The Deadly Gobi Desert

• Meaning Of Gobi: "Gravel-Covered Plain"

• Location : The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Tibetan Plateau to the southwest, and by the North China Plain to the southeast. The Gobi is made up of several distinct ecological and geographic regions based on variations in climate and topography. This desert is the fifth largest in the world.
• Geography : The Gobi measures over 1,610 km (1,000 mi) from southwest to northeast and 800 km (497 mi) from north to south. The desert is widest in the west, along the line joining the Baghrash Kol and the Lop Nor (87°-89° east). It occupies an arc of land 1,295,000 km² (500,002 sq mi) in area, making it fourth largest in the world and Asia's largest. Much of the Gobi is not sandy but is covered with bare rock.
• Climate: The Gobi is a cold desert, and it is not uncommon to see frost and occasionally snow on its dunes. Besides being quite far north, it is also located on a plateau roughly 910-1,520 meters (3,000-5,000 ft) above sea level, which further contributes to its low temperatures. An average of approximately 194 millimeters (7.6 in) of rain falls per year in the Gobi. Additional moisture reaches parts of the Gobi in winter as snow is blown by the wind from the Siberian Steppes. These winds cause the Gobi to reach extremes of temperature ranging from –40°C (-40°F) in winter to +40°C (104°F) in summer.

 

Temperature   Sivantse (1190 m) Ulaanbaatar (1150 m) Annual mean -2.5 °C (27 °F) 2.8 °C (37 °F) January mean -26.5 °C (-15.7 °F) -16.5 °C (2 °F) July mean 17.5 °C (63.5 °F) 19.0 °C (66 °F) Extremes 38.0 °C and -43 °C (100 °F and -45 °F) 33.9 °C and -47 °C (93 °F and -52 °F)