What are the types of deserts? What to do if there is no water in the desert

The desert is a natural landscape formed by the combination of climate, environment and geographical location. It is almost a barren area with very few plants, little rain and dry air, so water resources are also very scarce. So what should explorers do if they go to the desert and there is no water?

Contents of this article

1. What are the types of deserts?

2. What to do if there is no water in the desert?

3. Why do iron products in desert areas rust more slowly?

What are the types of deserts?

Deserts can be divided into deserts, rock deserts, mud deserts, salt deserts, gravel deserts, etc.

1. Desert: Mainly refers to a barren area where the ground is completely covered with sand, plants are very scarce, rain is scarce, and the air is dry.

2. Rock desert: Rock desert is also called mountain desert, which refers to the mountains with exposed rocks in the desert area. There are few plants in the rock desert area, and the scenery is desolate. Closed waterless depressions covered with rock debris are common in the mountains.

3. Mud desert: A desert composed of clay, distributed in the lower-lying areas of the desert. Its surface clay is often cracked, the surface is flat, and the vegetation is sparse.

4. Salt desert: Salt desert is also called salt marsh desert, saline-alkali land, and salt-water-soaked mud desert. Distributed in the low-lying parts of the desert, the salt easily absorbs water and causes expansion, so it remains humid for a long time.

5. Gravel desert: also known as gravel desert, called Gobi in Mongolian, refers to the ground covered with coarse gravel in arid areas. It is formed when ancient deposits are blown away by strong winds, leaving coarse gravel covering the surface.

What to do in the desert without water

1. You can dig at the lowest point of the outer bend of the dry riverbed or the lowest point of the sand dune, and you may find groundwater.

2. The roots of desert plants contain some moisture, which can be dug out and squeezed to extract juice for drinking.

3. Since the temperature difference between day and night in desert areas is very large, fresh water can be obtained by condensation. The specific method is to dig a pit with a diameter of about 90 cm and a depth of 45 cm on the ground. The air and soil in the pit will heat up rapidly, generating steam. When the water vapor reaches saturation, it will condense into water droplets on the inner surface of the plastic sheet and drip into the container below to obtain fresh water. In desert areas with a large temperature difference between day and night, at least 500 ml of water can be obtained in a day and night. This method can also be used to distill and filter dirty water that cannot be directly drunk.

4. You can also find water sources based on the plants and animals in the desert. Most animals need to drink water regularly. Herbivores will not go far away from water sources. They usually drink water at fixed places in the early morning and evening. Generally, you can find water sources by finding the paths they often pass by and looking for them in low-lying areas.

Why do iron products in desert areas rust more slowly?

The main factors that affect the corrosion of iron products are moisture and oxygen. The climate in desert areas is dry and the relative humidity of the air is very low. Iron, water and oxygen will undergo electrochemical corrosion, and rust quickly. However, there is less moisture in the desert and the climate is dry all year round, so iron products are not easy to rust and rust slowly. The detailed reasons are as follows:

1. The necessary factors for iron rust are water and oxygen, which correspond to air and humidity in the environment. When the humidity in the air is greater than 70%, iron is more likely to rust, and when it is less than 70%, due to the oxide layer on the surface of the iron, rust occurs very slowly. In the desert, the air humidity is mostly below 50%, so it is not easy to rust.

2. In addition, the temperature in the desert is relatively high. In the absence of water, iron and air form a protective layer of ferroferric oxide, which also protects the iron from corrosion.