Fact of the Day Image Dec. 4th

When you picture a desert, you probably think of sand, no rain, and the harsh Sun beating down on you. That is true for most deserts, but there are some exceptions. The exception is that Antarctica is actually considered a desert! Why? It is because it meets the requirements for a desert!

For something to be a desert, it has to have little precipitation and extreme climates. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail.An extreme climate is a climate that is extremely hot or extremely cold. Antarctica is a place with little precipitation! It does not rain or snow there. Most of the blizzards there are actually bits of ice from the ground getting swept by the wind! The climate in Antarctica is very extreme. The average temperature there is about −67 °F!! That is really an extreme climate! Because Antarctica meets all of these requirements, it is considered a desert, even though it might not seem like it.