One of or maybe even the biggest threat to humanity now, but even more so in the future, is climate change. However, not only are we humans endangered by climate change, but all other species will also have to live with the differences in temperature and precipitation that climate change will inevitably bring. Today I would like to take a closer look at the impact of climate change on hot deserts. First of all, however, I will inform you about the current state of the hot desert biome: Hot deserts are found between 15° and 35° latitude in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The largest desert by far is the Sahara Desert, followed by the Gobi Desert, which is four times smaller than the Sahara. The climate in the hot desert biome can be classified as a hot desert climate (BWh) according to Koeppen, meaning it is arid year-round with less than 250 mm of precipitation per year. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Furthermore, the average annual temperature exceeds 18° C. Hot deserts have a seasonal difference in temperature, but the magnitude of the daily temperature is greater, resulting in a diurnal climate. Hot deserts generally do not have clear soil, however all soils found in this biome have little organic content or moisture and few nutrients. These soils can be divided into two zones, where the upper zone is the aeration zone and the lower zone is the saturation zone. The aeration zone consists of a soil water layer, followed by sand and a marginal water layer. The saturation zone consists of a single layer, composed of sand. Hot deserts have two main types of vegetation. The first is the tropical scrub found on the edges of hot deserts. The plants of the tropical scrub are acacias, cacti and other succulents, plants with tuberous roots and herbaceous plants; the latter grow only when rainfall is sufficient. The second type of vegetation is called temperate scrub and is found on the edges of temperate deserts. An example of vegetation that can be classified as temperate scrub is Malee in Australia. Malee consists of dense dwarf eucalyptus. All of the plants mentioned above have adapted to extreme temperature changes and long droughts in multiple ways. First, these plants develop very long roots, allowing them to access water in the deeper parts of the soil. Next, they have a minimal amount of leaves to minimize transpiration, and finally succulents store water, allowing some cacti to survive without water for up to two years! Although hot deserts seem inhospitable at first, they are actually home to many different animals, mostly reptiles and arthropods, however, mammals such as camels and fennec foxes are also part of the fauna of hot deserts. As for plants, animals in even hot deserts have adapted to the climate in various ways. One way to adapt to the rigorous conditions is a nocturnal activity to escape the intense heat during the day. Other ways of adaptation are digging during the day, aestivation, seasonal migration, and special anatomical changes to reduce body heat. After hearing this information, you will probably think that climate change will not affect hot deserts as much, because it is already very hot in this biome and because most deserts are located inland[13], which suggests that warming Globally, rising sea levels will not bring about huge change. On the one hand this may be truethat global warming will damage other ecosystems even more, on the other hand, however, this does not mean that we should not worry about the future of the hot desert biome. The truth is that "life in these places is always on the edge", as botanist Andrew Young states in an article for "the Atlantic". Just one or two degrees Celsius more and a few millimeters less precipitation will have a huge impact. In reality, however, a UNEP investigation found that temperatures in hot deserts are expected to rise between 1°C and 7°C (!) over the next 75 to 100 years. Most species are already moving to habitats with higher temperatures. elevation, due to the fact that these habitats generally have cooler temperatures and more precipitation. This development will continue in the next decades but it cannot continue forever because places at high altitudes are limited, especially in the desert, so this development will lead to huge competition for living space. The second major problem for the hot desert biome is nitrogen loss, as more soil nitrogen evaporates than before. This happens due to the constant increase in temperatures and is alarming for two reasons: firstly, nitrogen is very important for plant growth, so a loss of nitrogen translates into a loss of soil fertility. The second problem is that nitrogen is a powerful greenhouse gas, therefore the greenhouse effect is enhanced. As for the migration of flora and fauna, this threat to the hot desert biome will also increase, but it will increase much faster since it is a vicious circle: more heat means more nitrogen evaporation, leads to an increase in the greenhouse effect and therefore at higher temperatures, resulting in greater nitrogen evaporation. Contrary to popular belief, some deserts will actually experience increased rainfall in the near future, according to an ABC News article. While this might seem like good news at first, increased rainfall doesn't automatically mean wildlife will have more water. to live with. This is due to increased evaporation due to higher temperatures, meaning that precipitation evaporates so quickly that neither plants nor animals can benefit from it. A report from the United Nations Environment Program states that deserts fed by meltwater from glaciers have even more problems than other hot deserts because all the rivers in these deserts will dry up when their glaciers have completely melted due to the rising of global temperature. it's just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The results of this increasing lack of water will be an increase in salinization, which may reach such an extent in the future, that the soil is too acidic for plants to grow. In conclusion, climate change will have a huge and negative impact on hot deserts, because: Many parts of deserts will become inhospitable to both plants and animals. There will be an even greater water shortage than at present. Rising temperatures will result in a loss of nitrogen, ultimately further reinforcing climate change. Wildlife will not benefit from the expected increase in rainfall. Works Cited Bateman, H.L., & Valentine, L.E. (2021). Responses of plant communities to climate change in arid ecosystems: insights from Australian deserts. Journal of Arid Environments, 185, 104364. Bonebrake, T. C., Boggs, C. L., & Stamberger, J. A. (2018). Future directions for studying animal phenotypic responses to climate change: towards a global approach. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 58(4), 705-722. Boyko, E. and Boyko, O.