Post by Beowulf on Jan 13, 2018 16:56:48 GMT -5
At first glance, this might seem like a strange place to be called a desert, what with an empty basin at the northern end and scrubland in the southern end. The northern end is a 12-by-7 mile patch of land that is surrounded by mountains, which creates a rain shadow, hence the arid climate. It gets less than 7 inches of rain a year, which is why it looks so dry and desert like. The northern half of the desert is a cold desert climate. Temperatures can get to be in the low triple digits though not as hot as the White Desert of Eclipse or the Desert in the Forbidden Lands. The southern half of the desert covers approximately 24,000 square miles (62,000 km). It contains a semi-arid climate with tall cliffs with a number of rivers running throughout the region. A small mountain range marks the end of the desert's semi-arid climate. The southern half of the Artemisia Desert annual precipitation is relatively low, averaging less than 15 inches (380 mm) per year but the small mountain range receives a bit more precipitation in the form of snow. It receives the most precipitation in the winter months, decreasing steadily through late summer into the fall in the southern half. The land overall is home to various fauna and flora, the plants are adapted to survive on less than 12 inches (300 mm) of rain per year and it is dominated by big sagebrush and rabbitbrush along with hardy grasses. In spring there are wildflowers and juniper trees.