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EarthWeb.info

A web·guide to the glocal environment

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Biomes & ecosystems hub > Ecosystem types & biome classification systems >

Contents below:

     · General information     

       · Periodicals

         · Institutions:

                ~ International organizations

                ~ Research

Deserts & arid lands

Notes:

· Deserts “cover about one fifth of the Earth's surface and are defined to occur where

   rainfall is less than 50 centimeters per year.”*

· Be sure to distinguish between deserts on the one hand and desertification on the

   other; the former is an ecotype, one celebrated in many cultures, while the latter

   is a process, one the world is working hard to avoid. Information on desertification

   can be found at the Land degradation & desertification page.

· This page focuses on general desert information followed by a short inchoate

   section on deserts by region (which will eventually be expanded).