How are deserts formed
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Answer:
HIGH PRESSURE REGIONS
The Earth is not heated equally by the sun. At the Equator, which receives the most sun's heat, hot air rises creating a zone of low pressure. The air spreads towards the tropics, cools down and decends . Much of the moisture is lost now as rain. As these dry winds sink, they create areas of high pressure where most of the deserts are found - at the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. An example of a desert formed by this is the Sahara.
DRY AIR CURRENTS
Most rain-carrying currents come from the sea, picking up moisture along the way. The air gets drier and drier inland, therefore creating deserts at places where little rain fall (arid land). These deserts are called continental deserts because of their location inland. They have the most fluctuating temperatures in the world (example: in Gobi, temperatures is between 45ºC in summers and -40ºC in winters).
RAIN SHADOW
Some places are sheltered from rain-bearing winds by mountain ranges. The wind rises from the sea to the mountains, cooling and raining on the windward side of the mountain. As it reaches the leeward side of the mountain, the wind is dry, therefore there is little rain. Deserts are formed in the rain shadow of mountains. An example of a desert formed by Rain Shadow is Death Valley, USA.
COLD OCEAN CURRENTS
Water is constantly circulating around the oceans as sea currents, which is either warm or cold. Water from polar regions sweeps towards the equator along western coasts of continents. These cold currents cool the air, forcing it to rain over the sea, causing deserts to form at the coast. When warm air currents meets cold seas, moisture reaches the coast by fog. The rainfall does not penetrate inland and formed deserts.
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