Questions tagged [desert]
concerned with the formation of deserts (areas receiving very little precipitation) and processes occurring specifically within deserts
40
questions
24
votes
2answers
4k views
How do oases form in the middle of the desert?
I am wondering if there are any theories about the formation of oases, and I am also curious about why an oasis can even last for a very long period of time.
I have heard that fresh water exists on ...
2
votes
3answers
68 views
Why is reverse osmosis desalination the dominant method used and not heat-based methods? Also why is brine being dumped back into the ocean? [closed]
So I was recently watching this video regarding desalination efforts around the world and the viability of desalination as a means to provide humans with freshwater. I had a few questions:
1 - They ...
4
votes
2answers
147 views
When was it ever considered that the desert might be “man-made”, or otherwise anthropocenically-induced?
This answer pointed me to the Wikipedia page for Farouk El-Baz in which the desert research and theories subsection says:
During the past 20 years in his research at Boston University, El-Baz has ...
2
votes
2answers
213 views
How can the Simpson Desert be the largest sand dune desert in the world?
In the Wikipedia article for the Simpsons Desert in Australia in the first paragraph it says:
It is the fourth-largest Australian desert, with an area of $\small\mathsf{176,500}$ $\small\mathsf{km^...
1
vote
1answer
790 views
What is this big Black Mass in Syria, as seen on google maps? [duplicate]
What is this big black dot on the satellite view of google maps, located in Syria at about 4:00 from Damascus?
14
votes
1answer
386 views
Is this a former volcano in the Hamad Plateau, in the Syrian desert?
On my random explorations of google maps, I came across this interesting terrain:
(link to map here)
Apparently, this is part of the so-called Hamad Plateau, in the Syrian desert. If so, the rock ...
1
vote
2answers
119 views
Reversing the desertification
What will be the effect on a desert-like area if it is covered with millions of umbrella-like structures like the following one?
Would it play any positive role in reversing the desertification?
2
votes
0answers
104 views
What are those flat areas in this desert formation seen from orbit? [duplicate]
(Google Earth at 19°58'49.87" N 53°38'09.51" E)
Related to: What produces these distinct shapes in the Rub' al Khali seen from space?
What is the flat (?) green/blue-ish terrain in between the ...
1
vote
1answer
72 views
Are there areas of desert sands which experience blizzards?
Building off of another question I recently asked (Is there sand in Antarctica?) I want to ask a broader question coming from the same motive described there.
Are there desert sands that experience ...
1
vote
0answers
51 views
Global climate change
We all know that global climate change is becoming a big real change that is affecting the world's ecosystems and life cycles.
Will global climate change affect the hot areas of the world or deserts ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
What percentage of Earth's surface is arid?
Is there available information on how much of Earth surface is arid climate?
11
votes
2answers
418 views
Is Atacama Desert cloudy or cloudless most of the year?
I saw many contradictions everywhere.
For example, my geography textbook says that Atacama Desert is a desert where foggy weather is common, and it persists almost the whole year. Whereas every ...
12
votes
4answers
7k views
Why are many fossils found in deserts?
Why are deserts famous for fossils? Is it a coincidence? Some examples:
Giant Catfish Fossil Found in Egyptian Desert
Chile's stunning fossil whale graveyard explained
Giant Dinosaur Fossil Found ...
2
votes
1answer
176 views
What are these features in the Tombouctou Region?
I’ve recently been very interested in globe-trotting via Google Earth. At first I was using it to plan out hikes to possible mineral deposits locally, or potential fossils/ archeology sites. However I ...
4
votes
1answer
68 views
Can the formation of gypsum evaporites (sand roses) be simulated in the lab?
Has the process of formation of sand roses been simulated in laboratory conditions, or does it take too long?
0
votes
1answer
745 views
Hypothetically, would digging a big trench from the ocean and flooding desert areas be a bad solution to combatting sea level rise? [duplicate]
My question is basically the title. Ignoring most of the feasibility of the enormous engineering and earthmoving requirements (I guess I mean to say, given an unlimited budget) in very hot areas, ...
4
votes
3answers
627 views
When was the first not-icy desert formed?
For how long have deserts existed and which one would be the first to be created? I'm talking about arid, dry deserts, not the Antarctic or Arctic or any other icy deserts.
3
votes
1answer
192 views
Is there any place on Earth that is permanently a desert?
I am interested to know if there is any place on Earth that is permanently a desert (except Antarctica). By permanent I do not mean to be the physical meaning of forever. It means the place has to be ...
9
votes
1answer
1k views
What is this weird looking structure in Ethiopian desert?
I was surfing through Google Maps around Ethiopian desert region (close to the town of Werder/Wardheer) and I found this weird looking structure. It seems like a dried up lake bed, but I can't guess ...
19
votes
4answers
7k views
Was Judea as desertified 2000 years ago as it is now?
The ancient fortress of Masada is currently so dry and forbidding that is hard to imagine anyone living there. Was the climate in the surrounding area more wet 2000 years ago, or was it as much a ...
8
votes
1answer
207 views
Identifying a desert landform
I saw this landform on Google Earth on the border of Algeria/Tunisia/Libya and wondered what it is called (so that I can read up on it and find out how it forms - I am not a geologist):
Here is a 3D ...
6
votes
1answer
2k views
Why do the vast majority of the world's deserts fall on the tropic of capricorn or cancer?
I noticed on google maps today that the earth has two very distinct regions on which the majority of deserts are located. These fall on the tropic of capricorn and cancer. Illustrated here:
What ...
4
votes
1answer
538 views
Desalination and Weather Impact?
I have a question I've always been curious about regarding the topic.
As I understand it, the desalination process is that they take the salt water, create usable water from it and then salt sludge ...
9
votes
1answer
278 views
Large scale structures in the Sahara – what are they?
In Google Earth we can see some very clear lines in the Sahara. In the screenshot below you can clearly see these lines starting at the top going southward, then gently curving westward towards the ...
3
votes
0answers
137 views
Desert greening - Do we have long term (several decades) data on precipitation around the Sahara?
This article of desert greening states that some areas around the Sahara have seen increased plant growth in recent decades, caused by global warming. The causal chain would be warmer air can hold ...
13
votes
6answers
6k views
Where did the sand in the Sahara come from?
If the Sahara used to be fertile and has since experienced minimal rainfall causing the current desert conditions, where did all the sand come from?
I assume the original dirt is still there, just ...
17
votes
4answers
13k views
What would be the effect of bringing seawater pipes to the Sahara desert?
This is a childhood dream.
What would happen if pipes were installed (similar in principle to the Great Man-Made River, but for seawater) to continuously pump seawater into the Sahara desert.
Let'...
6
votes
3answers
720 views
In general, does the presence of vegetation increase/decrease gross water loss (evapotranspiration) compared to barren land (evaporation only)?
I am doing some literature review on desertification. However, I could not find any information related to my question. Based on my knowledge, barren land faced greater heating and wind than vegetated ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
Is there a buildup of static electricity in a sandstorm?
In a sandstorm, is there a buildup of static electricity? If so, does that produce lightning strikes? Also if you were to be inside the storm what would the build of that level of static feel like?
8
votes
3answers
605 views
Seeking details for the “historical rate” of arable land loss
In doing research on the issue of desertification (aka land degradation) I keep running across the same basic sentence but no source or detail to support or clarify it:
"Arable land loss is ...
2
votes
1answer
125 views
Possibility to influence oceanic evaporation to protect Sahel/Sahara [closed]
When reading about the projects that want to plant trees on the Sahel-Sahara border, for protection of the Sahel, I wonder what other possibilities there are.
Like, would it be possible to influence ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
Why is the Sahara so much larger than the other horse latitude deserts?
Every continent has a dry strip between about 15º and 35º on its west coast, but they vary drastically in size:
The Baja/Mojave and Atacama are fairly narrow, stretching about 300 miles inland at the ...
10
votes
1answer
123 views
Cell Size of Salt Pan Tessellations
Salt Pans (such as in Badwater Basin of Death Valley, California) often show a tessellation pattern which forms presumably due to contraction of the deposited salt crust forming irregular cracks ...
10
votes
1answer
241 views
How important is Sahara dust for the Amazon?
A recent article by Yu et al. estimated that 28 million tons of dust from the Sahara fall to the surface over the Amazon basin per year out of the 132 million tons that remain in the air when the dust ...
13
votes
2answers
1k views
What are these lake-like blue patches in the desert, visible in satellite image?
I found some blue patches in the Arabian desert in Google Earth. It looks like as if they were lakes with sand dunes rising out of the water. But there isn't water in the desert, at least not this ...
15
votes
1answer
342 views
What is this strange feature on Mars in Valles Marineris
While I was browsing Mars on Google Earth, I stumbled upon an interesting feature on one of the slopes of Valles Marineris. The feature seems unique in the sense that I couldn't find any similar ...
11
votes
3answers
3k views
How will climate change affect the extent of the Sahara Desert?
Will it increase the size of it? (perhaps by increasing the extent of the Hadley Cells)?
7
votes
1answer
136 views
Does over-cropping large areas really change the amount of rainfall?
I heard that at one time the Sahara desert was cropped in wheat for the Roman Empire, and that cropping without adding back to the soil was what caused the desert to form. I also heard that this is ...
11
votes
1answer
186 views
Fine particulate matter - Why the lack of attention? What can be done to tackle it?
If fine particulate matter as a pollutant from industrial or natural sources (e.g. a desert) can be such a cause for concern in terms of (further) desertification as well as health impacts, is there a ...
11
votes
1answer
296 views
Are sandstorms like regular storms?
What's the difference between sandstorms and regular storms? Are they more than just strong wind within deserts?
