Objectives:

·        To define desert.
·        To explore the world's largest desert - The Sahara Desert.           

Let's Do This First:


What is a desert?

A desert is a dry, often sandy region with little rainfall, extreme temperatures and very little plant life.

The Sahara Desert

The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world.   It is in northern Africa.  Almost 2 million people live in the Sahara Desert. 

Weather in the Sahara Desert brings very dry air, very little rainfall, high daytime temperatures, and lots of wind. 

Rainfall

In most parts of the Sahara, there is very little rainfall.  Some areas go several years without any rainfall.

High Daytime Temperatures

The Sahara is very hot during the day but the air turns cooler at night.   Daily summer temperatures are often above 90 °F (Fahrenheit).  Parts of the desert have daytime temperatures higher than 110 °F.  Daily winter temperatures in the Sahara average from 50 to 60 °F.   The world's highest recorded temperature was in the Sahara Desert.  It reached nearly 136 degrees Fahrenheit (F).  That's very, very hot! 


Winds

Weather brings some strong winds to the Sahara Desert.  These winds can blow for days and bring a lot of dust and sand with them.  Blowing dust and sand can make it very hard to see.  Dust Devils also occur in the Sahara Desert.  They can lift small animals and plants into the air.  Look at the dust devil that a WeatherNet Camera  photographed in Shenandoah National Park (Virginia).  Note:  Shenandoah National Park is not a desert. 

Animals in the Sahara Desert

What types of animals live in the Sahara Desert? 

Each box, below, shows a few animals.  One box shows animals that live in the Sahara desert.  Choose the box (A or B) that shows animals that live in the Sahara Desert. 

What I Can Do :

1.  Look at the current temperature in your local area.

2.  The AWS WeatherNet has a weather station in Death Valley.   Death Valley is a desert that is located in California. 

  It is the hottest, lowest, driest spot in North America.  Below, is a picture of Death Valley.

Look at the current temperature in Death Valley. 

a.  What is the current temperature in Death Valley?
b.  Is it hotter in Death Valley than in your local area?
 

What I Learned:

·         What is a desert?
·         What type of weather does the Sahara Desert have?
·         Does the United States have a desert?

 

More To Do:

·         Draw a picture of a desert.
·         Look at more WeatherNet Camera pictures of dust devils in Shenandoah National Park (Virginia) by clicking here.