Geography Chihuahan Desert.notebook September 21, 2020
Hola Mexico WALA The Chihuahuan Desert WILF 1) Know where the Chihuahuan Desert is 2) Know the climate, biome and vegetation belt of the Chihuahuan Desert 3) Know environmental challenges in the Chihuahuan Desert 4) Know how the altitude of the Chihuahuan Desert affects daily temperatures and climates 5) Know the Geographical differences between The Chihuahuan desert, Tabernas Desert (Europe) and Dungeness (UK) SKILLS LINK I can describe patterns of human population growth and movement, economic activities, space, land use and human settlement patterns of an area of the UK and compare to the wider world.
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Key Vocabulary biome
highlands
species region
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Key Vocabulary
desert - is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs. climate - the weather conditions in an area. highlands - an area of high or mountainous land. species - a group of living organisms. region - an area (part of a country or world). biome - is a community of animals and plants adapted to a particular environment.
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Retrieval Practice
Consider: Where is Mexico located? Surrounding seas Which countries border Mexico? Climate in Mexico
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Shared Reading
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Map
UK - Dungeness is on the coast of Kent.
Mexico - Chihuahuan Desert is Spain - Tabernas Desert is located in Almeria. located in northern Mexico.
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Biome
What is biome?
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Biome What is biome? biome - is a community of animals and plants adapted to a particular environment.
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Biome What is biome? A biome is an area of the planet that can be classified according to the plants and animals that live in it. Temperature, soil and the amount of light and water help determine what life exists in a biome. Boundaries between biomes are not always sharply defined. For instance, there are sometimes transition zones between grassland and forest biomes. Coasts and wetlands are transition zones between terrestrial and aquatic biomes. Biomes also often move as the climate changes. For example, ten thousand years ago, parts of North Africa were lush landscape cut by flowing rivers. Hippoptamises, giraffes and crocodiles lived amid abundant trees. Gradually, the climate dried out. Today, this region is part of the Sahara Desert, the world's largest desert.
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Hola Mexico!
These are different types of biomes located around the world. Let's find out what they mean.
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Hola Mexico!
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Hola Mexico!
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Hola Mexico!
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Hola Mexico!
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Hola Mexico!
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Hola Mexico!
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Hola Mexico!
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Hola Mexico!
UK - The Dungeness Mexico - Chihuahuan Desert
Spain - Tabernas Desert
Can you work out what the climate zone is for each of the deserts?
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Hola Mexico!
UK - The Dungeness (Temperature) Mexico - Chihuahuan Desert (Tropical)
Spain - Tabernas Desert (Mediterranean)
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Write down this definition
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The Chihuahuan is the largest desert in North America‑stretching all the way from the south‑ western United States deep into the Central Mexican Highlands.
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Can you draw the Rio Grand River on your map?
Rio Grande River Did you know that Rio Grande means ''Big River''? Just how big is this river? The Rio Grande flows for about 2,000 miles and is the fifth longest river in the United States! It begins in the state of Colorado and flows through New Mexico and Texas. It actually forms part of the border between the United States and Mexico.
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Formation and Geography of the River So, how was this mighty river formed? Several streams are found in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. These streams merge, or come together, to create the starting point of the river. The Rio Grande flows through just about all types of geography. In many areas, canyons are created by the river. These are places with steep land on either side that are carved by rivers over many years.
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When you think of a desert, you don't typically think of water, right? However, the Rio Grande flows through many desert areas. As the river gets closer to the Gulf of Mexico, the geography and climate around the river become more tropical. The Rio Grande ends on the coast of Texas in something called a delta. This is an area where lots of dirt and rock are deposited before the river flows into a larger body of water.
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Stop Check!
1) Where is the Chihuahuan desert? 2) Which river runs through the Chihuahuan desert? 3) In which USA state does the river originate in? 4) What is a delta?
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The Chihuahuan Desert can be described as a rain shadow desert. Because of the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental, the moisture brought from the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean is blocked. There is one rainy season, which is summer, and one more rainy month in December. The summer rains which occur in June and July are called monsoons, and they bring moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Temperatures can vary in the Chihuahuan Desert because of the altitude, and the lower grounds are typically hotter than the elevated ones. The climate during the winter is more severe in northern areas of the Chihuahuan Desert than the southern regions.
altitude - the height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level.
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Can you add information to one of your bullet points?
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The Chihuahuan Desert is considered a cold desert, with an average maximum temperature of 18.6 degrees Celsius. The warmest month typically occurs in June, when the maximum average temperature is 29.7 degrees Celsius. January is considered the coldest month of the year with an average temperature of just 10 degrees Celsius.
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Can you add information to one of your bullet points?
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The Chihuahuan Desert receives an annual average precipitation of 235 mm (9.3 in) with a range of approximately 150400 mm (616 in). These figures lead us to believe that the Chinuahuan Desert receives more precipitation than most other warm desert ecoregions. Almost twothirds of the biome receives annual precipitation between 225 and 275 mm (8.9 and 10.8 in). Although the Chihuahuan Desert receives a good amount of water, most of it falls during the summer.
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Can you add information to the rest of your bullet points?
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What animals live in the Chihuahuan Desert? The Chihuahuan Desert is home to many species of wildlife including more than 130 species of mammal including mule deer, pronghorn and kit fox, mountain lion, wolf, bobcat, whitetailed deer, antelope, ringtailed cat, coyote, jackrabbit, roadrunners. The Chihuahuan Desert is home to North America's largest prairie dog colony, more than 500 bird species, and even more than 110 native freshwater fish species. The Chihuahuan Desert gives shelter to many different kinds of animals including reptiles such as Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Gopher Snake and Greater Earless Lizard.
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How do Chihuahuan Desert animals survive? Animals living in the Chihuahuan Desert have to make many adaptations in order to survive. Some of them burrow themselves in the ground for the hottest period and reappear once the rain starts to fall. Most of the animals adopt a crepuscular way of living, meaning that they are active during dusk and dawn, when temperatures are cooler. Another way that animals manage to survive in the Chihuahuan Desert is through pale color skin and fur. It is known that paler colors do not attract as much heat as dark colors. Another way that wildlife can preserve their body temperature and hydration is through sweating and panting. This is achieved through sweat glands that provide evaporative cooling during hot periods.
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Chihuahuan Desert Landscape and Vegetation The Chihuahuan Desert vegetation is strongly connected with the soil. When soil changes, the vegetation also changes. In the lower areas, the soil is sandy or gravelly. This kind of soil retains little water and is suitable only for droughttolerant plants. Once the altitude rises, the soil starts to contain small rocks, stones and smaller soil particles. The advantage of this soil is the further penetration of water. On the highest levels of the Chihuahuan Desert, where the vegetation consists more in small trees and bushes, you can find deep alluvial fans created by the mountain erosion and mountain crags where the temperature is cooler. Water is more present here, so the environment is not that hostile.
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What are the similarities and differences between these desert photographs?
Chihuahuan Desert (Mexico) Tabernas Desert (Europe)
Dungeness Desert (UK)
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The Chihuahuan Desert The Chihuahuan Desert is located in Northern Mexico. Its total area is 362.600 square kilometres. It is considered as a cold desert, with an average maximum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius. Temperatures can vary in the Chihuahuan Desert because of the high altitude. It is often found that the lower grounds are typically hotter, than the elevated ones. The average annual rainfall here is 235mm. The Chihuahuan Desert is home to many species of wildlife (more than 130), including mule deers, kit fox, mountain lion, antelope, jackrabbit and roadrunners.
Tabernas Desert The Tabernas Desert has a high altitude and is located in the province of Almeria, Spain. It covers an area of more than 280 square kilometers. It has extreme weather conditions with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, which is the highest in Europe and this is experienced during the summer. However, the average annual temperature is 18 degrees Celsius and rainfall being 200mm. During the winter, there is little precipitation and temperatures remain above the freezing point. The land is mostly barren and supports little animal and plant life (approximately 200 species). The desert is commonly used by cinema production crews as a filming location.
Dungeness Dungeness is a located on the coast of Kent, England formed largely of a shingle beach. Therefore, resulting in it being the longest pebble beach in the world. Dungeness average annual temperature is 10 degrees Celsius and rainfall being 705mm. It covers 31 square kilometers, which is of low-lying land (low altitude). Ridges in the shingle tell how it all came about because their height indicates how the sea level has changed over the past 6,000 years. The sea has sorted pebbles into bigger pebbles in the troughs and finer pebbles on the top of the ridges. Plants grow on top of the ridges because rainwater is trapped there by the smaller stones. Dungeness has approximately 600 species of plants, insects, moths, wild bees, spiders and beetles. As the climate is very mild, it is perfect for them to survive.
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Let's fill out this table based on what we have just learnt about the three deserts. This will help us recognise the similarities and differences.
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What environmental challenges do you think there are in the Chihuahuan Desert?
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What threats do you think there are to the Chihuahuan Desert? This magnificent desert landscape is threatened by population growth, poor water management, agricultural expansion, invasive species, illegal wildlife trade, and a lack of understanding about the desert's ecological importance. The region's watersheds are suffering from overuse, construction of dams, groundwater extraction, pollution, and the drying impacts of climate change.
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What threats do you think there are to the Chihuahuan Desert? WATER SCARCITY Population pressure in the Big Bend region is the most prominent threat to the northern Chihuahuan Desert. The Rio GrandeRio Bravo river system is the primary source of water for 5.5 million people on the border, and the river's waters are already 150% overallocated, mostly for the agriculture sector. Water is particularly important in the Chihuahuan Desert, where the region's poor are largely dependent on the desert's natural resources for their livelihoods. Who's fault? HUMAN or PHYSICAL?
Human - Things created/affected by people. These process would not occur without human involvement. Physical - An event that occurs naturally due to the power of the planet.
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What threats do you think there are to the Chihuahuan Desert? CONVERSION OF LAND Overgrazing by cattle, sheep, and goats decimate native grasses, increase the number of shrubs, and promote desertification. Unsustainable harvesting and illegal poaching present serious threats to the region's biodiversity, which includes rare plants and reptiles. Extraction of copper, gypsum, salt, lime and sand have degraded the region.
Who's fault? HUMAN or PHYSICAL?
Human - Things created/affected by people. These process would not occur without human involvement. Physical - An event that occurs naturally due to the power of the planet.
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Explain one of the environmental challenges to the desert to others. Who's fault is it? Is it due to HUMAN factors or PHYSICAL factors?
Include an image and bullet points.
Environmental Challenges to the desert Population, poor water management, illegal wildlife trade and overuse of water sources.
Human - Things created/affected by people. These process would not occur without human involvement. Physical - An event that occurs naturally due to the power of the planet.
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