Sonoran Desert
| Sonoran Desert | |
|---|---|
Sonoran desert | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Nearctic |
| Biome | Deserts and xeric shrublands |
| Borders | List
|
| Bird species | 246[1] |
| Mammal species | 120[1] |
| Geography | |
| Area | 222,998 km2 (86,100 sq mi) |
| Countries | |
| States |
|
| Coordinates | 32°15′N 112°55′W / 32.250°N 112.917°W |
| Rivers | Colorado River |
| Climate type | Hot desert (BWh) |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Relatively Stable/Intact[2] |
| Habitat loss | 10.5%[1] |
| Protected | 39%[1] |
The Sonoran Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Sonora) is a hot desert and ecoregion in North America that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the Southwestern United States (in Arizona and California). It is the hottest desert in Mexico.[3] It has an area of 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 sq mi).
In phytogeography, the Sonoran Desert is within the Sonoran floristic province of the Madrean region of southwestern North America, part of the Holarctic realm of the northern Western Hemisphere. The desert contains a variety of unique endemic plants and animals, notably, the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) and organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi).
The Sonoran Desert is clearly distinct from nearby deserts (e.g., the Great Basin, Mojave, and Chihuahuan deserts) because it provides subtropical warmth in winter and two seasons of rainfall (in contrast, for example, to the Mojave's dry summers and cold winters). This creates an extreme contrast between aridity and moisture.[4]
- ^ a b c d "The Atlas of Global Conservation". maps.tnc.org. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
- ^ "Sonoran desert". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
- ^ "The hottest surface temperatures on earth". American Meteorological Society. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ A Delicate Balance. National Park Service. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.