Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction -- 2 The atmospheric dynamics of deserts -- Some basic concepts of atmospheric structure and dynamics -- Scales of atmospheric motion -- Vertical structure of the atmosphere -- Wind and pressure regimes of global weather -- Formation of fog, cloud, and precipitation -- Definition of desert -- Climatological causes of aridity -- Planetary-scale circulations -- Orographic effects -- Geographic remoteness from moisture sources -- Coastal effects -- Dynamic feedback mechanisms that may cause and sustain deserts -- Vegetation - albedo/transpiration feedback -- Dust-radiation feedback -- Soil-moisture feedback -- Upwelling - coastal-desert feedback -- Vegetation-substrate feedback -- Dust-biogeochemical feedbacks -- The dynamics of desert heat lows -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 3 The climates of the world deserts -- General meteorological characteristics of deserts -- General physiographic characteristics of deserts -- General vegetative characteristics of deserts -- African deserts -- The Sahara Desert -- The Kalahari, Namib, and Karoo Deserts -- The Somali-Chalbi Desert -- The arid area of Madagascar -- North American deserts -- The Chihuahuan Desert -- The Great Basin Desert -- The Sonoran Desert -- The Mojave Desert -- South American deserts -- The Atacama and Peruvian Deserts -- The Patagonian Desert -- The Monte Desert -- Other arid areas of South America -- Australian deserts -- Asian deserts -- East Asia: the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts -- The Turkestan-area deserts -- The Thar Desert -- The deserts of Iran and Afghanistan -- The Arabian Desert and surroundings -- European arid areas -- Ocean deserts -- Suggested general references for further reading.

General references -- The Sahara Desert -- The Namibian Desert -- The Kalahari Desert -- The Karoo Desert -- The Sonoran Desert -- The Great Basin Desert -- The Mojave Desert -- The Chihuahuan Desert -- The Atacama Desert -- The Peruvian Desert -- The Patagonian and Monte Deserts (and the Puna and Chaco) -- The Australian Deserts -- The Gobi Desert -- The Taklamakan Desert -- The Turkestan-area Deserts -- The Thar Desert -- The Iranian Desert -- The Arabian Desert -- The Negev Desert -- The arid region of Madagascar -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 4 Atmospheric and surface energy budgets of deserts -- Components of the atmospheric and surface energy budgets -- Some basics of solar and terrestrial radiation -- The Earth-sun astronomical relationship, and atmospheric diurnal and annual cycles -- Attenuation of radiation by the atmosphere -- The surface radiation budget -- The surface energy budget -- The complete atmospheric and surface energy budget -- Atmospheric and surface energy budgets of deserts -- Summary of some unique characteristics of desert energy budgets -- Examples of desert and non-desert energy budgets -- The "oasis effect" on the energy budget -- The effect of mineral aerosols on the desert radiation budget -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 5 Surface physics of the unvegetated sandy desert landscape -- Introduction to the concepts of land-surface physics -- Vertical heat transport within the substrate -- Vertical water transport within the substrate -- Liquid-water transport within vegetation, and transpiration -- Heat and water-vapor exchange between the surface and the atmosphere -- Land-surface physics of unvegetated sandy desert -- Infiltration of rainfall, and substrate liquid-water movement.

Water-vapor fluxes within the substrate and at the surface -- Thermal processes within the substrate and at the surface -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 6 Vegetation effects on desert surface physics -- The effects of vegetation on the desert surface energy budget -- The effects of vegetation on the desert surface water budget -- The effects of vegetation on desert winds near the surface -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 7 Substrate effects on desert surface physics -- Types of desert substrate -- Salt flats, playas, salars, sabkhas, salt pans, etc. -- Sand surfaces -- Pavements, crusts, and varnishes -- Rock surfaces -- Dry river beds -- Loess -- An example of the spatial distribution of substrate types -- Effects of desert substrate types on the surface energy budget -- Effects of desert substrate types on the surface water budget -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 8 Desert-surface physical properties -- Albedo -- Thermal properties -- Aerodynamic roughness -- Emissivity -- Hydraulic properties -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 9 Numerical modeling of desert atmospheres -- General concept of numerical weather prediction -- Some examples of atmospheric model applications in arid areas -- Operational weather prediction for the United Arab Emirates -- A study of small-scale winds in the Great Basin Desert -- A study of boundary-layer circulations in the Arabian Desert -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 10 Desert boundary layers -- Basic concepts of boundary-layer structure.

Turbulent exchange of atmospheric properties -- Boundary-layer structure -- Aerodynamic roughness and the vertical wind profile -- Unique aspects of desert boundary layers -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 11 Desert microclimates -- Causes of intra-desert microclimates -- Vegetation -- Substrate -- Terrain elevation, aspect, and slope -- Water-table depth -- Proximity to coastlines -- Examples of intra-desert microclimate variability -- The Sturt Desert (part of the Simpson Desert): contrasts in surface temperature over a playa and surrounding sparsely vegetated sand -- The Great Basin Desert: contrasts in surface temperature and fluxes over a playa and the surrounding vegetated alluvial fan and mountains -- The Sturt Desert (part of the Simpson Desert): contrasts in surface temperature and boundary-layer fluxes over shallow lakes, swamp, barren and lightly vegetated sand dunes,… -- The Great Basin Desert: contrasts in boundary-layer vertical temperature profiles over a salt flat and a partly vegetated nearby surface -- The Sahel: surface fluxes and boundary-layer structure over various partly vegetated surfaces -- The Arabian Desert: boundary-layer depth related to surface characteristics -- The Sonoran Desert: influence of precipitation and vegetation on the temperature and sensible-heat fluxes -- Coastal microclimates of the Peruvian and Namib Deserts -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 12 Dynamic interactions among desert microclimates -- Thermally forced wind circulations in desert environments -- Salt or playa breezes -- Desert circulations associated with oases, lakes, and seas -- Topographically forced circulations -- Circulations resulting from soil-moisture gradients.

Circulations associated with vegetation contrasts -- Oasis effects -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 13 Desert rainfall -- Statistical characterization of desert rainfall -- Annual-total rainfall statistics -- Variability of rainfall within seasonal and diurnal cycles -- Intensity of summer precipitation -- Event-total, or wet-period total, precipitation amounts -- Duration of precipitation periods -- Time between precipitation periods -- Spatial continuity, or "spottiness," of rainfall -- Reliability of rainfall -- Causes of desert rainfall, and its modulation -- Large-scale and convective causes -- Orographic influences -- The influence of surface energy and moisture budgets on desert precipitation -- Artificial rainfall enhancement in arid areas -- Dew and fog deposition in the desert -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 14 Anthropogenic effects on the desert atmosphere -- Irrigation -- Water-table deepening -- Grazing and overgrazing -- Introduction of non-native vegetation -- Dryland agriculture -- Urbanization -- Off-road vehicle use -- Deforestation -- Suggested general references for further reading -- Questions for review -- Problems and exercises -- 15 Changes in desert climate -- Time scales of climate and aridity change -- A summary of recent climate periods -- Methods of estimating climate change in arid regions -- Historical records -- Archeological data -- Tree-ring studies (dendrochronology) -- Existence of isolated communities of relict flora and fauna -- Fossils of flora and fauna -- Relict shorelines, beaches, and salt deposits -- Desiccated watercourses -- Stabilization or reactivation of sand dunes -- Soil profiles -- Floods.

Examples of changes in desert climate during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene.