Chihuahuan Desert: Difference between revisions

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The '''Chihuahuan Desert''' ({{lang-es|Desierto de Chihuahua}}, {{lang|es|Desierto Chihuahuense}}) is a [[desert]] and [[ecoregion]] designation covering parts of [[northern Mexico]] and the [[southwestern United States]]. It occupies much of far [[West Texas]], southeasternthe [[Arizona]],middle partsto of the southernlower 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 northernnorthwestern portionslowlands of the [[Sierra Madre Oriental]] range. OnIts thelargest, Mexicancontinual side,expanse itis coverslocated thein northernMexico, covering a large halfportion of the state of [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], along with the majorityportions of [[Coahuila]], north-eastern [[Durango]], the extreme northern part of [[Zacatecas]], and small western portions of [[Nuevo León]]. With an area of about {{convert|362000501,896|km2|0|abbr=on}},<ref itname is= thedinerstein/> thirdit largest desert of the Western Hemisphere andis the [[List of North American deserts|second largest hot desert in North America]], after the [[Great Basin Desert]].<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 />

The desert is mainly a [[rain shadow]] desert because the two main mountain ranges coveringwhich 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 | accessdateaccess-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 aan dryarid, mesothermal climate with only 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 Mostmajority of the summer rainsrain 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 | accessdateaccess-date = February 16, 2013}}</ref>

Owing to its inland position and higher elevation than the [[Sonoran Desert]] to the west, mostly varying from {{convert|600480| to |16751800|m|0|abbr=on}} in altitudeelevation,<ref name= EOE >{{cite web | url = http://www.eoearth.org/article/Chihuahuan_desert | title = Chihuahuan Desert | publisher = Encyclopedia of Earth | accessdateaccess-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|3532|to|40|C|F|abbr=on|disp=or}}), andwith coolmild orto coldcool winters withand occasional froststo frequent freezes.<ref name= NPS1 /> The averagehottest annual temperaturetemperatures in the desert isoccur {{convert|24|C|F}},in whichlower varieselevation withareas altitude.and Thevalleys, hottestincluding temperatures innear the desertRio occurGrande infrom lowersouth elevationof areasEl Paso into the Big Bend, and inthe valleysBolson de Mapimi.<ref name= EOE /> NorthernA areassubtropical havetemperature moreregime severedescribes winterslower thanelevations in the southernTexas portionBig Bend region up to the Presidio and canCandelaria receiveareas, snowstormsthen southward into similar elevations, while a warm temperate temperature regime describes higher elevations and further north.<ref name=The NPS1average />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. TheNorthern desertand iseastern fairlyportions younghave more definite winters than southern and western portions, existingreceiving fora onlyportion 8000of yearswinter precipitation as snowfall most winters.<ref name= NMSUNPS1 />

[[File:Antelope, Otero Mesa NM.jpg|left|thumbnail|PronghornA and lechuguilla[[Pronghorn|Pronghorn areantelope]] nativeamong species[[yucca]]s ofin the Chihuahuan[[Otero DesertMesa]].]]

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File:Creosote Larrea tridentata.JPG|Young [[Larrea tridentata|creosote bush]] (''Larrea tridentata'')

File:VanHornTX 2008.jpg|[[Yucca]], [[Larrea tridentata|creosote]], buffalo gourd, and [[mesquite]] typify the plants in the Chihuahuan Desert

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