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W
ATER
is a most precious com–
modity. Wi thout it, a human
could live only a few weeks
even under optimum condit ions. In
desert heat of 120°, a human would
die wi thin a week - even if given a
daily ration of one gallon of water.
Man is obviously not at his best state
of production w1der these conditions.
And, of course, neither are plants and
animals.
Plants and Animals Need Water
True deserts are neady devoid of life.
Even the milder desert areas of the
southwestern Uoited States have only
limited li fe forms . Here only plants
such as c¡uick-growing annuals, cacti
and succulents which have unusual
water-storage capabilities, and extremely
deep-rooted weeds and trees can smvive.
Take for example, the saguaro cactus.
The secret of the saguaro water-storage
system líes in üs accordion-pleated
trunk. This trunk can expand and con–
tract as its water content increases or
decreases.
From
one downpour, a
saguaro has been observed to expand
one full inch in 24 hours. Considering
the height of the saguaro, that involves
many gallons of water stored for
drought-season usage.
During the spring rainy season the
cacti and even the seemingly barren
desert fl.oor burst forth in a riot of
colorful fl.owers . (See accompanying
photographs.)
Some animals can survive the harsh
desert climates. But they, too, must have
some special method for obtaining and
maintaining
a water supply.
The camel, for instance, can store
enough water within his three-room
stomach to last seventeen days. When
he finds water to replenish his supply,
he can drink twenty-five to fifty gallons
at once.
Another amazing creature, the kan–
garoo rat, gets along without ever drink–
ing water. The kangaroo rat simply
provides his own water from juicy
foods through an unusual chemical
process.
Survival Ability
Remarkably, many forms of life are
able to survive in the desert. Within the
relatively small area of Death Valley in
California, the number of identified
plant species is 200. Many arid areas
support extens ive li fe forros - however
sparsely scattered they may be. But all
Jife must have water.
For example, an accompanying series
of photographs sbows the unusual rela–
tionship between the woodpecker, the
elf owl and the saguaro cactus.
But without water, the cactus would
die.
Without the cactus, the woodpecker
and elf owl ·would have li tt le success in
finding a suitable place to live or rear
the.ir young. Tbey would be threatened
with extinction. And so it is with the
cactus wren and the cholla cactus. (See
photographs.) Without water the cactus
would perish and with it the wren.
Both need water for survival.
Sorne previously desert areas, espe–
cially in the United States, have been
developed and now produce abundant
crops. But again water is the needed
factor. Witbout it, no crops will grow.
In sorne areas of the world - as in
the Sabara - almost total lack of rain–
fall has become fact. The area as a
whole receives less than one inch of
rain per year .
The Sabara is the world's greatest
desert. It stretches across the entire
3200-mile width of North Africa, cov–
ering nearly one third of that enti re
continent, an area about the same size as
all 50 of the United States!
Sorne large areas of this desert do not
experience rainfall for 10 years at a
time!
Tbe highest climatic temperature ever
recorded on earth was measured at
Azizia in the Libyan sector - a stagger–
ing 136.4 degrees
in the shade.
Waste Areas of tbe Eartb
The Sabara is by no means the
world's only extensive arid region. Any
area receiving less than an average of 10
inches of rain each year can be classified
a desert.
The "Sparselands" of Australia cover
1,300,000 square miles - a shocking
44 percent of the entire continent! In
plainer words, over two fifths of Aus–
tralia is a desert - the second largest -in
the world. The average rainfall in its
driest places is only five inches ayear.
One million square miles of the Ara–
bian península is also desert and an
unusually high percentage of tbis -
one third - is covered by sand. Unlike
otber deserts, the Arabian (the world's
thi rd largest) has no sufficiently watered
mountains to serve as river sources.
But these deserts are only the begin–
ning. There are nine other major desert
areas - making
twelve
in all!
These major deserts are:
4) the Turkestan in Russia- 750,-
000 square miles.
5) the North American - 500,000
square miles.
6) the Gobi of Mongolia - 400,-
000 square miles.
7) the Patagonian in Argentina -
260,00 square miles.
8) the Thar or Indian in western
India - 230,000 square miles.
9) the Kalahari in southern Africa
- 220,000 square miles.
10) the Takla Makan in western
ChLna - 200,000 square miles.
11) the Iranian - 150,000 sqnare
miles.
12) the Atacama-Peruvian in Chile
and Peru - 140,000 square miles.
Today, fourteen percent of the earth's
56 million square miles of land surface
is desert. This is one seventh of tbe
eartb's land surface! Semi-desert regions
account for an additional fourteen per–
cent. Tbey receive only 10 to 20 inches
of rain per year. Together, these arid
and semiar.id regions comprise nearly
three tentbs of the earth's land surface!
This would be equal to an area about
four and one-half times the size of all
50 states of the United States.
Tbink of it! Vast arcas of tbe eartb
lying in bleak conditions - unablc
even to yield a ground cover for lack of
sufficient water.
Needed: More Producing Areas
Paradoxically, the world's population
explosion makes ever-greater demands
on food-producing land. Deserts and
other generally uninhabited or sparsely
inhabited areas are being sought out
(Text contimtes on page 30-
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