Why is the Atacama Desert. The most severe deserts: Chile, Atacama. Atacama - the driest desert in the world

Atacama

Stretching a thousand kilometers along the coast of Chile, the Atacama Desert is recognized as the driest desert in the world. Its main part is located high in the mountains. The approximate size of the desert is one hundred and five thousand square kilometers. Rain may not irrigate these sands for several years, and in some areas it has not been there for four hundred years. The degree of solar radioactivity in Atacama is so high that no flora and fauna survives.

2nd place

Dry Antarctic Valleys

Scientists believe that this is one of the driest places on earth, because the last rainfall here was more than 2 million years ago. The Taylor, Wright and Victoria Valleys are part of the Dry Valleys. All are located near the McMurdo Strait. The reason for the dryness of these places is the speed of the Katabatic winds, which is three hundred and twenty kilometers per hour. All moisture evaporates from this. Natural conditions are so close to Martian that NASA uses this data for its research and testing.

3rd place

Takla Makan

The sandy desert of Central Asia is notable for its severity. Sands occupy an area of \u200b\u200bover 300 thousand kilometers. An insignificant amount of precipitation does not allow Takla Makan to boast of its vegetation cover. Only in some places can one meet a camel thorn, tamarisk, reed, saxaul. The diversity of the animal world is represented by hares, jerboas, gerbils and voles.

4th place

This hot Indian desert is located in the state of Rajasthan. There is speculation that before, sea waves raged here. True, it was millions of years ago. As evidence of this theory, archaeologists have unearthed the remains of petrified trees and ferns. Sand boas, rat snakes, and lizards are often found here.

5th place

Dzungaria

Translated from the Mongolian language means "left hand". The local climate is very dry and has minimal rainfall. Sudden changes in weather conditions, from summer heat to winter cold, do not give any chance of survival. In the Dzungar desert you will not find a single tree. It is rare where only shrubs can be found.

6th place

Gobi

Since the desert has already captured one million three hundred thousand square kilometers, the Chinese government is successfully implementing the project (Green Wall of China), which will prevent the further spread of sand. A waterless place, and this is how the word terrain name is translated, fully reflects the landscape that is opening.

7th place

Alashan

The desert of Central Asia, which borders the Nanshan mountain target. Famous for its sandy massifs. It is on its vast expanses that the greatest dune in the world is located (four hundred and five meters).

8th place

Namib

The oldest desert in the world. It is said that for fifty-five years of millions of years this African land has not seen the rains. An almost uninhabited territory stretched over 80,000 km². Namib - means in an ancient local dialect, "A place where there is nothing." This is not counting the uranium, tungsten and diamonds found here, or rather their deposits.

9th place

Sahara

No list of deserts can do without this African beauty. Nine million km² unites eleven countries. The temperature sometimes reaches almost 60 degrees. Travelers strive to get here to see these fantastic mirages with their own eyes: wells, mountain ranges, oases or palm groves.

10 place

Aralkum

It is considered not only one of the youngest deserts on earth, but also one of the most poisonous. Various types of fertilizers and pesticides, which were strewn with cotton, have migrated to this area.

The most sinister and merciless desert on Earth. It is in the Atacama Desert that there are places where it has not rained for centuries. It is difficult to survive here not only for plants and animals, even the simplest microorganisms do not survive. In such places, it’s practically a style.

Atacama Desert can be found on a map on the west coast of South America, between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes. Most desert areas are located in the north of the state of Chile.

Here, the temperature during the day can rise to + 50 ° C, at night it can drop to -25 ° C. However, the average temperature is + 20 ° C. According to the temperature value, this desert can be considered cold when compared with the Sahara. However, Atacama is the only desert where the air is almost devoid of moisture. Humidity approaches zero. Precipitation is extremely rare, up to 10 mm per year, sometimes every 10-15 years. There are places where it has not rained for centuries. That is why it turns out that Atacama is the driest place on Earth.

What is the Atacama Aridity phenomenon?

Why doesn’t it rain in this desert and how did Atakama turn out to be the driest desert? If we look at its geographical location, then the question immediately arises: "How did the desert, which is located next to the ocean?"

Warm and humid air that blows from the east brings rainfall to the entire continent of South America. But on the outskirts of the continent are mountains - the Andes, which do not allow humid air to go further. In contact with the mountain peaks, the air cools and precipitation forms: heavy rains or snowfalls. Most precipitation falls at the foot of the mountains, thereby replenishing the Amazon basin. It can be considered that, among other things, thanks to the Andes mountain system, the Amazon River is considered the most full-flowing river in the world.

On the other side of the desert lies the Pacific Ocean, where the Peruvian current cools the lower layers of the atmosphere and a natural phenomenon forms, when instead of lowering the temperature with increasing altitude, the opposite happens - it increases. This natural phenomenon also prevents precipitation; as a result, haze and fog are formed.

Atacama Desert is located mainly in the mountains, air is very rare here.

So it turns out:

• - Discharged air;
• - Andes, not letting rain;
• - Peruvian current, which gives an increase in temperature with increasing altitude (but it should be the other way around!).

All these factors created the conditions that formed in the Atacama Desert phenomenal aridity.

How do people survive in the Atacama desert and where do they get water?

Despite such difficult climatic conditions, people live in the Atacama desert. For example, on the outskirts of the desert there are 2 major ports of Chile: Arica and Iquique.

There is almost no vegetation in the desert, only some types of lichens, algae and cacti. It was cacti that told people how to get water in this arid desert. Since there are often fogs in the desert, people built structures similar to cacti. Cylinders with human growth, on the nylon walls of which fog is condensing, and water droplets flow down into the barrel. That's where the people in Atakama got water - out of the fog! About 10-18 liters of water can be extracted this way daily.

In the desert, there is also the Loa River, which originates in the Andes and flows into the Pacific Ocean. Along the riverbank, small forests of mesquite, acacia, and cacti sprout. In total there are 160 species of cacti, 90 of which are unique - they germinate only in Atakama.

Residents of the desert, settle mainly in coastal cities, near oases, where they develop agriculture. They grow olives, tomatoes, cucumbers. Herds of lime and alpaca graze.

Surprisingly, this almost lifeless territory - Atacama, became the cause of hostility between Bolivia and Chile. In 1904, after the Second Pacific War, a peace treaty was signed, according to which Bolivia transferred to Chile the entire coastal zone. Why has the driest desert become a bone of contention? Like most wars, the struggle was for natural wealth and access to the sea. Here in Atakama there are rich deposits of copper, iron, sodium nitrate, nitrate, iodine. Here is the largest copper ore deposit.

Fact No. 1. The oldest desert in the world

Scientists believe that it is Atacama that is the oldest desert in the world. The lands of this desert are in a dry state for about 20 million years ago. Whereas the closest of the most ancient deserts is 2 times younger - the Dry valleys of Antarctica formed about 10-11 million years ago.

Fact No. 2. Corpses do not decompose in Atacama

Everything is simple here, since the desert is very dry, because of the lack of moisture the corpses do not decompose. They simply dry and mummies are formed in this way. So were found the mummies of the Indians, whose age exceeded 9 thousand years.

Fact No. 3. Monument "Hand of the Desert"

It was in this desert that the grandiose monument “Hand of the Desert” was erected. According to the author, he symbolizes the insecurity and vulnerability of the population of this region. Surprisingly, despite the difficult climatic conditions, the population of the desert is more than a million.

Fact No. 4. Snow fell in the desert

In 2010, in May, snow fell in the desert. This anomaly led to landslides. Water eroded the dry soil, the landslide formed, stopped a few meters from the apartment buildings. Also, because of the snow, the work of the observatory and road traffic were paralyzed.

Fact No. 5. The desert closest simulates the surface of Mars

Unusual landscape landscapes make Atakama a popular filming location. For example, in the movie “Quantum of Solace” there are several episodes with landscapes of this desert. Also, scenery was built here and the series “Space Odyssey: Journey to the Planets” was filmed. NACA scientists also took a fancy to these, almost lifeless, expanses. Due to its similarity to the surface of Mars, the first tests of rovers in 2003 were carried out in the Moon Valley.

Atacama Desert is known for its extremely rare rainfall: in some places it did not rain for several hundred years. The temperature here is quite moderate and there are often fogs, but because of its dryness, the flora and fauna are not rich. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Chile have learned to cope with the features of their desert, to extract water and organize exciting tours of the sand mounds.

Key Features of the Atacama Desert

Many have heard what Atacama is famous for, but they don’t know in which hemisphere it is and how it formed. The driest place on Earth is stretched from north to south in the western part of South America and sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes. This area of \u200b\u200bmore than 105 thousand square kilometers belongs to Chile and borders with Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.

Despite the fact that it is a desert, the climate here is hardly hot. Day and night temperatures fluctuate in a moderate range and vary with altitude. Moreover, Atakama can even be called a cold desert: in summer there is no more than 15 degrees of heat, and in winter the temperature rises to an average of 20 degrees. Due to the low humidity, high glaciers do not form high in the mountains. The temperature difference at different times of the day causes frequent fogs, this phenomenon is more inherent in winter.

The Chilean desert is crossed by only one Loa river, the channel of which passes in the southern part. From the remaining rivers, only traces remained, and then, according to scientists, there has been no water in them for more than one hundred thousand years. Now these sites are oasis islands where flowering plants are still found.

The reasons for the formation of the desert

The emergence of the Atacama Desert is due to two main reasons associated with its location. On the mainland are spread a long strip of the Andes, which prevent water from entering the western part of South America. Here, most of the rainfall that forms the Amazon basin is delayed. Only a small fraction of them sometimes reaches the eastern part of the desert, but this is not enough to enrich the entire territory.

The other side of the arid region is washed by the Pacific Ocean, from where, it would seem, moisture should get, but this does not happen due to the cold Peruvian current. In this area, a phenomenon such as temperature inversion acts: air does not cool with increasing height, but becomes warmer. Thus, moisture does not evaporate, therefore, precipitation has nowhere to form, because even the winds are dry. That is why the driest desert is devoid of water, because it is protected from moisture on both sides.

Flora and fauna in Atacama

The lack of water makes this area unsuitable for living, so there are few animals and relatively poor vegetation. However, cacti of different species in an arid place are found almost everywhere. Moreover, scientists have several dozen different species, including endemic, for example, representatives of the genus Copiapoa.

More diverse vegetation is found in oases: here, along the beds of dried rivers, strips of small forests grow, consisting mainly of shrubbery plants. They are called gallery and they are formed from acacias, cacti and mesquite trees. In the center of the desert, where it is especially dry, even cacti are small, and you can still see thick lichens and even how tillandsia bloomed.

Near the ocean, there are whole colonies of birds that nest on the rocks and get food from the sea. Animals can be found here only close to human settlements, in particular, they also breed them. Very popular species in the Atacama Desert are alpacas and llamas that can tolerate water shortages.

The development of the desert by man

The inhabitants of Chile are not afraid of the lack of water in Atacama, because more than a million people live on its territory. Of course, most of the population chooses oases in which they build small cities as their place of residence, but even arid areas have already learned to cultivate and receive a small crop from them. In particular, thanks to irrigation systems in Atakama grow tomatoes, cucumbers, olives.

Over the years of living in the desert, people have learned to provide themselves with water even with minimal humidity. They came up with unique devices where they get water from. They were called mist eliminators. The design consists of a cylinder up to two meters high. The peculiarity lies in the internal structure, where the nylon threads are located. During fog, drops of moisture accumulate on them, which fall into the barrel from below. Per day, devices help to extract up to 18 liters of fresh water.

Previously, until 1883, this region belonged to Bolivia, but due to the defeat of the country in the war, the desert was transferred to the Chilean people. There are still disputes over this area due to the presence of rich mineral deposits in it. Today, copper, saltpeter, iodine, and borax are mined in Atakama. After the evaporation of water hundreds of thousands of years ago, salt lakes formed on the territory of Atakama. Now these are the places where the richest deposits of salt are located.

Atacama Desert is very amazing in nature, because of its features it can present unusual surprises. So, due to the lack of moisture, corpses do not decompose here. Dead bodies literally dry out and turn into mummies. In the course of studies of this area, scientists often find the burial places of Indians, whose bodies shriveled thousands of years ago.

In May 2010, a strange phenomenon happened for these places - the snow was falling with such force that huge snowdrifts appeared in the cities, making it difficult to move on the road. As a result, power plants and observatories malfunctioned. No one has ever seen such a phenomenon here, and it has not been possible to explain its reasons.

In the center of Atacama is the driest part of the desert, which was nicknamed the Moon Valley. Such a comparison was given to her because the dunes resemble photos of the surface of the Earth’s satellite. It is known that the space research center conducted tests of the rover in this area.

Closer to the Andes, the desert passes into a plateau, on which is one of the largest geyser fields in the world. El Tatio appeared due to the volcanic activity of the Andes and became another amazing component of a unique desert.

Chilean Sights

The main attraction of the Atacama desert is the giant's hand, half protruding from the sand dunes. It is also called the Desert Hand. Its creator, Mario Irarrasabal, wanted to show all the helplessness of man in the face of the unshakable sands of the endless desert. The monument is located deep in Atakama, far from the settlements. Its height is 11 meters, and it is made of cement on a steel frame. This monument is often found in pictures or videos, as it is popular with Chileans and visitors.

In 2003, in the city of La Noria, which has long been abandoned by residents, they found a strange, dried body. According to their constitution, they could not be attributed to the human species, which is why they called the find the Atacama Humanoid. At the moment, there is still a debate about where this mummy came from and to whom it actually belongs.

When a particularly hot summer happens, people look forward to the rains, which would be able to calm down the unbearable heat and nail dust. But there are places on our planet where rains can be expected for years. Until recently, people believed that the most arid place on Earth is in the Chilean Atacama, but it turned out that there is an even more arid piece of land in a most unexpected place.

1. Dry valleys, Antarctica (0 mm of precipitation per year)

  We imagine this continent chained in the shell of perennial ice, but meanwhile there are valleys called “dry” ones. And this is no accident, because there is the driest place on the planet. These three valleys (Wright, Victoria, Taylor) are located near the McMurdo Strait on Victoria Land. They represent a vast territory not covered by ice. Here, the strongest catabatic winds on the planet (320 km / h) blow to the north, which carry away all the moisture from the valleys.
  It is estimated that there has been no snow here for 8 million years. But such a harsh climate was ideal for many studies, so the Dry Valleys are taken under special protection. The local climate is closest to the Martian one, which is why NASA tested the Viking landers there. Surprisingly, the channel of the continent's longest river, Onyx, passes through these valleys, and there is also a partially frozen super-salty lake Vida, whose water is 5 times more saline than the ocean. It covers a centuries-old ice shell with a thickness of about 20 meters.

2. Atacama, Chile (0 mm of precipitation per year)

It was the South American Atacama Desert that has long been considered the driest place in the world. The desert begins near the Chilean-Peruvian border and then stretches parallel to the Pacific coast, covering an area of \u200b\u200b105,000 square meters. km Basically, this desert is mountainous, and the cause of dryness is the effect of the “rain shadow” - the steep Andes do not let clouds from the Pacific Ocean, which pour their stock only on the coast.
  In Atacama there are places where the last time it rained at the end of the Middle Ages. And in other places, the rain is like a miracle that happens once in many years. The attack cannot be called a hot desert with its daily average temperature of no more than 25 degrees. It is both dry and rather cool, and even cold. But life here somehow adapted - plants draw moisture from thick mists. In the middle of Atacama is the driest city in the world - Arica, which accounts for less than 0.8 mm of precipitation per year. Surprisingly, at the same time it is a port in the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, the air here is quite humid, clouds are actively forming over the city, but they do not rain, or rather, raindrops simply do not reach the ground, evaporating earlier.

   Not always large ships can pass through traditional canals and locks. For example, in a mountainous area there can be a very large difference where it’s just ...

3. Al-Kufrah, Libya (0.86 mm of precipitation per year)

  The driest African inhabited place is the Libyan city of Al-Kufrah, around which, however, there are several oases. It is only thanks to sources spurting from underground that people and animals manage to survive here. Locals grow dates, apricots and peaches. Almost the entire settlement is based on the sands of the Sahara, the depth of which reaches 300 meters.

4. Aswan, Egypt (0.86 mm of precipitation per year)

  The city of Aswan is known to us thanks to the dam built by Soviet specialists from the Nile hydroelectric power station, which is the largest in Egypt. But in the city itself, rain is a rarity. If winds from the sea blow to other parts of Egypt, then Aswan almost always has dry weather. It is not surprising that in this city near the northern tropic it is hot and dry. There are often strong (160 km / h) hot winds causing sandstorms. Even in winter, during the day, here + 20-25 degrees, but by night it gets cool to +10. But in the summer, most often the air is hot above 40 degrees, hot at night - 25 degrees. The ancient Egyptians took the stone for the construction of the pyramids in the dry valleys near Aswan.

5. Luxor, Egypt (0.86 mm of precipitation per year)

  In the world, Luxor became famous for its ancient monuments and buildings that have survived to this day. But, besides this, it is also one of the most arid places in the world. In winter, a dry sultry hamsin wind blowing here from west of the Sahara brings sandstorms that may not calm down for up to two days. During storms, the wind blows at a speed of 150 km / h, and the temperature temporarily rises by 20 degrees. Even when it tries to rain, its drops evaporate on the fly, long before reaching the surface of the earth. There are many iconic archaeological sites in and around Luxor itself.
  The abundance of antiquities attracts many tourists here, so tourism has become an important source of income for the city. Luxor is conditionally divided into the "city of the dead" and the "city of the living." The first is famous for the Theban necropolis, valleys of kings and queens, funerary temples of Queen Hatshepsut and Medinet Abu, there are several settlements and living people. The second is located on the right bank of the Nile and boasts such attractions as the Avenue of the Sphinxes, Luxor Temple, the Temple of Amun-Ra in Karnak, mostly locals live here and hotels for tourists are built.

   All of us have long been accustomed to sports such as football, hockey or boxing. And many participate in competitions in similar sports themselves. But there is t ...

6. Ica, Peru (2.45 mm of precipitation per year)

  To the south of the Peruvian capital of Lima, literally on the border with the Atacama Desert, is the city of Ica. In the distant past, this now dusty and arid place was not. So, in 2007, archaeologists found here the penguin bones 1.2 meters tall, who once lived here. Due to the climate, the locals of the pre-Columbian era learned to mummify the bodies of the deceased, which did not decompose in the absence of moisture. Now this city is interesting for people suffering from asthma, because the local air significantly conceals the symptoms of this ailment.

7. Wadi Halfa, Sudan (2.45 mm of precipitation per year)

  This city was lost in the Sahara near the Egyptian border. It is almost completely devoid of vegetation. The area in which Wadi Halfa is located is greatly influenced by the hot and dry air of the desert, which is why it has rightly become one of the driest on the planet.

8. Iquique, Chile (5.08 mm of precipitation per year)

Chile is a very long and narrow country, stretching from south to north along the Pacific coast of South America. In the warmer north of the country is the port city of Iquique. To the east of it, through the Andes, is the Atacama Desert. Near the city are developing saltpeter. Take a break from the dry weather at the local beaches. Throughout the year, the weather here is hot or moderately warm, with very rare rainfall in winter - from June to September.

9. Pelican Point, Namibia (8.13 mm of precipitation per year)

  The small pier of Pelican Point is lost among the sand dunes of African Namibia. The places here are extremely arid. But a small amount of precipitation does not scare the surfers who come here - after all, they are closely connected with the sea, where there is enough water for everyone, and the waves here are very suitable.