Desert

 

Deserts

 

     Deserts are landscapes or a region that recieve an extremely low amount of rain fall, barely enough to support plant life. There are two main kinds of deserts. The first one is hot deserts. This kind of desert has sand and is very hot. The other one is a cold desert. This kind is covered with ice and snow and is below freezing year round.  Sand covers 20% of earths deserts.
     Animals in hot deserts stay hidden durring the day until the cooler tempeture of the night. For humans this can be a fatal enviroment if your not prepared. Sand storms is only one problem. Sand storms can last hours or even days at a time.
                 

    

The ten largest deserts

Rank	Desert	Area (km²)	Area (mi²)
1	Antarctic Desert (Antarctica)	13,829,430	5,339,573
2	Arctic Desert (Arctic)	13,726,937	5,300,000
3	Sahara Desert (Africa)	9,100,000+	3,320,000+
4	Arabian Desert (Middle East)	2,330,000	900,000
5	Gobi Desert (Asia)	1,300,000	500,000
6	Kalahari Desert (Africa)	900,000	360,000
7	Patagonian Desert (South America)	670,000	260,000
8	Great Victoria Desert (Australia)	647,000	250,000
9	Syrian Desert (Middle East)	520,000	200,000
10	Great Basin Desert (North America)	492,000	190,000

 

Taiga

Taiga

     The Taiga is the worlds largest biome. It covers most of Canada and Alaska, the continental u.s.a., Sweden, Finland, much of Norway, coastal parts of Iceland, much of Russia, Mongolia, and northern Japan.

     Taiga's have what most people don't like. Long winter's and short summer's. The lowest temperature during winter is at least -65 degrees F and the highest temperatures can be 30 degrees F. In summer the lowest temperature is at least 30 degrees F. The highest temperature can be 70 degrees F. 

       

 

      Many plants have adapted to the harsh winter months. Plants have special forms that help them survive like having needle shaped leaves and thick bark. It helps them by reducing water and stopping from being weighed down from the snow. Some of the trees in Taigas are Spruce, Pine, Maple, ect. Plants tend to grow close together so that the wind and snow wont affect them badly.

     Like plants, animals had to adapt to be able to survive. They grew thick fur, and some adapted to be able to use camouflage. Some of the animals you can find here are bald eagles, lynx, fox, wolverine, otter, bobcat, grizzly bear, geese, woodpecker, black bear, wolves, rabbit, owls, and many more.

     

Tropical Rainforest

Tropical Rainforest

     The Tropical Rainforest is a type of biome that is a very humid. Its temperatures can be higher than 80 degrees but rarely passes 93 degrees. You can find these rainforests in south America, Africa, and southeast Asia. It has a wide variety of plants and animals. The highest trees can be 240 ft high and the smallest can be 60 ft high.  (this is not including saplings) When a tree falls the saplings grow quickly to reach the top. The plants produce 40% of the worlds oxygen. 1/4 of the worlds medicine come from the plants that live here. It is believed that many plants hold cures for big diseases such as cancer. It is estimated that the remaining rainforests will be consumed in the next 40 years. GO HERE to learn more.