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{{Short description|Largest desert in North America}}
{{Infobox ecoregion
|name = Chihuahuan Desert
|image = Big Bend National Park PB112611.jpg
|image_size =
|image_alt =
|caption = Chihuahuan desert landscape in [[Big Bend National Park]]
|map = Chihuahuan Desert map.svg
|map_size = 250
|map_alt =
|map_caption = Location map of Chihuahuan Desert
|ecozone = [[Nearctic realm|Nearctic]]
|biome = [[Deserts and xeric shrublands]]
|animals =
|bird_species =
|mammal_species =
|border = [[Arizona Mountains forests]]
|border1 = [[Colorado Plateau shrublands]]
|border2 = [[Edwards Plateau savanna]]
|border3 = [[Meseta Central matorral]]
|border4 = [[Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests]]
|border5 = [[Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests]]
|border6 = [[Sonoran Desert]]
|border7 = [[Tamaulipan matorral]]
|border8 = [[Tamaulipan mezquital]]
|border9 = [[Western short grasslands]]
|area = 501,896
|country = [[Mexico]]
|country1 = [[United States]]
|state = [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]]
|state1 = [[Coahuila]]
|state2 = [[Durango]]
|state3 = [[Nuevo León]]
|state4 = [[Sonora]]
|state5 = [[Zacatecas]]
|state6 = [[Arizona]]
|state7 = [[New Mexico]]
|state8 = [[Texas]]
|region_type =
|elevation =
|geology =
|seas = Non
|rivers = [[Rio Grande]]
|climate = [[Hot desert climate|Hot desert]] (''BWh'') and [[hot semi-arid climate|hot semi-arid]] (''BSh'')
|soil =
|conservation = Vulnerable
|global200 = Yes
|habitat_loss =
|habitat_loss_ref =
|coordinates = {{coord|30|32|26|N|103|50|14|W|scale:5000000|display=inline,title}}
|protected = {{cvt|35,905|km2|sqmi}} (7
|protected_ref = )<ref name = dinerstein>{{cite journal |first1=Eric |last1=Dinerstein |first2=David |last2=Olson |first3=Anup |last3=Joshi |display-authors=2 |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |year=2017 |at=pp. 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |pmid=28608869 |pmc=5451287 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
|embedded =
}}
The '''Chihuahuan Desert''' ({{lang-es|Desierto de Chihuahua}}, {{lang|es|Desierto Chihuahuense}}) is a [[desert]] [[ecoregion]] designation covering parts of [[northern Mexico]] and the [[southwestern United States]]. It occupies much of far [[West Texas]], the middle to lower Rio Grande Valley and the lower Pecos Valley in [[New Mexico]], and a portion of southeastern [[Arizona]], as well as the central and northern portions of the [[Mexican Plateau]]. It is bordered on the west by the [[Sonoran Desert]], the [[Colorado Plateau]], and the extensive [[Sierra Madre Occidental]] range, along with northwestern lowlands of the [[Sierra Madre Oriental]] range. Its largest, continual expanse is located in Mexico, covering a large portion of the state of [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], along with portions of [[Coahuila]], north-eastern [[Durango]], the extreme northern part of [[Zacatecas]], and small western portions of [[Nuevo León]]. With an area of about {{convert|501,896|km2|0|abbr=on}},<ref name = dinerstein/> it is the [[List of North American deserts|largest hot desert in North America]].<ref name=nyt>{{cite book |editor-first=John W. |editor-last=Wright | year=2006 | title=The New York Times Almanac |url=https://archive.org/details/newyorktimes200600wrig |url-access=registration | edition=2007 | publisher=Penguin Books | location=New York, New York | isbn=0-14-303820-6 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/newyorktimes200600wrig/page/456 456]}}</ref> The desert is fairly young, existing for only 8000 years.<ref name= NMSU />
==Geography==
[[File:Chihuahuan Desert from South Rim BIBE.jpg|left|thumbnail|The terrain mainly consists of [[Drainage basin|basin]]s broken by numerous small [[mountain range]]s.]]
There are several larger mountain ranges in the Chihuahuan Desert, including the [[Sierra Madre Oriental|Sierra Madre]], the [[Sierra del Carmen]], the [[Organ Mountains]], the [[Franklin Mountains (Texas)|Franklin Mountains]], the [[Sacramento Mountains (New Mexico)|Sacramento Mountains]], the [[Chisos Mountains]], the [[Guadalupe Mountains]], and the [[Davis Mountains]]. These create "[[sky island]]s" of cooler, wetter, [[climate]]s adjacent to, or within the desert, and such elevated areas have both coniferous and broadleaf woodlands, including forests along drainages and favored exposures. The lower elevations of the [[Sandia–Manzano Mountains]], the Magdalena–San Mateo Mountains, and the [[Gila Wilderness|Gila]] Region partly border the Chihuahuan Desert and partly border other ecoregions that are not deserts.
There are few urban areas within the desert: the largest is [[Ciudad Juárez]] with almost two million inhabitants; [[Chihuahua, Chihuahua|Chihuahua]], [[Saltillo, Coahuila|Saltillo]], and [[Torreón, Coahuila|Torreón]]; and the US cities of [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]] and [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]]. [[Alamogordo, New Mexico|Alamogordo]], [[Alpine, Texas|Alpine]], [[Benson, Arizona|Benson]], [[Carlsbad, New Mexico|Carlsbad]], [[Carrizozo, New Mexico|Carrizozo]], [[Deming, New Mexico|Deming]], [[Fort Stockton, Texas|Fort Stockton]], [[Fort Sumner, New Mexico|Fort Sumner]], [[Las Cruces, New Mexico|Las Cruces]], [[Marfa, Texas|Marfa]], [[Pecos, Texas|Pecos]], [[Roswell, New Mexico|Roswell]], and [[Willcox, Arizona|Willcox]] are among the other communities in this ecoregion. Safford and Benson in Arizona are located in low elevations of the western edges of the Chihuahuan Desert, but in an [[ecotone]] with the [[Sonoran Desert]].
According to the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] the Chihuahuan Desert may be the most biologically diverse desert in the world as measured by species richness or endemism. The region has been badly degraded, mainly due to grazing.<ref name="WWF">{{WWF ecoregion |id=na1303 |name=Chihuahuan desert|access-date=2010-10-22}}</ref> Many native grasses and other species have become dominated by woody native plants, including creosote bush and mesquite, due to [[overgrazing]] and other urbanization. The [[Mexican wolf]], once abundant, was nearly extinct and remains on the endangered species list.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lobos of the Southwest| url=https://mexicanwolves.org/|website=Mexican Wolves|access-date=20 December 2017}}</ref>
==Climate==
The desert is mainly a [[rain shadow]] desert because the two main mountain ranges which bound the desert, the [[Sierra Madre Occidental]] to the west and the [[Sierra Madre Oriental]] to the east, block most moisture from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, respectively.<ref name=NMSU>{{cite web | url = http://ddl.nmsu.edu/chihuahua.html | title = The Chihuahuan Desert | publisher = New Mexico State University | access-date = February 16, 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121227092714/http://ddl.nmsu.edu/chihuahua.html | archive-date = December 27, 2012 }}</ref> Climatically, the desert mostly has an arid, mesothermal climate with one rainy season in the late summer and smaller amounts of precipitation in early winter, the mean daily temperature of the coldest month warmer than {{convert|0|C|F|abbr=on|}}.<ref name= NMSU /> The majority of rain falls between late June and early October during the [[North American Monsoon]] when moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez penetrates into the region, or much less frequently, when a tropical cyclone moves inland and stalls.<ref name= NMSU /><ref name= NPS1 >{{cite web | url = http://www.nps.gov/cave/naturescience/deserts.htm | title = Chihuahuan Desert| publisher = National Park Service | access-date = February 16, 2013}}</ref>
Owing to its inland position and higher elevation than the [[Sonoran Desert]] to the west, mostly varying from {{convert|480| to |1800|m|0|abbr=on}} in elevation,<ref name= EOE >{{cite web | url = http://www.eoearth.org/article/Chihuahuan_desert | title = Chihuahuan Desert | publisher = Encyclopedia of Earth | access-date = February 16, 2013}}</ref> the desert has a slightly milder climate in the summer (though usually daytime June temperatures are in the range of {{convert|32|to|40|C|F|abbr=on|disp=or}}), with mild to cool winters and occasional to frequent freezes.<ref name= NPS1 /> The hottest temperatures in the desert occur in lower elevation areas and valleys, including near the Rio Grande from south of El Paso into the Big Bend, and the Bolson de Mapimi.<ref name= EOE /> A subtropical temperature regime describes lower elevations in the Texas Big Bend region up to the Presidio and Candelaria areas, then southward into similar elevations, while a warm temperate temperature regime describes higher elevations and further north. The average annual temperature in the desert varies from about {{convert|13|to|22|C|F}}, depending on elevation and latitude.
The mean annual precipitation for the Chihuahuan Desert is {{convert|235|mm|in|abbr=on}} with a range of approximately {{convert|150|–|400|mm|0|abbr=on}}, although it receives more precipitation than most other warm desert ecoregions.<ref name= NMSU /> Nearly two-thirds of the arid zone stations have annual totals between {{convert|225|and|275|mm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref>[http://museum.utep.edu/chih/pdf/chihuahuanclimate.pdf Chihuahuan Climate] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060906101600/http://museum.utep.edu/chih/pdf/chihuahuanclimate.pdf |date=September 6, 2006 }}, Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute</ref> Snowfall is scant except at the higher elevation edges. Northern and eastern portions have more definite winters than southern and western portions, receiving a portion of winter precipitation as snowfall most winters.<ref name= NPS1 />
==Flora==
[[File:Antelope, Otero Mesa NM.jpg|left|thumbnail|A [[Pronghorn|Pronghorn antelope]] among [[yucca]]s in the [[Otero Mesa]].]]
The creosote bush (''[[Larrea tridentata]]'') is the dominant plant species on gravelly and occasional sandy soils in valley areas within the Chihuahuan Desert. The other species found with creosote bush depend on factors including the soil type, elevation, and degree of slope. Viscid acacia (''[[Vachellia vernicosa]]''), and tarbush (''[[Flourensia cernua]]'') dominate northern portions, while broom dalea (''[[Psorothamnus scoparius]]'') occurs on sandy soils in western portions. ''[[Yucca]]'' and ''[[Opuntia]]'' species are abundant on slopes and uplands in most areas, while Arizona rainbow cactus (''[[Echinocereus polyacanthus]]'') and Mexican fire-barrel cactus (''[[Ferocactus pilosus]]'') inhabit portions near the US–Mexico border.
[[Herbaceous plant]]s, such as bush muhly (''[[Muhlenbergia porteri]]''), blue grama (''[[Bouteloua gracilis]]''), gypsum grama (''[[Bouteloua breviseta|B. breviseta]]''), and hairy grama (''[[Bouteloua hirsuta|B. hirsuta]]''), are dominant in desert grasslands and near the mountain edges including the Sierra Madre Occidental. Lechuguilla (''[[Agave lechuguilla]]''), honey mesquite (''[[Prosopis glandulosa]]''), ''[[Opuntia macrocentra]]'' and ''[[Echinocereus pectinatus]]'' are the dominant species in western [[Coahuila]]. Ocotillo (''[[Fouquieria splendens]]''), lechuguilla, and ''[[Yucca filifera]]'' are the most common species in the southeastern part of the desert. Candelilla (''[[Euphorbia antisyphilitica]]''), ''[[Mimosa zygophylla]]'', ''[[Acacia glandulifera]]'' and lechuguilla are found in areas with well-draining, shallow soils. The shrubs found near the Sierra Madre Oriental are exclusively lechuguilla, guapilla (''[[Hechtia glomerata]]''), Queen Victoria's agave (''[[Agave victoriae-reginae]]''), sotol (''[[Dasylirion]]'' spp.), and barreta (''[[Helietta]] [[Helietta parvifolia|parvifolia]]''), while the well-developed [[herbaceous layer]] includes grasses, [[Fabaceae|legumes]], and cacti.
Desert or arid grasslands comprise 20% of this desert and are often mosaics of shrubs and grasses. They include purple three-awn (''[[Aristida purpurea]]''), black grama (''[[Bouteloua eriopoda]]''), and sideoats grama (''[[Bouteloua curtipendula]]''). Early Spanish explorers reported encountering grasses that were "belly high to a horse"; most likely these were big alkali sacaton (''[[Sporobolus wrightii]]'') and tobosa (''[[Pleuraphis mutica]]'') along floodplain or bottomland areas.<ref name="WWF"/>
The United Nations Environment Programme reported in 2006 that nearly half of the bird, mammal, and butterfly species in the Chihuahuan Desert are expected to be replaced by other species by 2055 due to climate change.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EEz8yAMp7SAC&pg=PR7|title=Global Deserts Outlook|publisher=United Nations Environment Programme|year=2006|isbn=9789280727227}}</ref>
==Protected areas==
A 2017 assessment found that {{cvt|35,905|km2|sqmi}}, or 7%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.<ref name = dinerstein/> Protected areas include [[Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge]] in Arizona; [[Janos Biosphere Reserve]], [[Médanos de Samalayuca Natural Protected Area]] and [[Cañón de Santa Elena Flora and Fauna Protection Area]] in Chihuahua; [[Cuatro Ciénegas Basin]], [[Ocampo Flora and Fauna Protection Area]], and part of [[Maderas del Carmen|Maderas del Carmen Biosphere Reserve]] in Coahuila; [[Mapimí Biosphere Reserve]] and [[Cañón de Fernández State Park]] in Durango; [[Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge]], [[Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge]], [[Carlsbad Caverns National Park]], [[Carrizozo Malpais]], [[Oliver Lee Memorial State Park]], [[Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument]], [[Petroglyph National Monument]], [[Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge]], and [[White Sands National Park]] in New Mexico; and [[Big Bend National Park]], [[Big Bend Ranch State Park]], Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, [[Franklin Mountains State Park]], and part of [[Guadalupe Mountains National Park]] in Texas.
==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="125px">
File:Creosote Larrea tridentata.JPG|Young [[Larrea tridentata|creosote bush]] (''Larrea tridentata'')
File:VanHornTX 2008.jpg|[[Yucca]], creosote, buffalo gourd, and [[mesquite]] typify the plants in the Chihuahuan Desert
File:Agave lechuguilla habitus.jpg|Lechuguilla (''[[Agave lechuguilla]]'')—one of the indicator plants of the Chihuahuan Desert
File:Spring Water coahuila MEXICO - panoramio.jpg|Poza Azul, one of many a springs in the [[Cuatro Ciénegas Basin]] in central [[Coahuila]], Mexico (2009).
</gallery>
== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=23em}}
*[[
*[[List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF)]]
*[[List of geographical regions in Texas]]
*[[McKittrick Canyon]]
*[[Malpai Borderlands]]
*[[Pecos River]]
*[[Samalayuca Dune Fields]]
*[[Sky islands]]
*[[Solitario]] formation
*[[Sonoran Desert]]
*[[Trans-Pecos]]
*[[West Texas]]
{{div col end}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Chihuahuan Desert}}
*{{WWF ecoregion |id=na1303 |name=Chihuahuan desert}}
*[http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoregions/51303frame.htm Chihuahuan Desert images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu] ([http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoregions/51303.htm slow modem version])
*[http://www.pronaturane.org/eng/ecoregions/chd.htm: Pronatura Noreste in the Chihuahuan Desert]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*[http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-03/w-sdb032708.php Small desert beetle found to engineer ecosystems] EurekAlert! March 27, 2008
{{Deserts}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Chihuahuan Desert| ]]
[[Category:Deserts and xeric shrublands in the United States]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of the United States]]
[[Category:Deserts and xeric shrublands]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Mexico]]
[[Category:Deserts of Mexico]]
[[Category:Deserts of New Mexico]]
[[Category:Deserts of Texas]]
[[Category:Deserts of Arizona]]
[[Category:Mexican Plateau]]
[[Category:Southwestern United States]]
[[Category:Natural history of Chihuahua (state)]]
[[Category:Natural history of Coahuila]]
[[Category:Natural history of Durango]]
[[Category:Natural history of Nuevo León]]
[[Category:Natural history of Zacatecas]]
[[Category:Natural history of the Mexican Plateau]]
[[Category:Deserts of North America]]
[[Category:Geography of Chihuahua (state)]]
[[Category:Geography of Coahuila]]
[[Category:Geography of Durango]]
[[Category:Geography of Nuevo León]]
[[Category:Geography of Zacatecas]]
[[Category:Madrean Region]]
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