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[[Image:desert-7.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]
[[Image:desert-7.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]
'''Deserts''' are areas of extreme heat and dryness, just as most of us envision them. Deserts are arid regions, characteristically receiving less than 5 inches of [[precipitation]] a year. In some deserts, the amount of [[evaporation]] is greater than the amount of rainfall, making them very dry. Semi-arid deserts average 5 to 10 inches of annual precipitation. Desert moisture typically occurs in brief intervals and is unpredictable from year to year. One-third of the earth is arid to semiarid (being either ''desert'' or ''semidesert'').
'''Deserts''' are arid regions of extreme heat and dryness, characteristically receiving less than 5 inches of [[precipitation]] a year. In some deserts, the amount of [[evaporation]] is greater than the amount of rainfall, making them very dry. Semi-arid deserts average 5 to 10 inches of annual precipitation. Desert moisture typically occurs in brief intervals and is unpredictable from year to year. One-third of the earth is arid to semi-arid (being either ''desert'' or ''semidesert'').
Evaporation contributes greatly to a desert's aridity. In some deserts, the amount of water evaporating exceeds the amount of rainfall making that desert very dry. Rising air cools and can hold less moisture, producing clouds and precipitation; falling air warms, absorbing moisture. Areas with few clouds, bodies of water and little vegetation absorb most of the sun's radiation, thus heating the air at the soil surface. More humid areas deflect heat in clouds, water and vegetation, remaining cooler. High wind in open country also contributes to evaporation.
Evaporation contributes greatly to a desert's aridity. In some deserts, the amount of water evaporating exceeds the amount of rainfall making that desert very dry. Rising air cools and can hold less moisture, producing clouds and precipitation; falling air warms, absorbing moisture. Areas with few clouds, bodies of water and little vegetation absorb most of the sun's radiation, thus heating the air at the soil surface. More humid areas deflect heat in clouds, water and vegetation, remaining cooler. High wind in open country also contributes to evaporation.