Ep.42: Deserts – 8 Largest
Intro
Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.
Today's episode will be on the eight biggest Deserts on Earth. Which is quite appropriate as my whole body feels like a desert after my birthday celebrations last night.
Deserts now account for approximately 33% of the earth’s surface and according to the latest research, this figure is increasing at an accelerated pace. With unique flora and fauna deserts are challenging landscapes that illustrate the remarkable way life adapts to such an extreme environment.
Today’s mnemonic is on the eight largest deserts in order.
With that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.
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Wikipedia Summary
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or semi-arid. This includes much of the polar regions, where little precipitation occurs, and which are sometimes called polar deserts or "cold deserts". Deserts can be classified by the amount of precipitation that falls, by the temperature that prevails, by the causes of desertification or by their geographical location.[1]
Deserts are formed by weathering processes as large variations in temperature between day and night put strains on the rocks, which consequently break in pieces. Although rain seldom occurs in deserts, there are occasional downpours that can result in flash floods. Rain falling on hot rocks can cause them to shatter, and the resulting fragments and rubble strewn over the desert floor are further eroded by the wind. This picks up particles of sand and dust, which can remain airborne for extended periods – sometimes causing the formation of sand storms or dust storms. Wind-blown sand grains striking any solid object in their path can abrade the surface. Rocks are smoothed down, and the wind sorts sand into uniform deposits. The grains end up as level sheets of sand or are piled high in billowing sand dunes. Other deserts are flat, stony plains where all the fine material has been blown away and the surface consists of a mosaic of smooth stones, often forming desert pavements, and little further erosion takes place. Other desert features include rock outcrops, exposed bedrock and clays once deposited by flowing water. Temporary lakes may form and salt pans may be left when waters evaporate. There may be underground sources of water, in the form of springs and seepages from aquifers. Where these are found, oases can occur.
Plants and animals living in the desert need special adaptations to survive in the harsh environment. Plants tend to be tough and wiry with small or no leaves, water-resistant cuticles, and often spines to deter herbivory. Some annual plants germinate, bloom and die in the course of a few weeks after rainfall, while other long-lived plants survive for years and have deep root systems able to tap underground moisture. Animals need to keep cool and find enough food and water to survive. Many are nocturnal, and stay in the shade or underground during the heat of the day. They tend to be efficient at conserving water, extracting most of their needs from their food and concentrating their urine. Some animals remain in a state of dormancy for long periods, ready to become active again during the rare rainfall. They then reproduce rapidly while conditions are favorable before returning to dormancy.
People have struggled to live in deserts and the surrounding semi-arid lands for millennia. Nomads have moved their flocks and herds to wherever grazing is available, and oases have provided opportunities for a more settled way of life. The cultivation of semi-arid regions encourages erosion of soil and is one of the causes of increased desertification. Desert farming is possible with the aid of irrigation, and the Imperial Valley in California provides an example of how previously barren land can be made productive by the import of water from an outside source. Many trade routes have been forged across deserts, especially across the Sahara, and traditionally were used by caravans of camels carrying salt, gold, ivory and other goods. Large numbers of slaves were also taken northwards across the Sahara. Some mineral extraction also takes place in deserts, and the uninterrupted sunlight gives potential for the capture of large quantities of solar energy.
Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rub_al_Khali_002.JPG
Mnemonic
Deserts – 8 Largest Mnemonic – An ASAT Grows by Keeping Patience
(Picture planting a small plant called an asat, in the desert and it burgeoning into a forest after time)
Antarctic Desert
Arctic Desert
Sahara Desert
Australian Desert
The Arabian Desert
Gobi Desert
Kalahari Desert
Patagonian Desert.
Five Fun Facts
1. Along with being the biggest desert, Antarctica is also the coldest with an average temperature of -49 degrees Celsius, and a lowest temperature recorded at -94.7 degrees Celsius.
2. Over one billion people actually live in deserts. The basics of life food and water a constant challenge, as demonstrated by this short story.
There are four men and they’re all traveling in a car through the middle of the desert.
The first one is an Australian and he’s driving while having a can of VB, the second is a Frenchman who’s sipping Champagne whilst reading “The Art of Surrender” the third is an Englishman who’s sitting back with his belly hanging out smelling like a pair of socks that have been worn through the Amazon for a month and the fourth is an Irishman who is bent over in the back seat still trying to work out the perplexing puzzle of how to untie his shoelaces!
Anyway, as I said they were traveling through the middle of the desert when their car broke down all of a sudden. So, they all get together to discuss their predicament and work out a solution.
As they are not sure which is the shortest way to the nearest town, they all decided to split their resources and head in separate directions.
The Australian said, “I’ll head north and I’ll take a bottle of water so if I get thirsty, I’ve got something to drink.”
The Frenchman said, “I’ll head east and I’ll take this sandwich so if I get hungry, I’ve got something to eat.”
The Englishman said, “I’ll head south and I’ll take the sunscreen, so when I’m walking in the sun, I won’t get sunburnt.”
The Irishman said, “Well I’ll head west and I’ll take this car door.”
Anyway, they all looked at him a little bit funny and a little perplexed and collectively said “Why would you take the car door? “
And the Irishman replied, “Well if I get hot, I can just wind down the window!”
3. Most desert animals are nocturnal and appear only at night. During the day most are burrowed down for protection except for the Camels who have adapted an amazing resilience to the extreme conditions and earn their sobriquet “ship of the desert”.
4. The largest sand desert in the world is the Rub al-Khali which translates to the ‘Empty Quarter’ in Arabic and is located on the Arabian Peninsula in Saudi Arabia.
5. And the smallest desert in the world goes to the Yukon in Canada. It is called the Carcross Desert and is only one square mile.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wind-sculpted_dunes,_Namib_Desert.jpg
Three Question Quiz
Q.1. The driest desert in the world is the Atacama Desert in Chili. How much rainfall has it received since records have been kept? Options are 0 ml, 100 ml or 200 ml?
Q.2. What is the largest hot desert in the world?
Q.3. A desert habitat is classified as any area in the world that receives less than how many inches of rainfall every year? Options are 10 inches, 15 inches and 20 inches?
Bonus Q. What percentage of deserts on earth have sand? Options are 20%, 30% or 40%
Mnemonic Recap
Deserts – 8 Largest Mnemonic – An ASAT Grows by Keeping Patience
(Picture planting a small plant called an asat, in the desert and it burgeoning into a forest after time)
Antarctic Desert
Arctic Desert
Sahara Desert
Australian Desert
The Arabian Desert
Gobi Desert
Kalahari Desert
Patagonian Desert.
Three Question Quiz Answers
Q.1. The driest desert in the world is the Atacama Desert in Chili. How much rainfall has it received since records have been kept? Options are 0 ml, 100 ml or 200 ml?
A. 0 ml. Scientists say that it hasn’t received any rainfall for the last 40 million years!
Q.2. What is the largest hot desert in the world?
A. Sahara. Temperatures average around 122 degrees Celsius during the summers
Q.3. A desert habitat is classified as any area in the world that receives less than how many inches of rainfall every year? Options are 10 inches, 15 inches and 20 inches?
A. Less than 10 Inches of rainfall
Bonus Q. What percentage of deserts on earth have sand? Options are 20%, 30% or 40%
A. 20%
Word of the Week
Stravage
[ struh-veyg ]
verb (used without object)
to wander aimlessly.
Example
He stravaged through the desert, desperate for water.
Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]
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References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deserts_by_area
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert
https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/fascinating-desert-facts-for-kids/