Aridity

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/aridity

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the defining climatic parameters?Characterized by low annual precipitation, high potential evapotranspiration, and often elevated temperatures
2. What is the soil characteristics?Frequently associated with degraded soils, low organic matter, and susceptibility to erosion
3. Why are deserts so dry?Deserts are dry because they have low rainfall and high temperatures that make water evaporate quickly. The air stays dry and clouds rarely form.
4. How do plants survive in arid lands?Plants in dry places grow deep roots to find groundwater, have small leaves or spines to keep water, and can store water in thick stems. Some even drop their leaves when it gets very dry.

Aridity Index: A measure comparing potential evapotranspiration to precipitation to classify dryness.
Desertification: The process of land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors.
Evapotranspiration: The combined process of evaporation from the Earth's surface and transpiration from plants into the atmosphere.