Desert

Follow up to the award-winning Eyewitness Video series. Once thought in Arabic cultures to be Allah's Garden, where he could walk in solitude on Earth, the deserts we are taken to in the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Video: Desert are crowded with life. Life in these vast parched lands, the hottest on the planet, is an everyday war against the elements. The desert survivor's greatest challenge is to seek out water where it doesn't exist, and make it last. One of the greatest symbols of the desert, the camel, is also the largest life form that can survive. Used throughout history as couriers across the desert linking Europe with the likes of China, India and Arabia, the camel is also our guide through the Eyewitness Museum on our educational tour of the arid land. Deserts are defined as having less than 10" of rainfall a year, but they are not always hot. Deserts go through extremes, and not only do they cool off at night, many have harsh winters where temperatures can fall below freezing for up to six months a year. Desert rain is unpredictable, short-lived and can be violent. Since water is an essential ingredient, all life must adapt. The camel itself is a triumph of design, the anatomy, diet, and survival skills of the camel and many other desert animals are explored in depth. Plant life often has intricate networks of vast roots to soak up and store as much water as possible; the tumbleweed is actually alive, blowing across the desert in search of moisture. Just like at sea, the skies are used to navigate the sand desert where few landmarks exist and tracks are quickly covered. Winds play a large role in the desert, causing deadly dust devils and storms while it sandblasts and sculpts the distinctive and often beautiful landscape. Other topics covered: the differences between a mirage and an oasis and how each are formed; the hottest and coldest desert; and even how the practice of mummification began. As with many of the videos in the Eyewitness series, breathtaking footage effortlessly transports viewers to the subject itself. Foreign to many, the desert is demystified with an entertaining formula of fact, trivia and legend. Currently in a warming trend, the Earth may involuntarily increase her desert land. But a warmer Earth also increases rainfall, which in turn may bring even more desert life.