Is the Antarctic a desert?
1) “Etymology: The English, French (désert), Spanish (desierto), Italian (deserto), all come from the Latin desertum, meaning “an unpopulated place.” This in turn is derived from the Egyptian word dSr.t, which literally means “red land” and refers to the desert.” “Definition: A desert is a landscape form or region that receives very little precipitation. Deserts are defined as areas that receive an average annual precipitation of less than 250 mm (10 in). In the Köppen climate classification system, deserts are classed as (BW).” “However, lack of rainfall alone can’t provide an accurate description of what a desert is.” “The difference lies in something termed “potential evapotranspiration.” The water budget of an area can be calculated using the formula P-PE+/-S, wherein P is precipitation, PE is potential evapotranspiration rates and S is amount of surface storage of water. Evapotranspiration is the combination of water loss through atmospheric evaporation, coupled with the evaporati
