Question

The diurnal range of temperature is very high in deserts. What do you think is the reason for it?

Options

• Lack of cloud cover

• Presence of sand

• Both Lack of cloud cover and Presence of sand.

• Neither Lack of cloud cover nor Presence of sand.

Answer 1

Both Lack of cloud cover and Presence of sand.

Explanation:

Deserts are usually cloudless, so daytime solar radiation reaches the surface strongly, and at night, there are no clouds to trap outgoing long‑wave radiation, which produces very hot days and rapid radiational cooling after sunset. Also, desert surfaces (sand, dry soils) have low moisture and low heat capacity, so they heat up quickly by day and lose heat quickly at night. The combined effect of clear skies, low humidity/vegetation, and heat‑poor sandy surfaces gives deserts a very large diurnal temperature range.