Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The atmospheric dynamics of deserts
- 3 The climates of the world deserts
- 4 Atmospheric and surface energy budgets of deserts
- 5 Surface physics of the unvegetated sandy desert landscape
- 6 Vegetation effects on desert surface physics
- 7 Substrate effects on desert surface physics
- 8 Desert-surface physical properties
- 9 Numerical modeling of desert atmospheres
- 10 Desert boundary layers
- 11 Desert microclimates
- 12 Dynamic interactions among desert microclimates
- 13 Desert rainfall
- 14 Anthropogenic effects on the desert atmosphere
- 15 Changes in desert climate
- 16 Severe weather in the desert
- 17 Effects of deserts on the global environment and other regional environments
- 18 Desertification
- 19 Biometeorology of humans in desert environments
- 20 Optical properties of desert atmospheres
- Appendix A Glossary of meteorological and land-surface terms
- Appendix B Abbreviations
- Appendix C Units, numerical constants, and conversion factors
- Appendix D Symbols
- Appendix E Maps of the world
- Hints to solving some problems and exercises
- References
- Index
- Plate section
- References
3 - The climates of the world deserts
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 September 2009
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The atmospheric dynamics of deserts
- 3 The climates of the world deserts
- 4 Atmospheric and surface energy budgets of deserts
- 5 Surface physics of the unvegetated sandy desert landscape
- 6 Vegetation effects on desert surface physics
- 7 Substrate effects on desert surface physics
- 8 Desert-surface physical properties
- 9 Numerical modeling of desert atmospheres
- 10 Desert boundary layers
- 11 Desert microclimates
- 12 Dynamic interactions among desert microclimates
- 13 Desert rainfall
- 14 Anthropogenic effects on the desert atmosphere
- 15 Changes in desert climate
- 16 Severe weather in the desert
- 17 Effects of deserts on the global environment and other regional environments
- 18 Desertification
- 19 Biometeorology of humans in desert environments
- 20 Optical properties of desert atmospheres
- Appendix A Glossary of meteorological and land-surface terms
- Appendix B Abbreviations
- Appendix C Units, numerical constants, and conversion factors
- Appendix D Symbols
- Appendix E Maps of the world
- Hints to solving some problems and exercises
- References
- Index
- Plate section
- References
Summary
It would be well-nigh impossible for one who has heeded the call of the vast Desert solitudes to pass back through the Gateway to the Desert [Tripoli] without a special tribute to the insidious charm of that great land of sand and silence which lies behind it. South, the interminable African main drifts on to the Sudan; west to east it sweeps the whole width of Africa. Even at the Red Sea it merely pauses for a moment at the brink, then dips beneath the limpid waters and continues across Arabia, Persia, and into northern India. …
It is little wonder that the ancients saw in the Sahara, dark dotted with oases, the graphic simile of the leopard's skin. The call of those limitless reaches is as subtle and insidious as must be the snow fields of the Arctic. Listening to it, one is beguiled onward against the gentle pressure of its capricious south-east breezes, under which date-palms nod their graceful crests over the murmoring oases … No sound but the soft scuff of our horses and the creaking saddle leathers breaks the stillness; no shadows except our own paint splashes of azure upon the orange sand. Again, white-walled, bastioned Tripoli lies many miles behind me on the edge of the coast like a great silver shell in a stretch of golden sand, and I feel that somehow I have again drawn back the veil of the ages.
Charles Wellington Furlong, American adventurer and writer The Gateway to the Sahara (1914)- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Desert Meteorology , pp. 63 - 158Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2004
References
Amiran, D. H. K., and A. W. Wilson (Eds.), 1973: Coastal Deserts: Their Natural and Human Environments – description of the climate, geomorphology, hydrology, and other aspects of all the world's coastal deserts
Arakawa, H. (Ed.), 1969: Climates of Northern and Eastern Asia – climate descriptions include the areas of the deserts of China
Bender, G. L. (Ed.), 1982: Reference Handbook on the Deserts of North America – general discussion of North American deserts, without much technical treatment of the meteorology. A summary is provided of historical and current desertification
Bryson, R. A., and F. K. Hare (Eds.), 1974: Climates of North America – climate descriptions include all North American deserts
Evans, D. D., and J. L. Thames (Eds.), 1981: Water in Desert Ecosystems – good treatments of desert climate, soils, geology, and hydrology, with an emphasis on the latter
Evenari, M., 1985a: The desert environment – describes the overall climate, geomorphology, geological history, soils, and the hydrologic cycle of deserts
Evenari, M., 1985b: Adaptations of plants and animals to the desert environment – briefly summarizes the various adaptations of vegetation to arid environments
Ferrari, M., 1996: Deserts – pictorial presentation of the surface conditions of many of the world's deserts
Griffiths, J. F. (Ed.), 1972c: Climates of Africa – climate descriptions include the areas of the African deserts
Howe, G. H., et al. 1968: Classification of World Desert Areas – summary of surface conditions, vegetation, and climate of the world's deserts
Jaeger, E. C., 1957: The North American Deserts – reviews the climates, surface conditions, flora, and fauna of the North American deserts
Lydolph, P. E., 1977: Climates of the Soviet Union – climate descriptions include the Turkestan-area deserts
MacMahon, J. A., 1985: Deserts – summarizes the vegetation of the North American deserts
MacMahon, J. A., and F. H. Wagner, 1985: The Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of North America – describes the climate, geomorphology, soils, and vegetation
Mares, M. A., 1999: Encyclopedia of Deserts – a complete non-technically oriented encyclopedia of desert biology, geomorphology, and climate, with a bit lighter emphasis on the latter
McGinnies, W. G., et al., 1968: Deserts of the World – appraisals of research about, and summaries of, the vegetation, surface materials, geomorphology, hydrology, and weather and climate of desert environments. This contains an especially good review of the literature up to the date of publication
McKee, E. D., (Ed.), 1979: A Study of Global Sand Seas – a thorough review of the sand seas of the world, including wind field climatologies and a satellite analysis of dune structure
Meigs, P., 1966: Geography of coastal deserts – very good summary of all aspects of coastal deserts, worldwide
Noy-Meir, I., 1985: Desert ecosystem structure and function – general discussion of desert ecosystems
Orshan, G., 1986: The deserts of the Middle East – describes the overall climate, geomorphology, soils, and vegetation of the deserts of the Middle East
Rumney, G. R., 1968: Climatology and the World's Climates – a detailed description of the world's climates, including those of arid areas
Schwerdtfeger, W. (Ed.), 1976: Climates of Central and South America – climate descriptions include all South American deserts
Shmida, A., 1985: Biogeography of the desert flora – describes desert ecosystems, vegetation types, and causes of aridity
Takahashi, K., and H. Arakawa (Eds.), 1981: Climates of Southern and Western Asia – climate descriptions include the areas of the deserts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Near East
Trewartha, G. T., 1961: The Earth's Problem Climates – treats the climates of most arid (and non-arid) areas
Ayyad, M. A., and S. I. Ghabbour, 1986: Hot deserts of Egypt and the Sudan – reviews the climate, geomorphology, and vegetation of Egypt and the Sudan
Cloudsley-Thompson, J. L., 1984: Sahara Desert – covers the climate, microclimates, geology, soils, and plant ecology of the Sahara
Dubief, J., 1959: Le Climat du Sahara. Vol. 1 and Dubief, J., 1963: Le Climat du Sahara. Vol. 2 – these are the best references available about the climate of the Sahara (in French)
Gautier, E.-F., 1935: Sahara: The Great Desert – describes the surface conditions and climate of the Sahara
Le Houérou, H. N., 1986: The desert and arid zone of northern Africa – reviews the climate, geomorphology, soils, hydrology, plants, and desertification of the northern Sahara
Monod, T., 1986: The Sahel zone north of the Equator – describes the climate, changes in climate, geomorphology, soils, and vegetation of the Sahel
Walter, H., 1986: The Namib Desert – reviews the climate, soils, vegetation, and ecosystems
Owens, M., and D. Owens, 1984: Cry of the Kalahari – descriptions of the Kalahari by researchers who lived in it for years
Thomas, D. S. G., and P. A. Shaw, 1991: The Kalahari Environment – the primary focus is the surface landforms of the Kalahari, but there is some material on environmental change and a brief summary of the climate
Werger, M. J. A., 1986: The Karoo and southern Kalahari – describes the climate, geomorphology, soils, and ecology
Clements, T., et al., 1957: A study of desert surface conditions – a description of the distribution of playas, desert flats, bedrock fields, alluvial fans, dunes, mountains, and volcanic fields in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts in the United States
Clements, T., et al., 1963: A Study of Windborne Sand and Dust in Desert Areas – reviews the causes of dust storms and their properties, primarily for the northern Sonoran and Mojave Deserts
Gehlbach, F. R., 1993: Mountain Islands and Desert Seas – a natural history of the desert borderlands of the United States and Mexico
Hartmann, W. K., 1989: Desert Heart: Chronicles of the Sonoran Desert – a natural and human history of the Sonoran Desert
Hastings, J. R., and R. M. Turner, 1965: The Changing Mile – describes microclimates and microenvironments within an area of the northern Sonoran Desert, and uses co-located photographs to illustrate how the vegetation changed during roughly the first half of the twentieth century
Krutch, J. W., 1951: The Desert Year – description of the Sonoran Desert environment
West, N. E., 1983a: Overview of North American temperate deserts and semi-deserts – provides a summary of the climate, the regional subdivisions, and ecological subdivisions of the Great Basin Desert, with some coverage of the Mojave and northern Sonoran Deserts
West, N. E., 1983b: Great Basin-Colorado Plateau sagebrush semi-desert – describes the climate, soils, geology, vegetation, ecosystem, and the human impacts for the central and southern Great Basin Desert
West, N. E., 1983c: Western intermountain sagebrush steppe – discusses the climate, geology, vegetation, and human impacts for the northern Great Basin Desert
West, N. E., 1983d: Intermountain salt-desert shrubland – describes the climate, geology, soils, vegetation, ecology, human impacts, and erosion for the salt deserts that are primarily within the Great Basin Desert
Clements, T., et al., 1957: A study of desert surface conditions – a description of the distribution of playas, desert flats, bedrock fields, alluvial fans, dunes, mountains, and volcanic fields in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts in the United States
Clements, T., et al., 1963: A Study of Windborne Sand and Dust in Desert Areas – reviews the causes of dust storms and their properties, primarily for the northern Sonoran and Mojave Deserts
Darlington, D., 1996: The Mojave: A Portrait of the Definitive American Desert – a layman's description of the weather and surface conditions of the Mojave, with an emphasis on the great impact of human activities
West, N. E., 1983e: Colorado Plateau-Mohavian blackbrush semi-desert – summarizes the ecosystem that overlaps the Mojave Desert in which blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) dominates
Tweit, S. J., 1995: Barren, Wild and Worthless: Living in the Chihuahuan Desert – personal accounts of exploring the natural history of the northern Chihuahuan Desert
Gehlbach, F. R., 1993: Mountain Islands and Desert Seas – a natural history of the desert borderlands of the United States and Mexico
Bowman, I., 1924: Desert Trails of Atacama – describes early explorations of the Atacama, with descriptions of the surface conditions and the weather
Rauh, W., 1985: The Peruvian-Chilean Deserts – reviews the climate, vegetation, and soils of the Atacama Desert
Rauh, W., 1985: The Peruvian-Chilean Deserts – reviews the climate, vegetation, and soils of the Peruvian Desert
Mares, M. A., et al., 1985: The Monte Desert and other subtropical semi-arid biomes of Argentina, with comments on their relation to North American arid areas – discusses the climate and vegetation of the Monte Desert, and compares the Monte with the Sonoran Desert
Soriano, A., 1983: Deserts and semi-deserts of Patagonia – discusses the climates, paleoclimates, vegetation, geology, and desertification of the Patagonian Desert
Cogger, H. G., and E. E. Cameron, (Eds.), 1984: Arid Australia – contains a number of short papers on various aspects of the Australian deserts, with an emphasis on the biological setting
Gentilli, J., 1971: Climates of Australia and New Zealand – describes the general circulation of the Southern Hemisphere, factors that control the Australian climate, the dynamics of the Australian troposphere, and climate fluctuations
Shephard, M., 1995: The Great Victoria Desert – summary of geomorphic and vegetation conditions in the Great Victoria Desert, but with an emphasis on the history, flora, fauna, and human inhabitants
Williams, O. B., and J. H. Calaby, 1985: The hot deserts of Australia – summarizes the climate, geomorphology, soils, and vegetation
Andrews, R. C., 1921: Across Mongolian Plains – a description of travels in the Gobi
Man, J., 1999: Gobi: Tracking the Desert – a description of travels in the Gobi
Walker, A. S., 1982: Deserts of China – a review of the geography and surface conditions of China's deserts, with some discussion of desertification
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983f: The deserts of central Asia – describes the climate, vegetation, and ecology of the Gobi Desert and nearby desert areas
Blackmore, C., 1995: The Worst Desert on Earth: Crossing the Taklamakan – a description of a recent expedition to cross the Taklamakan in the east–west direction (the long way). It provides a good personal account of the weather and surface conditions
Walker, A. S., 1982: Deserts of China – a review of the geography and surface conditions of China's deserts, with some discussion of desertification
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983f: The deserts of central Asia – describes the climate, vegetation, and ecology of the Taklamakan Desert and nearby desert areas
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983g: The Pamir – An ecologically well-studied high-mountain desert biome – describes the climate, vegetation, and water budget of the Pamir Mountains to the west of the Taklamakan Desert
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983a: Caspian lowland biome – describes the climate, geomorphology, soils, ecosystems, and human impacts of the semi-desert lowlands to the north of the Caspian Sea
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983b: Semi-deserts and deserts of central Kazakhstan – describes the climate, geomorphology, soils, vegetation, ecosystems, and human impacts in Kazakhstan, from the Caspian Sea to east of Lake Balkhash
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983c: Middle Asian deserts – discusses the climate, soils, vegetation, and ecosystems of the lowlands in southern Kazakhstan, including the Karakumy and Kyzylkum Deserts
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983d: The Karakum Desert, an example of a well-studied eu-biome – discusses the Karakumy Desert as an ecological unit, including the soils, geology, river system, climate, microclimates, water balance, vegetation, and human impacts
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983e: The orobiomes of middle Asia – describes the vegetation of the high-altitude deserts of southern and southeastern Kazakhstan
Chowdhury, A., et al., 1980: Meteorological aspects of arid and semi-arid regions of India with special reference to the Thar desert – brief discussions of the rainfall, evaporation, temperature, droughts, floods, severe weather, and hydrology of the Thar
Gupta, R. K., 1986: The Thar Desert – a review of the climate, geomorphology, soils, plants, and animals of the Thar
Breckle, S. W., 1983: The temperate deserts and semi-deserts of Afghanistan and Iran – discusses the climate, hydrology, physiography, vegetation, ecology, and human impacts of the deserts of Afghanistan and Iran
Abd El Rahman, A. A., 1986: The deserts of the Arabian Peninsula – reviews the climate, geology, soils, vegetation, and groundwater
Al-Shalash, A. H., 1966: The Climate of Iraq – includes factors controlling the climate, temperature characteristics, and precipitation
Brody, L. R., 1977: Meteorological Phenomena of the Arabian Sea – contains a discussion of the climatology of, especially, the monsoonal wind regimes along the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia
Perrone, T. J., 1979: Winter Shamal in the Persian Gulf – a summary of the weather conditions associated with the shamal in the Arabian Gulf and the desert of the eastern Arabian Peninsula
Sanger, R. H., 1954: The Arabian Peninsula – mostly a discussion of civilization in the area, but there are observations of the weather and surface conditions
Satchell, J. E., 1978: Ecology and environment in the United Arab Emirates – reviews the climate, physiography, soils, water, agriculture, forestry, and indigenous vegetation of the United Arab Emirates
Walters, K. R., and W. F. Sjoberg, 1988: The Persian Gulf Region: A Climatological Study – a complete review of the different large-scale and regional weather regimes that influence the Arabian Peninsula
Evenari, M., et al., 1971: The Negev: The Challenge of a Desert – contains descriptions of the landforms and geology, water availability, and vegetation
Rauh, W., 1986: The arid region of Madagascar – a review of the climate and vegetation
Amiran, D. H. K., and A. W. Wilson (Eds.), 1973: Coastal Deserts: Their Natural and Human Environments – description of the climate, geomorphology, hydrology, and other aspects of all the world's coastal deserts
Arakawa, H. (Ed.), 1969: Climates of Northern and Eastern Asia – climate descriptions include the areas of the deserts of China
Bender, G. L. (Ed.), 1982: Reference Handbook on the Deserts of North America – general discussion of North American deserts, without much technical treatment of the meteorology. A summary is provided of historical and current desertification
Bryson, R. A., and F. K. Hare (Eds.), 1974: Climates of North America – climate descriptions include all North American deserts
Evans, D. D., and J. L. Thames (Eds.), 1981: Water in Desert Ecosystems – good treatments of desert climate, soils, geology, and hydrology, with an emphasis on the latter
Evenari, M., 1985a: The desert environment – describes the overall climate, geomorphology, geological history, soils, and the hydrologic cycle of deserts
Evenari, M., 1985b: Adaptations of plants and animals to the desert environment – briefly summarizes the various adaptations of vegetation to arid environments
Ferrari, M., 1996: Deserts – pictorial presentation of the surface conditions of many of the world's deserts
Griffiths, J. F. (Ed.), 1972c: Climates of Africa – climate descriptions include the areas of the African deserts
Howe, G. H., et al. 1968: Classification of World Desert Areas – summary of surface conditions, vegetation, and climate of the world's deserts
Jaeger, E. C., 1957: The North American Deserts – reviews the climates, surface conditions, flora, and fauna of the North American deserts
Lydolph, P. E., 1977: Climates of the Soviet Union – climate descriptions include the Turkestan-area deserts
MacMahon, J. A., 1985: Deserts – summarizes the vegetation of the North American deserts
MacMahon, J. A., and F. H. Wagner, 1985: The Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of North America – describes the climate, geomorphology, soils, and vegetation
Mares, M. A., 1999: Encyclopedia of Deserts – a complete non-technically oriented encyclopedia of desert biology, geomorphology, and climate, with a bit lighter emphasis on the latter
McGinnies, W. G., et al., 1968: Deserts of the World – appraisals of research about, and summaries of, the vegetation, surface materials, geomorphology, hydrology, and weather and climate of desert environments. This contains an especially good review of the literature up to the date of publication
McKee, E. D., (Ed.), 1979: A Study of Global Sand Seas – a thorough review of the sand seas of the world, including wind field climatologies and a satellite analysis of dune structure
Meigs, P., 1966: Geography of coastal deserts – very good summary of all aspects of coastal deserts, worldwide
Noy-Meir, I., 1985: Desert ecosystem structure and function – general discussion of desert ecosystems
Orshan, G., 1986: The deserts of the Middle East – describes the overall climate, geomorphology, soils, and vegetation of the deserts of the Middle East
Rumney, G. R., 1968: Climatology and the World's Climates – a detailed description of the world's climates, including those of arid areas
Schwerdtfeger, W. (Ed.), 1976: Climates of Central and South America – climate descriptions include all South American deserts
Shmida, A., 1985: Biogeography of the desert flora – describes desert ecosystems, vegetation types, and causes of aridity
Takahashi, K., and H. Arakawa (Eds.), 1981: Climates of Southern and Western Asia – climate descriptions include the areas of the deserts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Near East
Trewartha, G. T., 1961: The Earth's Problem Climates – treats the climates of most arid (and non-arid) areas
Ayyad, M. A., and S. I. Ghabbour, 1986: Hot deserts of Egypt and the Sudan – reviews the climate, geomorphology, and vegetation of Egypt and the Sudan
Cloudsley-Thompson, J. L., 1984: Sahara Desert – covers the climate, microclimates, geology, soils, and plant ecology of the Sahara
Dubief, J., 1959: Le Climat du Sahara. Vol. 1 and Dubief, J., 1963: Le Climat du Sahara. Vol. 2 – these are the best references available about the climate of the Sahara (in French)
Gautier, E.-F., 1935: Sahara: The Great Desert – describes the surface conditions and climate of the Sahara
Le Houérou, H. N., 1986: The desert and arid zone of northern Africa – reviews the climate, geomorphology, soils, hydrology, plants, and desertification of the northern Sahara
Monod, T., 1986: The Sahel zone north of the Equator – describes the climate, changes in climate, geomorphology, soils, and vegetation of the Sahel
Walter, H., 1986: The Namib Desert – reviews the climate, soils, vegetation, and ecosystems
Owens, M., and D. Owens, 1984: Cry of the Kalahari – descriptions of the Kalahari by researchers who lived in it for years
Thomas, D. S. G., and P. A. Shaw, 1991: The Kalahari Environment – the primary focus is the surface landforms of the Kalahari, but there is some material on environmental change and a brief summary of the climate
Werger, M. J. A., 1986: The Karoo and southern Kalahari – describes the climate, geomorphology, soils, and ecology
Clements, T., et al., 1957: A study of desert surface conditions – a description of the distribution of playas, desert flats, bedrock fields, alluvial fans, dunes, mountains, and volcanic fields in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts in the United States
Clements, T., et al., 1963: A Study of Windborne Sand and Dust in Desert Areas – reviews the causes of dust storms and their properties, primarily for the northern Sonoran and Mojave Deserts
Gehlbach, F. R., 1993: Mountain Islands and Desert Seas – a natural history of the desert borderlands of the United States and Mexico
Hartmann, W. K., 1989: Desert Heart: Chronicles of the Sonoran Desert – a natural and human history of the Sonoran Desert
Hastings, J. R., and R. M. Turner, 1965: The Changing Mile – describes microclimates and microenvironments within an area of the northern Sonoran Desert, and uses co-located photographs to illustrate how the vegetation changed during roughly the first half of the twentieth century
Krutch, J. W., 1951: The Desert Year – description of the Sonoran Desert environment
West, N. E., 1983a: Overview of North American temperate deserts and semi-deserts – provides a summary of the climate, the regional subdivisions, and ecological subdivisions of the Great Basin Desert, with some coverage of the Mojave and northern Sonoran Deserts
West, N. E., 1983b: Great Basin-Colorado Plateau sagebrush semi-desert – describes the climate, soils, geology, vegetation, ecosystem, and the human impacts for the central and southern Great Basin Desert
West, N. E., 1983c: Western intermountain sagebrush steppe – discusses the climate, geology, vegetation, and human impacts for the northern Great Basin Desert
West, N. E., 1983d: Intermountain salt-desert shrubland – describes the climate, geology, soils, vegetation, ecology, human impacts, and erosion for the salt deserts that are primarily within the Great Basin Desert
Clements, T., et al., 1957: A study of desert surface conditions – a description of the distribution of playas, desert flats, bedrock fields, alluvial fans, dunes, mountains, and volcanic fields in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts in the United States
Clements, T., et al., 1963: A Study of Windborne Sand and Dust in Desert Areas – reviews the causes of dust storms and their properties, primarily for the northern Sonoran and Mojave Deserts
Darlington, D., 1996: The Mojave: A Portrait of the Definitive American Desert – a layman's description of the weather and surface conditions of the Mojave, with an emphasis on the great impact of human activities
West, N. E., 1983e: Colorado Plateau-Mohavian blackbrush semi-desert – summarizes the ecosystem that overlaps the Mojave Desert in which blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) dominates
Tweit, S. J., 1995: Barren, Wild and Worthless: Living in the Chihuahuan Desert – personal accounts of exploring the natural history of the northern Chihuahuan Desert
Gehlbach, F. R., 1993: Mountain Islands and Desert Seas – a natural history of the desert borderlands of the United States and Mexico
Bowman, I., 1924: Desert Trails of Atacama – describes early explorations of the Atacama, with descriptions of the surface conditions and the weather
Rauh, W., 1985: The Peruvian-Chilean Deserts – reviews the climate, vegetation, and soils of the Atacama Desert
Rauh, W., 1985: The Peruvian-Chilean Deserts – reviews the climate, vegetation, and soils of the Peruvian Desert
Mares, M. A., et al., 1985: The Monte Desert and other subtropical semi-arid biomes of Argentina, with comments on their relation to North American arid areas – discusses the climate and vegetation of the Monte Desert, and compares the Monte with the Sonoran Desert
Soriano, A., 1983: Deserts and semi-deserts of Patagonia – discusses the climates, paleoclimates, vegetation, geology, and desertification of the Patagonian Desert
Cogger, H. G., and E. E. Cameron, (Eds.), 1984: Arid Australia – contains a number of short papers on various aspects of the Australian deserts, with an emphasis on the biological setting
Gentilli, J., 1971: Climates of Australia and New Zealand – describes the general circulation of the Southern Hemisphere, factors that control the Australian climate, the dynamics of the Australian troposphere, and climate fluctuations
Shephard, M., 1995: The Great Victoria Desert – summary of geomorphic and vegetation conditions in the Great Victoria Desert, but with an emphasis on the history, flora, fauna, and human inhabitants
Williams, O. B., and J. H. Calaby, 1985: The hot deserts of Australia – summarizes the climate, geomorphology, soils, and vegetation
Andrews, R. C., 1921: Across Mongolian Plains – a description of travels in the Gobi
Man, J., 1999: Gobi: Tracking the Desert – a description of travels in the Gobi
Walker, A. S., 1982: Deserts of China – a review of the geography and surface conditions of China's deserts, with some discussion of desertification
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983f: The deserts of central Asia – describes the climate, vegetation, and ecology of the Gobi Desert and nearby desert areas
Blackmore, C., 1995: The Worst Desert on Earth: Crossing the Taklamakan – a description of a recent expedition to cross the Taklamakan in the east–west direction (the long way). It provides a good personal account of the weather and surface conditions
Walker, A. S., 1982: Deserts of China – a review of the geography and surface conditions of China's deserts, with some discussion of desertification
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983f: The deserts of central Asia – describes the climate, vegetation, and ecology of the Taklamakan Desert and nearby desert areas
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983g: The Pamir – An ecologically well-studied high-mountain desert biome – describes the climate, vegetation, and water budget of the Pamir Mountains to the west of the Taklamakan Desert
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983a: Caspian lowland biome – describes the climate, geomorphology, soils, ecosystems, and human impacts of the semi-desert lowlands to the north of the Caspian Sea
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983b: Semi-deserts and deserts of central Kazakhstan – describes the climate, geomorphology, soils, vegetation, ecosystems, and human impacts in Kazakhstan, from the Caspian Sea to east of Lake Balkhash
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983c: Middle Asian deserts – discusses the climate, soils, vegetation, and ecosystems of the lowlands in southern Kazakhstan, including the Karakumy and Kyzylkum Deserts
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983d: The Karakum Desert, an example of a well-studied eu-biome – discusses the Karakumy Desert as an ecological unit, including the soils, geology, river system, climate, microclimates, water balance, vegetation, and human impacts
Walter, H., and E. O. Box, 1983e: The orobiomes of middle Asia – describes the vegetation of the high-altitude deserts of southern and southeastern Kazakhstan
Chowdhury, A., et al., 1980: Meteorological aspects of arid and semi-arid regions of India with special reference to the Thar desert – brief discussions of the rainfall, evaporation, temperature, droughts, floods, severe weather, and hydrology of the Thar
Gupta, R. K., 1986: The Thar Desert – a review of the climate, geomorphology, soils, plants, and animals of the Thar
Breckle, S. W., 1983: The temperate deserts and semi-deserts of Afghanistan and Iran – discusses the climate, hydrology, physiography, vegetation, ecology, and human impacts of the deserts of Afghanistan and Iran
Abd El Rahman, A. A., 1986: The deserts of the Arabian Peninsula – reviews the climate, geology, soils, vegetation, and groundwater
Al-Shalash, A. H., 1966: The Climate of Iraq – includes factors controlling the climate, temperature characteristics, and precipitation
Brody, L. R., 1977: Meteorological Phenomena of the Arabian Sea – contains a discussion of the climatology of, especially, the monsoonal wind regimes along the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia
Perrone, T. J., 1979: Winter Shamal in the Persian Gulf – a summary of the weather conditions associated with the shamal in the Arabian Gulf and the desert of the eastern Arabian Peninsula
Sanger, R. H., 1954: The Arabian Peninsula – mostly a discussion of civilization in the area, but there are observations of the weather and surface conditions
Satchell, J. E., 1978: Ecology and environment in the United Arab Emirates – reviews the climate, physiography, soils, water, agriculture, forestry, and indigenous vegetation of the United Arab Emirates
Walters, K. R., and W. F. Sjoberg, 1988: The Persian Gulf Region: A Climatological Study – a complete review of the different large-scale and regional weather regimes that influence the Arabian Peninsula
Evenari, M., et al., 1971: The Negev: The Challenge of a Desert – contains descriptions of the landforms and geology, water availability, and vegetation
Rauh, W., 1986: The arid region of Madagascar – a review of the climate and vegetation