An Interactive Notebook

Interactive Notebook

Deserts are dry, hostile regions that have little vegetation and less than 250mm of rainf all a year. Clear blue skies make many deserts scorch with the sun's heat by day, but with no clouds to trap the heat, temperatures may drop below freezing at night.

A fifth of the Earth's surface is covered by deserts and they can be found on every continent throughout the world.

Deserts are often made up of sand, rocks or gravel. Not all deserts are blazing hot, there are cold deserts as well. The Gobi desert in Asia is always cold because it lies at a high altitude.

The coldest desert in the world is the Antarctic. Animals such as the polar bear, penguin, seal, blue whale and the albatross have adapted well to the freezing cold temperatures.

The Sahara in North Africa is the largest hot desert in the world, with temperatures reaching 55°C in the shade. Few animals are active during the day and prefer to come out at night when it's cooler. These animals are called nocturnal. They spend the day in burrows or under rocks, away from the scorching sun.

Camels are a good example of animals that have adapted to the lack of water.

They can survive for a long time without eating or drinking. Plants have also adapted to the hot climate by growing long roots that can soak up water from deep underground. The cactus stores water in its stem and its sharp spikes protect it from plant-eating animals.

Only 20% of the Earth's deserts are covered by sand. New deserts can form in areas where droughts are common and where people cut down the trees and allow their animals to graze on the plants. This process is called overgrazing. The Sahel region of central Africa was turned into desert during the 1970's because of drought and over-grazing. Sadly, the problem still exists today.

What is the How much of the

definition of a Earth’s surface is desert? covered by desert?

Why does the Where is the

temperature drop Gobi Desert?

so low at night?

Why is the Gobi What is the Desert so cold? coldest desert in

the world?

Name 3 animals that What is the

have adapted to living world’s largest in cold deserts? hot desert?

What percentage of What caused the

the Earth’s deserts Sahel region to are sand? become desert?

Draw and label the World’s deserts onto the globe below.

SUGGESTION: Colour the hot deserts light brown and the cold deserts blue

Sahara Australian Great Basin

Namib Arabian Atacama

Kalahari Sonoran Patagonian

Gobi Mojave Chihuahuan

Antarctica

The Gobi is the fifth largest desert in the world. It is 1,300,000 sq km and stretches across Central Asia over large parts of China and Mongolia.

The Gobi is a cold desert, with ice and snow covering large parts of it in the winter. This is partly because the Gobi is very high, roughly 1,500 m above sea level.

There is less than 200 mm of rainfall per year, making the Gobi one of the driest places on Earth. Most of the rain is blocked by the Himalayas. During the winter, temperatures can drop as low as -40°C and reach 50°C in the summer.

Unlike the Sahara, the Gobi is mostly bare rock with gravel and dirt. There are many unusual animal species that live in the Gobi, including the mountain sheep, snow leopard, ibex, lynx, gazelle, bactrian camel, wolf and a small population of Gobi bears.

Common plants in the Gobi include the saxual tree, wild onions, shrubs and grass.

The Gobi is also famous for the discovery of dinosaur fossils and in 1923 fossilised dinosaur eggs were discovered.

Most of the people living in the Gobi desert are Mongolian. They are nomadic which means that they move from one place to another to find better living conditions. They traditionally herd five types of animals: horses, sheep, goats yaks and camels. The live in decorated round tents called gers.

Where is the Is the Gobi a hot Gobi desert? or cold desert?

How high is the Why is the Gobi

Gobi desert one of the driest above sea level? deserts?

What is the Name 3 animals

temperature range that inhabit the in the Gobi? Gobi?

What was What is a

discovered in the nomad? Gobi desert in 1923?

The Bactrian camel is recognised by the two humps on its back and its long, woolly fur that helps keep it warm at night and protects it from the heat of the Sun during the day. They shed a lot of fur in the Summer.

It inhabits the rocky deserts of Central and Eastern Asia. It is a herbivore, eating huge amounts of grass and vegetation, especially dry, thorny plants that other animals cannot eat. It can reach a height of 2.1 metres and lives up to 50 years old in the wild.

Wild Bactrian camels are endangered and are at risk of extinction because domesticated grazing camels are eating all their sources of food.

Camels have long eyelashes to protect their eyes during dust storms and from freezing frosts. They have large, flat padded feet that help them travel long distances over rocky ground.

Camels can drink as much as 135 litres of water in 15 minutes. People used to believe camels store water in their humps. This is not true. The two humps are stores of fat which the camel uses to provide energy when it cannot find food or water.

When the Bactrian camels humps are full of fat they stand upright, but when their fat reserves are running low, their humps become droopy.

Female camels give birth to one calf after 12-14 months gestation. The calf can stand almost immediately after being born and can walk after just a few hours. It will stay with its mother until it is about 4 years old.

How can you Where are recognise a Bactrian Bactrian camels

camel? found?

Describe the diet Why is the

of a Bactrian Bactrian camel camel. endangered?

Why do camels What do camels

have long store in their

eyelashes? humps?

How long is the How long does

gestation of the the calf stay Bactrian? with its mother?

The Sahara is the largest, hottest desert in the world. It is over 9,000,000 sq km and covers most of North Africa. To the north of the Sahara are the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. To the west is the Atlantic

Ocean and to the east is the Red Sea.

The Sahara ha s two main climates: the dry, subtropical climate and the dry tropical climate. The Sahara receives less than 25mm of rainfall per year, making it one of the driest places on Earth .

Over a quarter of the Sahara is covered by sand sheets and dunes. There are many oases in the Sahara. An oasis is a small area of desert where there is much water. The water flows under the desert, reaching the surface in springs, allowing plants to grow there.

Although the Sahara is the hottest place on Earth, there are som e animals that have adapted to the dry, harsh conditions including insects, reptiles and mammals.

The most common Sahara desert animals are dromedary camels, the addax antelope, fennec fox, goats, dorcas gazelles, the desert hedgehog, spotted hyena, scor pion s, monitor lizard and sand vipers.

It is thought that people have lived in the Sahara desert for thousands of years. Today, the population is around 4 million.

Most of the people that live in the Sahara are nomads who move from one place to another to find better living conditions and graze their herding animals . The most widely spoken language in the Sahara is Arabic.

Where is the Which sea lies

Sahara desert north of the located? Sahara?

Describe the How much rainfall climates of the does the Sahara

Sahara desert. receive each year?

Name 3 animals What is an that inhabit the oasis? Sahara?

Which ocean lies How has the

west of the Sahara camel adapted to desert? life in the Sahara?

How much of the What is the most

Sahara is covered in common language sand dunes? spoken in the Sahara?

The Dromedary camel is also known as the Arabian camel because it is native to the Middle East and North Africa. It inhabits the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. There are also feral populations in the Australian desert.

The Dromedary was first domesticated in Somalia and Arabia around 4000 years ago. It is used for riding, carry and transporting goods over long distances and it is also a source of food.

used to ﷺ It is well known in Islamic tradition that the Prophet Muhammad eat camel meat and he recommended both its milk and urine as a medicine.

Dromedaries have tough, leathery lips and are able to eat the thorny plants of the desert. They are able to tolerate losing as much as 30% of their body water, allowing them to survive the extremely harsh environment of the

Sahara desert.

Dromedary camels mate once a year during the rainy season and the females give birth to one calf after 15 months gestation.

The word ‘dromedary’ comes from the ancient Greek word ‘dromas’ which means ‘runner’, because they are very swift animals and the sport of camel racing is well known in the Arabian Peninsula..

Dromedary camels are active during the day, resting in the heat of the afternoon by lying down. They usually gather in herds of around 20, mostly females led by a dominant male.

Dromedary camels are recognised by their single hump and short fur. Their fur is usually light coloured to deflect the heat.

How can you Where are recognise a Dromedary camels

Dromedary camel? found?

Where and when What is the

were Dromedaries Dromedary used first domesticated? for?

How did the ﷺ What did the Prophet

recommend as a Dromedary get its

medicine? name?

How many camels How are Dromedary

camels able to survive are their usually in a herd? in the Sahara?

ذ َ ْ ُ ذ َ ُ ِ ْ ْ ْ َ ِ َ َوا َِّلي َخل َق ا َْل ْزَوا َج ُكهَا َو َج َع َل لُك ّم َن ال ُف ِْل َوا َْلهْ َعا ِم َما تَْرك ُبو َن لتَ ْس تَ ُو وا عَ َٰل ُظهُو ِر ِه ُ ذُث تَ ْذ ُك ُروا ِه ْع َم َة َ ِربّ ُ ُْك ا َذا ا ْس تَ َويْ ُ ُْت عَلَْي ِه َوتَ ُقولُوا ُس ْب َحا َن ا ذ َِّلي َ ذَس َر لَنَا َهٰـ َذا َوَما ِ ُكنذا َُ ُم ْق ِِره َ

And who created the species, all of them, and has made for you of ships and animals those

which you mount. So that you may settle yourselves upon their backs and then remember the favo ur of your Lord when you have settled upon them and say. "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we could not have [otherwise] subdued it.

[Surah az-Zukhruf 43:12-13]

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______© Iman’s Homeschool __ Deserts Interactive Notebook Camel Art

The Painted Desert is located in Arizona, USA. It covers almost 20 thousand square kilometres.

It gets its name because of the beautifully coloured layers of rocks that look as thou gh they have been painted. There are many shades of red, brown, grey and yellow, but also some brilliant shades of lavender.

The desert is composed of stratified layers of siltstone, mudstone and shale. These layers of rock contain an abundance of compounds including iron and magnesium, which give the desert its colour.

There is a forest situated in the Painted Desert known as the Petrified Forest where the tree stumps have turned to stone. They have become fossilised after the plant material was buried by rock and sediment before having chance to decay.

Groundwater rich in sediments leeched into the fossilised wood giving the tree stumps bright colours and patterns.

The Painted desert is a cold desert, characterised by wind, water and soil erosion which continues to change the landscape and expose many kinds of fossilised prehistoric plants and animals. Dinosaur foot prints have also been in the region.

Where is the Why is it called the

Painted desert Painted desert? located?

How do the rocks What is the

get their colour? Petrified Forest?

How do the tree Is the Painted

stumps become desert a hot or

petrified? cold desert?

What causes the What has been landscape to change discovered in the

in the Painted Painted desert? desert?

s a h a r a o g o k e i c o a o p l t a r m a x n h n k m g s a v e d l o t i o o b o t c r a a a t l h r e w n u a m t a h k g u a v o n a m i b e a e l a n t m o t a l a r r p i h i i o p i n t s e i a g u s q j i d a a i g t i e a h p a t a g o n i a n n n n v v n o m e d n n t t t a r e a e c a l e t e r e i y t h o n n y r a d m p b n a n t a r c t i c e g a o c a d u l a t l a l o r t a m e t f l e e r a b a u s t r a l i a n l h i

Sahara Australian Great Basin

Namib Arabian Atacama

Kalahari Sonoran Patagonian

Gobi Mojave Chihuahuan

Antarctic Painted © Iman’s Homeschool Deserts Interactive Notebook Cactus Plants

Cactus plants (plural: cacti) are native to the Americas, although some species of cacti are found in Africa. There are almost 2000 different species of cacti in the world.

They are succulent plants, which mean they have thick, fleshy parts that store water. In cacti, water is usually stored in the trunk-like stems or pads.

Wild cacti are usually found in arid regions, prone to drought, such as deserts. Domesticated cacti can be found as regular houseplants all over the world. They are easy to maintain since they don’t need watering often.

Cactus plants do not have broad, flat leaves like most plant. Instead they have long, thin spines which help reduce water lose by transpiration. The spines also help protect the cactus from other animals that might chew through their stems to reach the stored water.

Cacti have a large root system but its roots do not go deep underground. They grow near the surface of the soil to collect as much rainwater as possible as quickly as possible. Some also have one long, thick root that grows deep underground. This is called a tap root and it can supply the cactus with water from underground when the top soil is dry.

Some cactus plants flower and give fruits which are a popular source of food in some countries. The prickly pear is a type of cactus that is favoured for its fruit and its pads, both of which can be eaten.

Many wild cactuses are under threat from building developments, animal grazing and illegal international exporting.

Where in the What does

world do wild ‘succulent’ mean? cacti grow?

How do the Describe the cactus

spines help the root system? cactus?

Why do cacti What parts of

make good the cactus can be

house plants? eaten?

Name a type of Why are some cactus plant that wild cacti under

can be eaten? threat?

Saguaro Cactus Facts

Fact #1 Fact #2 Fact #3

Barrel Cactus Facts

Fact #1 Fact #2 Fact #3

Prickly Pear Cactus Facts

Fact #1 Fact #2 Fact #3

Aloe Vera Plant Facts

Fact #1 Fact #2 Fact #3

Date Palm Tree Facts

Fact #1 Fact #2 Fact #3

Yucca Plant Facts

Fact #1 Fact #2 Fact #3

Cactus Wren Fennec Fox

Desert Tortoise Rattle Snake

Ibex Jerboa

Coyote Road Runner

Tarantula Scorpion

Horned Lizard Dorcas Gazelle

arid sand dune

oasis mirage

striated sahel

rock

domesticate nomadic

Normally, light waves from the sun travel straight through the atmosphere to your eye. But, light travels at different speeds through hot air and cold air.

Mirages happen when the ground is very hot and the air is cool. The hot ground warms a layer of air just above the ground.

When the light moves through the cold air and into the layer of hot air it is refracted (bent).

A layer of very warm air near the ground refracts the light from the sky nearly into a U-shaped bend. Our brain thinks the light has travelled in a straight line.

Our brain doesn't see the image as bent light from the sky. Instead, our brain thinks the light must have come from something on the ground.

َوا ذ َِّلي َن َك َف ُروا َأ ْ َْعالُهُ ْم َك َ ََسا ٍب ِب ِقي َع ٍة َ َْي َس ُب ُه ال ذظ ْمآٓ ُن َما ًء َح ذ َّٰت ا َذا َجا َء ُه لَ ْ م ََِي ْد ُه ِ َ ْ ًا َو َو َج َد ا ذ َا ِ ن َد ُه َ َو ذا ُه ِح َسابَ ُه َوا ذ ُا َ ِ ي ُي الْ ِ َسا ِب

As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one thinks it to be water, until he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing; but he finds Allah with him, Who

will pay him his due (Hell). And Allah is Swift in taking account.

[Surah an-Noor 24:39]

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E ______

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Chart day and night time temperatures for the different deserts of the world

Temp °C

SAHARA GOBI ARABIAN AUSTRALIAN ATACAMA PAINTED SONORAN PATAGONIA KALAHARI NAMIB