North Desert
A vast xeric region spanning the Western United States and Mexico.
via Wikipedia: List of North American deserts · see source
The North American Desert is a term for a large U.S. Level 1 ecoregion (EPA) of the North American Cordillera, in the Deserts and xeric shrublands biome (WWF). The continent's deserts are largely between the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Madre Oriental on the east, and the rain shadow–creating Cascades, Sierra Nevada, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges on the west. The North American xeric region of over 95,751 sq mi (247,990 km2) includes three major deserts, numerous smaller deserts, and large non-desert arid regions in the Western United States and in northeastern, central, and northwestern Mexico.
Lore & Background
The North American Desert is defined as areas receiving less than 10 in (250 mm) annual precipitation. The three major hot and dry deserts are the Chihuahuan Desert (largest hot desert, total area 140,000 sq mi), the Sonoran Desert (second largest hot desert, total area 120,000 sq mi), and the Mojave Desert (hottest desert in North America, total area 22,000 sq mi). The largest cold desert is the Great Basin Desert, encompassing much of the northern Basin and Range Province, north of the Mojave Desert. Other cold deserts lie within the Columbia Plateau/Columbia Basin, the Snake River Plain, and the Colorado Plateau regions. The separately defined western arid regions of North America are continental regions of aridity based on available water in addition to rain shadow–diminished rainfall, covering 190,000 sq mi (490,000 km2) and including deserts such as the Great Basin Desert and Sonoran Desert, as well as non-desert arid regions in the Great Basin arid region, Colorado Plateau, Mexican Plateau, and others. This arid region extends from the top of the North American Desert in Washington and Idaho southward into Mexico in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.
Reader's Guide
The North American Desert is defined by receiving less than 10 in (250 mm) annual precipitation. The three major hot deserts are the Chihuahuan Desert (140,000 sq mi), the Sonoran Desert (120,000 sq mi), and the Mojave Desert (22,000 sq mi). The largest cold desert is the Great Basin Desert. Other cold deserts are found on the Columbia Plateau/Columbia Basin, the Snake River Plain, and the Colorado Plateau. The western arid regions of North America cover 190,000 sq mi (490,000 km2) and include both deserts and non-desert arid regions. This region extends from Washington and Idaho southward into Mexico in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The 'western arid region' is east of and (except for Mojave sky islands) discontiguous from the Mojave Desert, unlike the southwestern Great Basin deserts adjacent with ecotones to the northern Mojave Desert.
Did You Know?
- The Chihuahuan Desert is the largest hot desert in North America, with a total area of 140,000 sq mi (360,000 km2).
- The Mojave Desert is the hottest desert in North America, with a total area of 22,000 sq mi (57,000 km2).
- The Carcross Desert in Yukon is described as the smallest desert in the world.
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