Distinguish between the Sahara desert and the Ladakh desert with respect to location, climat
vegetation
Answers
Answer:
>Ladakh
Climate: Due to the high altitude, it is freezing cold and dry in Ladakh. The air is so thin that the sun’s heat can be felt intensely. In summers the temperature during the day is just above zero degree and the night temperature is much below -30 degree. In winters the temperature remains as low as -40 degrees most of the time. The rainfall in this region is low. It is as low as 10 cm annually. This is because it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas. The area experiences freezing winds and burning sunlight. Consequently, if someone sits in the sun with his hand in the shade; he will experience sunstroke as well as frost bite at the same time.
Flora: Because of extreme dryness, the vegetation is sparse. There are scanty patches of grasses and shrubs for animals to graze. The valleys have groves of willows and poplars. During summer season, trees of fruits such as apples, apricots and walnuts bloom.
Fauna: Several species of birds such as robins, redstars, Tibetan snowcock, raven and hoopoe are common. Some of these are migratory birds. The animals include wild goats, wild sheep, yak and special kinds of dogs. The animals are reared to provide:
>Milk: Yak’s milk is used to make cheese and butter.
>Meat
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>Hair: The hair on the sheep and goats is used to make woollens.
Vegetation:
Vegetation cover is mainly found around the river valleys while the higher altitude pastures, which is above 4000m , only mosses, lichens gentians grow.
Pencil cedar , Yam , Elm , Cypress , Poplars and willows are commonly found.
Besides during the summer season apples, apricots and walnuts are grown.
>Sahara Desert:
Cimate:The climate in Sahara desert is extremely harsh and dry which is continuously changing its temperature range.
In the absence of the cloud cover the land tends to get heated up fast and at night it rapidly loses that heat.
As a result , the days in the Sahara are scorching while the nights are chilly.
This region receives less rainfall because of the rain bearing winds from the Atlantic ocean lose much of the moisture till the time they reach Sahara.
Vegetation:The plants here have adapted themselves to the harsh conditions.
The land is home to xerophytic plants.
The plants have long roots ( so that they can reach the most humid layers of Earth ) waxy leaves and spines ( reduce Transpiration) with fleshy systems.
Date palms are the most important part for the people of this region because the fruits are the energy food.
Other plant species found this region included phoran variety of grass, oleander, artemisia, thyme, acacia , boabab and cactus.
Mediterranean plants such as olives , figs and apricots near the Oasis ( the water bodies in arid areas , occuring when the water table reaches the surface )
Location:Sahara desert lies in the African continent.
It extends from Atlantic ocean in the West to the Red Sea in the East.
In the North it bounded by the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean sea.
It merges with the Savannah grasslands in the South.