Deserts of Australia

Deserts of Australia (in red), overlaid with internal boundaries and Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia biogeographic regions

Climate zones in Australia with Deserts in Orange

Rain days in Australia

The named deserts of Australia cover 1,371,000 km² (529,000 sq mi), or 18% of the Australian mainland, but about 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain, it is effectively desert. The deserts in Australia are primarily distributed throughout the western plateau and interior lowlands of the country.^[1] The deserts in western Australia are well explained by the little evaporation of the cold sea current of the West Australian Current, of polar origin, which prevents significant rainfall in the interior of the continent.

By international standards, Australian deserts receive relatively high rates of rainfall.^[2] No weather station situated in an arid region records less than 100 mm of average annual rainfall.^[3] The deserts of Australia, particularly in the interior, lack any significant summer rains.^[2]

Deserts are not necessarily completely devoid of vegetation, but have large areas where vegetation is very limited in height or extent.^{[citation needed]}

Deserts[]

Desert	State/Territory	Area (km²)	Area (miles²)	Area rank	% of Australia
Great Victoria Desert	Western Australia, South Australia	348,750 km²	134,650 sq mi	1	4.5%
Great Sandy Desert	Western Australia	267,250 km²	103,190 sq mi	2	3.5%
Tanami Desert	Western Australia, Northern Territory	184,500 km²	71,200 sq mi	3	2.4%
Simpson Desert	Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia	176,500 km²	68,100 sq mi	4	2.3%
Gibson Desert	Western Australia	156,000 km²	60,000 sq mi	5	2.0%
Little Sandy Desert	Western Australia	111,500 km²	43,100 sq mi	6	1.5%
Strzelecki Desert	South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales	80,250 km²	30,980 sq mi	7	1.0%
Sturt Stony Desert	South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales	29,750 km²	11,490 sq mi	8	0.3%
Tirari Desert	South Australia	15,250 km²	5,890 sq mi	9	0.2%
Pedirka Desert	South Australia	1,250 km²	480 sq mi	10	0.016%

Sunset over Uluru

Great Victoria Desert[]

The Great Victoria Desert lies in Western Australia and South Australia. It is over 800 km (500 mi) wide and covers an area of 348,750 km² (134,650 sq mi).

Gibson Desert[]

A Toyota Land Cruiser in the Gibson Desert

The Gibson Desert lies in central Western Australia. The desert is about 156,000 km² (60,000 sq mi) in size. Most of the inhabitants of the area are Indigenous Australians.

Desert group[]

Western Desert – a grouping of the Gibson Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, and the Little Sandy Desert.

Climate issues[]

Australia's climate is mostly determined by the hot, sinking air of the subtropical high-pressure belt.^[4] Dry conditions are associated with an El Niño–Southern Oscillation in Australia. Vegetation in arid areas is primarily dependent upon soil type.^[4]

Extensive areas are covered by longitudinal dunes. About 40% of Australia is covered by dunes.^[4] Central Australia is very dry, averaging 150 mm of rainfall each year.^[4]

Ecological issues[]

Many introduced species have affected the fauna and flora of Australia's desert regions. The Australian feral camel affects native vegetation, partly because Australian desert vegetation evolved without any major herbivores present.^[4] Uncontrolled access to more sensitive areas by four-wheel-drive vehicles is also an issue.

References[]

^ Geosciences Australia –Deserts
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Aleshire, Peter; Geoffrey H. Nash (2007). Deserts: The Extreme Earth. Infobase Publishing. p. 137. ISBN 1438106661. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
^ Mabbutt, J. A. (2012). "Landforms of the Australian Desert". In El-Baz, F. (ed.). Deserts and arid lands: Volume 1 of Remote Sensing of Earth Resources and Environment. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 78. ISBN 9400960808. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Laity, Julie J. (2009). Deserts and Desert Environments. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 43, 45. ISBN 1444300741. Retrieved 8 November 2012.

External links[]

The Australian Landscape, A Cultural History - A four-part program exploring the way Europeans and Aboriginal people have engaged with the desert, through art, science and religion, from ABC Radio National
Encarta (Archived 2009-10-31)
World Book
World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Simpson desert". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.