
Absence of rainfall (less than 250mm of rainfall or 10 inches)
Nature of surface: stony or sandy
USEFUL WEBSITES
http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/mapping-dryness.html - the changing climate of Spain
http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/deserted.html - the Chinese Dust Bowl
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/nature/deserts/deserts.htm - ON THE LINE
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htm
Which deserts could be studied ?
Sahara
Arizona
Namib / Kalahari
David Attenborough films have some wonderful sections on the adaptations of plants and animals. They are repeated on many of the common satellite channels.