Climate change will be a major threat for humanity in the coming years, perhaps even now. Climate change is not just a threat to humans, but all species. Today, I’d like you to consider the impact climate change has on hot desserts. But first, let me tell you what the state of the biome is: Hot deserts are found between 15deg to 35deg in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Sahara is by far the largest desert followed by Gobi, which is 4 times smaller. Koeppen classified the climate in hot desert biome (BWh), which is an arid climate all year with less than 250mm annual precipitation.
A diurnal environment is created by the seasonal temperature difference, but also the greater daily temperature variation. All soils in the hot desert biome are low in organic matter, moisture and nutrients. These soils fall into two distinct zones. Upper zone is zone of aeration; lower zone, zone of saturation. The zone is divided into two zones: the upper zone, which is aeration, and the lower zone, which are saturation. The zone is saturated by a single layer made of sand. Vegetation in hot deserts is mainly divided into two types. Tropical scrub is the first type of vegetation that is found in hot deserts. Tropical scrub is made up of acacias, succulents like cacti, tuberous rooted plants, herbaceous and tuberous rooted plants. However, the latter will only grow if there are enough rains. The second type, which is also called temperate vegetation, is found at the edges of temperate areas. Malee from Australia is one example. Malee is a dense eucalyptus. All of the plants listed above have adapted to extreme temperature changes and long droughts by multiple means. They have long roots which allow them to get water from deeper soil layers. Succulents also store water so that some cacti are able survive for two years without water. Even though hot deserts appear inhospitable, they are home to a variety of animals. These include reptiles, arthropods, and mammals.
Animals in deserts with hot climates have also adapted in different ways. As a way to cope with the extreme conditions, some animals prefer to stay up at night to avoid the heat. There are other ways to adapt, such as burrowing, aestivation (slowing down), seasonal migration, or special anatomical changes. If you hear this, you may assume that climate change is not going to affect the hot deserts that much. It’s because this biome is already extremely hot, and that most deserts occur inland. It is true that climate change will cause more damage to other ecosystems, but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be worried about the future. As plant scientist Andrew Young stated in an “Atlantic” article, “Life is always at the edge.” Just a few degrees Celsius or millimeters can make an enormous difference. UNEP’s investigation revealed that in reality, temperatures are expected to increase between 1degC- 7degC in deserts. In reality, however, a UNEP investigation found that temperatures in hot deserts are predicted to rise by between 1degC and 7degC (!)
Most species have already begun to move to habitats higher up, where temperatures are cooler and there is more rainfall. The trend will continue in the coming decades, but will not last forever, as there are only a limited number of high-elevation areas, particularly in the desert. This will create a huge competition for space. The hot desert biome faces a second major challenge: the loss of soil nitrogen. This is because more nitrogen is now evaporating than before. The constant temperature rise is to blame for this. It is alarming because nitrogen is vital for plant growth, and a loss in nitrogen will result in soil fertility. Nitrogen is a powerful greenhouse agent, which increases the greenhouse effects. The threat of migration to the desert biome is also increasing, but will do so much more quickly because this is a doomsday scenario: as temperatures rise, nitrogen will evaporate more, which will enhance the greenhouse effect. Abc news reported that contrary to what many people believe, there will be an increase of rainfall in some deserts in the future.
The increase in rainfall is not a guarantee that wildlife will be able to survive with more water. It is because the increased temperatures lead to more evaporation. This means that precipitation will evaporate too quickly for plants and animals to use. According to a report from the United Nations Environment Programme, deserts that are fed by meltwater from glaciers will have more problems than other hot deserts. This is because their rivers will dry up when the glaciers melt completely due to global warming.
Salinization will increase as a result of the growing lack water. It could reach a point in the near future where the soil becomes too acidic for plant growth. Climate change is likely to have a large, negative effect on hot deserts.
Plants and animals will find it increasingly difficult to survive in desert areas.
Water shortages will become even worse than they are now.
Temperature increases will cause nitrogen to be lost, accelerating climate change.
Precipitation increases are not expected to benefit wildlife.
