Question map
Hot deserts like Sahara, Arabia etc. receive very negligible amount of rainfall. This is because they :
Explanation
Hot deserts like the Sahara and Arabia are primarily characterized by their location within the Sub-Tropical High-Pressure Belts, also known as the Horse Latitudes [c5]. In these regions, the descending limb of the Hadley Cell creates stable atmospheric conditions where air sinks and warms adiabatically [t1][t6]. This subsidence suppresses convection and cloud formation, making it the least favorable condition for precipitation [c5]. Additionally, these deserts are often situated on the western margins of continents where trade winds are off-shore, meaning they blow from land to sea and carry little moisture [c1][c4]. While the lack of moisture-bearing winds and cold ocean currents contribute to aridity [c3][c4], the fundamental meteorological cause for the negligible rainfall in these specific tropical latitudes is the persistent high-pressure system that prevents the ascent of air necessary for condensation [c3][t4].
Sources
- [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 32: Ocean Movements Ocean Currents And Tides > Why Between 20 – 30 Degrees? > p. 496
- [2] https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/115307/1/Hadley_Cell_review_SHORT.pdf
- [3] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 14: Climate > Pressure and Planetary Winds > p. 140
- [4] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 7: Arid or Desert Landforms > Types of Desert > p. 67
- [5] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 3: MAJOR BIOMES > Hot Desert Biome > p. 15