Diverse Landscapes Beyond Stereotypes
Deserts encompass far more diversity than the iconic sand dunes that dominate popular imagination. These arid ecosystems, defined by receiving less than 10 inches (250mm) of annual precipitation, cover approximately onethird of Earth's land surface across every continent except Europe. The world's deserts include hot subtropical regions like the Sahara, cold highlatitude deserts such as the Gobi, and highelevation zones like the Atacama—the driest nonpolar desert with some areas that have never recorded rainfall. While sand seas (ergs) create spectacular landscapes in parts of the Sahara and Arabian deserts, many arid regions feature rocky plains (regs), mountain ranges, salt flats, or gravel expanses. This topographical diversity creates unique microclimates that support specialized ecological communities adapted to extreme temperature fluctuations, limited water availability, and intense solar radiation. Shutdown123