EVALUATE AND COMMUNICATE 9. Many rainforest environments are located in developing countries. Explain why this makes the problem of rainforest destruction harder to solve. 10. Soils in the rainforest are generally poor, but they are able to support so much vegetation. Discuss why the rainforest is able to support so much vegetation but cannot sustain agricultural production without the additional use of fertilisers. Answers and sample responses for this topic are available online.
LESSON 13.8 Deserts in Australia and China
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to: • describe the global distribution of deserts • identify and make comparisons between important desert landscapes in Australia and China • explain why Uluru is an iconic Australian landmark.
Tune in The actions of wind, and sometimes water, shape the rich variety of landscapes found in the desert regions of the world. Deserts may be hot or cold, and subject to temperature extremes. 1. What processes do you think created the landscape shown in FIGURE 1? 2. How can some deserts be hot, while others are cold? 3. Work with a partner to brainstorm a list of characteristics that define the desert landscape. 4. As a class, create a combined list of the characteristics of deserts.
FIGURE1 While the extreme conditions make it difficult for people to survive, there are many desert locations around the world where people can and do live.
13.8.1 What defines a desert? Deserts are hot or cold regions with little or no rainfall. Around one-third of the Earth’s surface is desert, and they are home to about one billion people. Although they receive little rainfall, most deserts receive some form of precipitation. Rain usually occurs as a few heavy storms that last a short time and can be so intense that normally dry rivers overflow their banks.
TABLE1 Rainfall levels in different types of desert Rainfall (mm/year) Type of desert
Examples
<25
Hyper-arid
Namib; Arabian
25–200 200–500
Arid
Mojave
Semi-arid
Parts of Sonoran Desert
320 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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