Antarctica is considered a desert because it receives little precipitation.
Desert and glacial landscapes seemingly stand at opposition to one another. However, these landscapes are similar in that they are examples of two extremes of nature and are continually being shaped by geologic processes and forces of erosion.
Desert and Glacial Formation
Deserts exist because of a number of environmental conditions. Subtropical deserts form in mid-latitude where dry atmospheric air falls and becomes heated. Continental deserts form inland away from sources of moisture. Coastal deserts form where deep, cold water upwells to the surface and cools the air. Rain-shadow deserts form inland behind mountains because moisture condenses and falls as it rises in altitude. Polar deserts form where the air is too cold to hold moisture. Glacial formation happens at high elevations, where snowfall and year-round ice compound to form a "river" of ice that flows down a mountain.
Desert Landscape
A desert landscape is defined primarily by the lack of precipitation. The main agents of erosion in a desert landscape are mechanical weathering processes like wind, torrential rain, salt wedging, thermal expansion, frost wedging, plant rooting and mass wasting. Common features include sand dunes, desert pavement, alluvial fans, bajadas or shallow slopes, gulches, arroyos or washes, dry lakes, salt deposits, plateaus, buttes, mesas and pinnacles.
Glacial Landscape
A glacial landscape is defined primarily by the current or past presence of a glacier. The main agents of erosion in a glacial landscape are glacial scouring, frost wedging, chemical erosion and river transport of sediments. Common features include U-shaped valleys, cirques, aretes, horns, troughs, fjords, till plains, moraines and glacial lakes.
Tags: deserts form, agents erosion, Common features, Common features include, defined primarily
