The Sahara desert is a vast, arid desert that covers much of North Africa. It is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by the Atlas Mountains of the Maghreb and the Nile Valley in Egypt and Sudan. It is divided into two distinct areas: western Sahara and the Ahaggar Mountains.
aridity of the Sahara desert
The AHP and its associated changes in the climate and geography have profoundly influenced the human societies in the northern hemisphere, particularly the Sahara desert and the Sahel region. The AHP saw a gradual decline in the population of the Sahara, while the population of the coastal areas of the West Africa and Atlantic coast increased. This reflects a change in the availability and reliability of marine resources.
The Sahara desert contains plants that have adapted to the harsh conditions and have thrived despite its extreme aridity. They are incredibly hardy and resilient, and cover about nine million square kilometers. This vast area is bigger than the United States and China combined, and its flora contains trees, shrubs, grasses, herbs, and succulents.
The climate of the region has changed dramatically in recent millennia. The climate in the region was previously much more humid than it is today. This is due to a shift in the climatic conditions that took place around two thousand years ago. The Sahel was relatively wet during pre-colonial times (around 1500-1800 C.E.) and a period of little ice age.
The arid climate has resulted in significant changes to the ecology of the Sahara desert, as a result of which the Sahel region has suffered from prolonged periods of drought and flooding. In the 1970s, the Sahel area was hit by a devastating drought that killed 300,000 people. Today, the Sahel includes countries such as Burkina Faso, Chad, Eritrea, Niger, and Senegal. The Sahel is the transition zone between the arid Sahara Desert in the north and tropical regions in the south.
The aridity of the Sahara Desert is caused by large-scale subsidence. During the summer, the central pressure in the Mediterranean Basin shifts to the westward pole and the Sahara Desert experiences summer droughts. During winter, the central pressure remains at around 1024 mbar, and the climate is variable.
Topography
The Sahara desert has an irregular topography, consisting of arid mountains, shallow plateaus, sand-covered plains, and large oasis depressions. The highest point in the desert is Mount Koussi, an extinct volcano in Chad, while the lowest point is the Qattara Depression in Egypt. This desert region is one of the most arid and diverse in the world. Its topography has been described as “desert-like”, but is far more complex than it appears.
The Sahara is the largest desert in the world, filling nearly all of northern Africa. It extends 3,000 miles (4,800 km) east-to-west and 800-1,000 miles north-south. Its area is approximately three million square miles (8.6 million square kilometers), with irregularities due to the desert’s growth and contraction. The Sahara is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the north and the Sahel region on the east and south.
In addition to its unique topography, the Sahara has a hot climate. Its high temperatures are exacerbated by a strong wind, called the Sirroco. This wind, which originates in the Sahara, can reach 62 miles per hour. It also causes huge sand storms, which can be visible from space.
A few million people live in the Sahara, mostly in Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, and Algeria. The majority of Saharans are Berbers and Arabs. Berbers, who are of Berber heritage, live in scattered oases, and Moors are a mixture of Arab and Berber blood. The Indigenous Saharawi people are also found here.
While the Sahara is primarily desert in nature, many plant species and animals have managed to survive there. For example, there are nearly seventy mammal species, ninety-five avian species, and about one hundred reptile species. In addition, the Sahara is home to a large variety of spiders, scorpions, and small arthropods.
The wildlife in the Sahara is diverse and less common than one might think. The central Sahara ecoregion has 70 different species of mammals, including a few reptiles, including crocodiles. In addition, there are many birds that thrive in the desert, including the African silverbill and the black-throated firefinch. There are also a number of antelopes, such as the addax.
Animal life
There are several kinds of animals that live in the Sahara desert. Some of these animals are flightless, such as the ostrich. They compensate for their inability to fly by being fast land animals. They can reach speeds of 40 miles per hour and lay large eggs. Various breeds of ostrich are found in different regions of the Sahara. Their hooves are unique in that they have two toes.
The Sahara is home to numerous species of insects. These include scorpions, ants, centipedes, and a number of others. Sacred scarab beetles are also common in the Sahara. The Sahara is also home to locusts, which are among the most destructive insects in the world. Most of these animals are nocturnal, and they live in crevices and under sand and rocks.
Other animals that live in the Sahara desert include the gerbil, jerboa, Cape hare, and desert hedgehog. In addition to these animals, there are also several types of reptiles. One species lives in the Sahara desert and is known as the “Armadillo Lizard.”
Crocodiles used to dominate the Sahara a hundred million years ago. Today, you can still see a few of these animals in a small number in Mauritania and Chad. Beetles are also common in the Sahara. Interestingly, scarab beetles are both mythical and classical in origin. The ancient Egyptians were fascinated with the way they gave birth to these creatures.
There are also a number of threatened species in the Sahara. The Scimitar-horned oryx and the large white addax antelope, which once numbered in the hundreds, are now restricted to isolated herds. In addition, the population of slender-horned gazelle and Barbary sheep has decreased drastically.
Other animals that live in the Sahara include dromedary camels. These animals are herbivores, which means they eat all kinds of plants that grow in the desert. Camels are also capable of going without water for long periods of time. They can move eight to ten miles a day without drinking.
One of the most dangerous animals in the Sahara desert is the horned viper. This snake is highly venomous, and can be spotted by its horns. The horned viper hides under the desert floor to avoid exposure to the desert sun. It can grow up to two feet in length.
Climate
The Sahara Desert is an extremely dry desert with a subtropical climate that is influenced by high-pressure cells over the Tropic of Cancer. Temperatures are generally mild in the winter and extremely hot in the summer. The annual temperature range is approximately 36degF/20degC. Temperatures typically decrease by about 5degF in August, but may reach as high as 136degF in summer. The average annual rainfall is three inches, with the most precipitation falling in August.
Researchers believe the increased heat and dryness of the Sahara is caused by a warming planet. The climate change is expected to widen the Hadley circulation and drive deserts further north. However, the Sahara’s southward movement suggests there are additional mechanisms at work. The Sahara’s expansion and retreat threaten the human societies that depend on agriculture.
The Sahara Desert is characterized by high-altitude plateaus and gravel plains. This rocky terrain stretches for thousands of kilometers across North Africa. The climate is characterized by cloudless skies, short rainy seasons and limited rainfall. The area is home to a variety of plants, including cactus, date palms and acacia. Other creatures found in the desert include scorpions, camels and hyenas.
The Saharan vegetation has evolved numerous adaptations to the unreliable precipitation. These include unique root structures, site preference, affinity relationships, and reproductive strategies. In particular, many Saharan plants are ephemeral, with seeds germinating within three days if adequate rainfall occurs. In addition to ephemerals, Saharan massifs shelter occasional stands of relict vegetation, often resembling Mediterranean flora and fauna.
The soils in the Sahara are low in organic matter, with little to no midairs. They are chemically active and largely composed of weatherable minerals. Moreover, calcareous bedrock is common, limiting soil formation. There are several prominent massifs in the central Sahara, including Mount ‘Uwaynat,’ Tibesti, and Ahaggar mountains. Other notable layouts include the Ennedi Plateau in Chad and the Air Massif in Niger.
The Sahara has a unique climate that reflects its long history. It was established over 5 million years ago and is subject to short-term dry conditions and humid periods. The climate has remained relatively consistent for the last two thousand years, but it was influenced by the Little Ice Age in Europe. This event increased the amount of precipitation in the Sahara.
