Dasht-e Kavir
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2017) |
| Dasht-e Kavir | |
|---|---|
Yazd | |
| Coordinates | 34°44′15.2″N 54°49′37.56″E / 34.737556°N 54.8271000°E |
Dasht-e Kavir (
Features
In the center of the desert lies the salt marshes of Kavir Buzurg (Great Kavir), which is about 320 km (200 mi) long and 160 km (99 mi) wide. In the western part of the desert lies the Daryahcheh-e Namak ("salt lake"), 1,800 km2 (690 sq mi). It contains some large salt plates in a mosaic-like shape. It is part of a 4,000 km2 (1,500 sq mi) protected ecological zone, the Kavir National Park.
Climate and structure
Dasht-e Kavir has an arid climate with little precipitation. However, there is usually some rainfall in winter, as well as the mountains that surround it, provide plenty of runoff—enough to create vast seasonal lakes, marshlands and playas. Daytime and nighttime temperatures can vary by as much as 70 °C (130 °F) over the course of a year. The weather can get quite cold during the nighttime in winter, routinely dropping to below 0 °C (32 °F) in some areas.
The desert soil is covered with sand and pebbles; there are marshes, seasonal lakes and seasonal river beds. The high temperatures and low humidity cause extreme vaporization, which leaves the marshes and mud grounds with large crusts of salt.
| Climate data for Garmsār, Semnan Province, Altitude: 899.9 M from: 1986-2010 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.8 (69.4) |
24.6 (76.3) |
32.2 (90.0) |
36.6 (97.9) |
40.8 (105.4) |
45.0 (113.0) |
47.0 (116.6) |
46.0 (114.8) |
41.0 (105.8) |
36.4 (97.5) |
28.4 (83.1) |
22.2 (72.0) |
47.0 (116.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
18.8 (65.8) |
25.7 (78.3) |
31.6 (88.9) |
37.7 (99.9) |
40.0 (104.0) |
39.1 (102.4) |
34.8 (94.6) |
27.7 (81.9) |
18.9 (66.0) |
12.1 (53.8) |
25.8 (78.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.7 (40.5) |
7.4 (45.3) |
12.4 (54.3) |
18.6 (65.5) |
24.0 (75.2) |
29.7 (85.5) |
32.4 (90.3) |
31.1 (88.0) |
26.4 (79.5) |
20.0 (68.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
6.5 (43.7) |
18.8 (65.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) |
1.3 (34.3) |
6.0 (42.8) |
11.5 (52.7) |
16.4 (61.5) |
21.6 (70.9) |
24.7 (76.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
18.1 (64.6) |
12.3 (54.1) |
5.6 (42.1) |
0.9 (33.6) |
11.7 (53.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 15.0 (0.59) |
14.5 (0.57) |
26.9 (1.06) |
19.8 (0.78) |
10.8 (0.43) |
1.0 (0.04) |
2.7 (0.11) |
1.0 (0.04) |
0.4 (0.02) |
3.8 (0.15) |
11.1 (0.44) |
14.1 (0.56) |
121.1 (4.79) |
| Average relative humidity (%)
|
64 | 55 | 47 | 39 | 32 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 36 | 50 | 64 | 41 |
| Source: [2] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Ardestan, Esfahan Province, Altitude: 1252.4 M from: 1992-2010 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.2 (72.0) |
26.4 (79.5) |
32.0 (89.6) |
34.4 (93.9) |
39.6 (103.3) |
43.2 (109.8) |
44.4 (111.9) |
43.4 (110.1) |
39.6 (103.3) |
34.2 (93.6) |
29.4 (84.9) |
22.6 (72.7) |
44.4 (111.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.1 (48.4) |
13.3 (55.9) |
18.4 (65.1) |
24.8 (76.6) |
30.2 (86.4) |
35.8 (96.4) |
38.2 (100.8) |
37.3 (99.1) |
33.0 (91.4) |
26.4 (79.5) |
17.6 (63.7) |
11.2 (52.2) |
24.6 (76.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.6 (40.3) |
8.1 (46.6) |
12.9 (55.2) |
19.0 (66.2) |
24.0 (75.2) |
29.4 (84.9) |
31.9 (89.4) |
30.8 (87.4) |
26.7 (80.1) |
20.7 (69.3) |
12.7 (54.9) |
6.8 (44.2) |
19.0 (66.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.1 (32.2) |
2.8 (37.0) |
7.4 (45.3) |
13.2 (55.8) |
17.9 (64.2) |
22.9 (73.2) |
25.6 (78.1) |
24.4 (75.9) |
20.4 (68.7) |
15.1 (59.2) |
7.7 (45.9) |
2.4 (36.3) |
13.3 (56.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15.2 (4.6) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
1.2 (34.2) |
5.8 (42.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
18.2 (64.8) |
15.8 (60.4) |
10.5 (50.9) |
6.6 (43.9) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−15.2 (4.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 24.1 (0.95) |
15.1 (0.59) |
23.1 (0.91) |
15.5 (0.61) |
13.3 (0.52) |
0.9 (0.04) |
0.4 (0.02) |
0.9 (0.04) |
0.5 (0.02) |
2.0 (0.08) |
8.9 (0.35) |
22.4 (0.88) |
127.1 (5.01) |
| Average snowy days | 3.1 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 6.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%)
|
52 | 41 | 33 | 29 | 24 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 26 | 38 | 51 | 31 |
| Source: [3] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Biarjamand, Semnan Province, Altitude: 1099.3 M from: 1992-2010 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) |
11.2 (52.2) |
16.7 (62.1) |
23.3 (73.9) |
28.6 (83.5) |
33.5 (92.3) |
35.6 (96.1) |
34.7 (94.5) |
30.7 (87.3) |
24.5 (76.1) |
16.3 (61.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
22.7 (72.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.2 (36.0) |
5.0 (41.0) |
10.1 (50.2) |
16.5 (61.7) |
21.7 (71.1) |
26.7 (80.1) |
29.3 (84.7) |
28.0 (82.4) |
23.3 (73.9) |
17.0 (62.6) |
9.6 (49.3) |
4.1 (39.4) |
16.1 (61.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.2 (26.2) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
3.4 (38.1) |
9.7 (49.5) |
14.9 (58.8) |
20.0 (68.0) |
22.9 (73.2) |
21.4 (70.5) |
16.0 (60.8) |
9.4 (48.9) |
2.9 (37.2) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
9.6 (49.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 15.4 (0.61) |
13.2 (0.52) |
28.2 (1.11) |
23.7 (0.93) |
15.4 (0.61) |
4.3 (0.17) |
0.6 (0.02) |
1.3 (0.05) |
2.0 (0.08) |
3.1 (0.12) |
7.2 (0.28) |
13.1 (0.52) |
127.5 (5.02) |
| Average relative humidity (%)
|
66 | 57 | 49 | 43 | 35 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 33 | 39 | 50 | 66 | 44 |
| Source: [4] | |||||||||||||
Post-glacial lake system
Almost 3,000 years ago, at the start of the
Wildlife
Vegetation in the Dasht-e Kavir is adapted to the hot and arid climate as well as to the saline soil in which it is rooted.
Cultivation
The extreme heat and many storms in Dasht-e Kavir cause extensive erosion, which makes it almost impossible to cultivate the lands. The desert is almost uninhabited and knows little exploitation.
See also
- Dasht-e Lut – Desert in Iran ('Desert of Emptiness')
- Geography of Iran – Geographical features of Iran
- International rankings of Iran
- List of deserts by area – List of the largest deserts in the world by area
References
- ISBN 0-14-303820-6.
- ^ I.R. OF IRAN SHAHREKORD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION (IN PERSIAN) Archived 2017-08-29 at the Wayback Machine. 1986–2010
- ^ I.R. OF IRAN METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION (IN PERSIAN) Archived 2017-08-29 at the Wayback Machine. 1992–2010
- ^ "آمار 166 ايستگاه سينوپتيك كشور تا پایان سال 2010 میلادی + 37 ایستگاه تا پایان سال 2005". Archived from the original on 17 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ISBN 964-94487-9-9.