Desert Climate and Precipitation Desert Biome Weather http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/desert/whatis.htm Long Term Climate Variation in the Mojave Desert http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/elnino/mojave.html Climate of the Mojave Desert http://biology.fullerton.edu/facilities/dsc/zz_climate.html

Deserts are Arid regions, meaning that they recieve 10 inches or less of rain per year. Arid regions are caused by patterns of movement of hot and cold air which affects rainfall. Often, deserts are caused by the "Rainshadow Effect". The Rainshadow Effect occurs when cold and warm air moves towards a mountain. The cold air will hit the mountain, and the moisture in the air will condense and form rain. The warm air, which is much lighter, will pass over the mountain, and create a warm, dry climate. The areas that the dry air reaches are "deserts."

The following websites are excellent resources for understanding weather trends in the desert:

Desert biome info: http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/desert/index.htm

What is a desert? http://www.desertusa.com/desert.html