What happens if it rains too much in the desert?

What happens if it rains too much in the desert?

When It Rains in The Driest Desert on Earth, It Literally Brings Death, Not Life. “Instead, we learned the contrary, as we found that rain in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert caused a massive extinction of most of the indigenous microbial species there.”

How does rainfall affect the desert?

Factors Affecting Rainfall Mountains often cause an effect called “rainshadow.” This effect causes moisture-laden air to release its water on one side of a mountain range, contributing to desert on the other side. Atmospheric conditions such as pressure can also contribute to deserts.

Is rain bad for deserts?

Effects of Desert Rains When rainfall does occur in the desert, it can result in startling changes in the local conditions. Torrential storms can flood dry riverbeds and wadis, producing flash floods in areas that may not have seen moisture in months.

What are the effects of too much rainfall?

Heavy rainfall can lead to numerous hazards, for example:

• flooding, including risk to human life, damage to buildings and infrastructure, and loss of crops and livestock.
• landslides, which can threaten human life, disrupt transport and communications, and cause damage to buildings and infrastructure.

What is the driest desert on Earth?

the Atacama Desert
It is important to note that there does exist an even more arid desert on the planet: the dry valleys of Antarctica. Which is why it’s more precise to say that the Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar place in the world.

Can you turn a desert into fertile land?

The LNC technique, or Liquid NanoClay, is capable of transforming poor sandy soils into high-yielding arable land. Olesen has been enhancing the technology since 2005 and shows the results of his efforts.

Why is there no rain in Arizona?

Why It Doesn’t Rain Much in the Sonoran Desert This area’s climate is, in a word, dry. Ringed by mountains that keep the rain away for much of the year, the Sonoran Desert quietly bakes. Moist air moving east from the Pacific Ocean is forced to rise over the Cascades and Sierra Nevada, cooling as it rises.

What is considered heavy rainfall?

Slight rain: Less than 0.5 mm per hour. Moderate rain: Greater than 0.5 mm per hour, but less than 4.0 mm per hour. Heavy rain: Greater than 4 mm per hour, but less than 8 mm per hour. Very heavy rain: Greater than 8 mm per hour.

Why is rain so rare in the desert?

This is why the so vast a region as the Sahara desert can be dry. And for a fun fact, technically the tundra and Antarctica are both considered deserts because of their low level of precipitation. Originally Answered: Why is rain so rare in the desert?

How much rain does a desert get per year?

Generally, a desert is defined as an area that receives less than 10 inches, or 25 centimeters, of precipitation a year. Although most of us think of deserts as places that do not get much rain, the precipitation received in deserts can be in the form of either rain or snow.

What are the dangers of living in the desert?

Remarkably, more people drown in the desert than die of thirst [source: USGS ]. Because of the threat of a flash flood, you should never rest or sleep in ditches or dry creeks — even if it doesn’t look like rain. Desert thunderstorms come on quickly and without warning and can uproot trees and move boulders.

What happens when there is a flood in the desert?

The desert sand doesn’t soak up water quickly, so heavy rains can produce flood conditions very quickly and without warning. Dry channels, ditches and lake beds will fill quickly and the water can be strong and violent — sometimes creating a wall of water 10 to 30 feet high.