Development of Hot Deserts (AQA GCSE Geography)

Opportunities

• Hot deserts provide a range of opportunities for development including:
  • Energy 
    • Solar energy in areas such as the Mojave, Desert
    • Wind including the Tarfaya complex in the Sahara Desert
    • Coal mining such as the Thar coalfield
  • Mineral extraction
    • Reserves of a range of minerals include copper, uranium, and coal in the USA Western Desert, phosphorus and gypsum in the Thar Desert
  • Tourism 
    • Desert safaris in the Kalahari Desert
    • Horseback riding in the Namib Desert
    • Staying in a traditional Ger (Mongolian Yurt) in the Gobi Desert
    • Balloon flights such as those over the Namib Desert
  • Agriculture
    • Irrigation enables large scale agriculture in areas such as the Arabian Desert and Gobi Desert
    • Subsistence farming occurs in many desert environments

Challenges

• The harsh desert environments pose a range of challenges for any development
• Extreme temperatures: which can reach 50^°C 
  • This leads to high levels of evaporation and water shortages
  • Make working difficult 
• Accessibility
  • There is a lack of roads due to low population
  • Pipelines, roads and railways need to be built to withstand the high temperatures
  • Sand often covers the roads
  • Most of the desert areas are inaccessible
• Water supply
  • Water is often scarce due to low precipitation
  • River flow is often unreliable
  • Demand for water has increased as the population increases and there are more activities in the desert

Development opportunities in the Thar Desert

Location of the Thar Desert

• Subsistence farming
  • In depressions between the sand dunes any precipitation collects - grasses grow and animals can graze
  • Goats provide milk and meat for the communities
• Commercial farming
  • The construction of the Indira Gandhi canal allows irrigation
  • This enables crops such as wheat and cotton to be grown for sale on a commercial scale
• Tourism 
  • Tourists are attracted to see the different species found in the deserts on desert safaris 
  • The desert is a hub for migrating birds which many tourists visit to see
  • There has been an increase in ecotourism 
• Mineral Extraction
  • The extraction of gypsum, limestone, feldspar, kaolin and phosphorous all take place within the Thar Desert
• Energy 
  • The Jaisalmer Wind Park is the world's fourth largest wind farm
  • Coal extraction: It is estimated there are reserves of 175 billion tonnes of coal
  • Oil and gas: Large reserves of oil and gas have been found under the Thar Desert
  • The Bhadia Solar Park covers more than 22 square miles and is one of the world's largest

Challenges to development in the Thar Desert

• Extreme temperatures
  • In the hottest months of May and June temperatures often reach 50^oC
  • Working in the high temperatures for miners, farmers etc... is extremely challenging
• Water supply
  • Precipitation in the Thar desert is very low 120-240 mm
  • Evaporation rates are high
  • Natural ponds - tobas: Provide people with water in remote areas
  • In some areas over-irrigation has led to salinisation when the water evaporates leaving the salt behind
  • The 650 km Indira Gandhi Canal provides water for drinking and irrigation
• Inaccessibility
  • The Thar Desert is over 230,000 km²
  • The road network across the vast area is limited
  • On the roads that do exist tarmac may melt due to the high temperatures
  • Roads quickly become covered in sand
  • City of Jaisalmer has become a honeypot tourist site because access to other areas is so expensive and difficult