The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and
ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of
Sonora,
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
, and
Baja California Sur, as well as part of the
southwestern United States (in
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
). It is the hottest desert in both Mexico and the United States. It has an area of .
In
phytogeography, the Sonoran Desert is within the Sonoran
Floristic province of the
Madrean Region
The Madrean Region (named after the Sierra Madre Occidental) is a floristic region within the Holarctic Kingdom in North America, as delineated by Armen Takhtajan and Robert F. Thorne. It occupies arid or semiarid areas in the southwestern Unite ...
of southwestern North America, part of the
Holarctic realm
The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical regi ...
of the northern
Western Hemisphere. The desert contains a variety of unique
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae excl ...
s and
animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage ...
s, 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 desert
The Chihuahuan Desert ( es, Desierto de Chihuahua, ) is a desert ecoregion designation covering parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It occupies much of far West Texas, the middle to lower Rio Grande Valley and the lo ...
s) 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.
Location
The Sonoran desert wraps around the northern end of the
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja C ...
, from
Baja California Sur (
El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve in central and Pacific west coast, Central Gulf Coast subregion on east to southern tip), north through much of
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
, excluding the central northwest mountains and Pacific west coast, through southeastern California and southwestern and southern Arizona to western and central parts of
Sonora.
It is bounded on the west by the
Peninsular Ranges, which separate it from the
California chaparral and woodlands (northwest) and
Baja California Desert (Vizcaino subregion, central and southeast) ecoregions of the Pacific slope. The
Gulf of California xeric scrub ecoregion lies south of the Sonoran desert on the Gulf of California slope of the Baja California Peninsula.
To the north in California and northwest Arizona, the Sonoran Desert transitions to the colder-winter, higher-elevation
Mojave,
Great Basin, and
Colorado Plateau deserts.
The
coniferous Arizona Mountains forests are to the northeast. The
Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert ( es, Desierto de Chihuahua, ) is a desert ecoregion designation covering parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It occupies much of far West Texas, the middle to lower Rio Grande Valley and the lo ...
and
Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests are at higher elevations to the east. To the south the
Sonoran–Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest
The Sonoran–Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in northwestern Mexico.
Geography
This ecoregion forms a transition belt between the Sonoran Desert to the north and the Sinaloan dry forests ...
is the transition zone from the Sonoran Desert to the
tropical dry forests
The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...
of the Mexican state of
Sinaloa.
[
]
Sub-regions
The desert's sub-regions include the Colorado Desert of southeastern California; and the Yuma Desert east of the north-to-south section of the Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...
in southwest Arizona. In the 1957 publication ''Vegetation of the Sonoran Desert'', Forrest Shreve divided the Sonoran Desert into seven regions according to characteristic vegetation: Lower Colorado Valley, Arizona Upland, Plains of Sonora, Foothills of Sonora, Central Gulf Coast, Vizcaíno Region, and Magdalena Region. Many ecologists consider Shreve's Vizcaíno and Magdalena regions, which lie on the western side of the Baja California Peninsula, to be a separate ecoregion, the Baja California Desert.
Within the southern Sonoran Desert in Mexico is found the Gran Desierto de Altar, with the El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, extending of desert and mountainous regions. The biosphere reserve includes the only active erg
The erg is a unit of energy equal to 10−7joules (100 nJ). It originated in the Centimetre–gram–second system of units (CGS). It has the symbol ''erg''. The erg is not an SI unit. Its name is derived from (), a Greek word meaning 'work' o ...
dune region in North America. The nearest city to the biosphere reserve is Puerto Peñasco ('Rocky Point') in the state of Sonora, Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
.
;Sub-regions
Sonoran Desert sub-regions include:
* Colorado Desert
* Gran Desierto de Altar
* Lechuguilla Desert
* Tonopah Desert
* Yuha Desert The Yuha Desert is a section of the Sonoran Desert located in the Imperial Valley of California; south of Interstate 8, west of El Centro, and north of the international border.
Unique aspects of the Yuha Desert include the Oyster Shell Beds, De A ...
* Yuma Desert
Climate
The Sonoran desert has an arid subtropical climate. In the lower-elevation portions of the desert, temperatures are warm year-round, and rainfall is infrequent and irregular, often less than 90 mm (approx. 3.5”) annually. The Arizona uplands are also warm year-round, but they receive 100–300 mm (approx. 4-12”) of average annual rainfall, which falls in a more regular bi-seasonal pattern.[
]
Flora
Many plants not only survive, but thrive in the harsh conditions of the Sonoran Desert. Many have evolved to have specialized adaptations to the desert climate. The Sonoran Desert's bi-seasonal rainfall pattern results in more plant species than any other desert in the world.[ The Sonoran Desert includes plant genera and species from the agave family, palm family, ]cactus
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...
family, legume family, and numerous others.
The Sonoran is the only place in the world where the famous saguaro cactus (''Carnegiea gigantea'') grows in the wild. Cholla (''Cylindropuntia'' spp.), beavertail (''Opuntia basilaris''), hedgehog (''Echinocereus'' spp.), fishhook (''Ferocactus wislizeni''), prickly pear (''Opuntia'' spp.), nightblooming cereus (''Peniocereus'' spp.), and organ pipe (''Stenocereus thurberi'') are other taxa of cacti found here. Cactus provides food and homes to many desert mammals and birds, with showy flowers in reds, pinks, yellows, and whites, blooming most commonly from late March through June, depending on the species and seasonal temperatures.
Creosote bush
''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush and greasewood as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and ''gobernadora'' (Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. In S ...
(''Larrea tridentata'') and bur sage (''Ambrosia dumosa'') dominate valley floors. Indigo bush The common name indigo bush can refer to plants in any of several genera in the legume family, including:
*''Amorpha'', native to North America
*''Dalea''
*'' Psorothamnus''
See also
*False indigo False indigo is a common name for several plants ...
(''Psorothamnus fremontii'') and Mormon tea
''Ephedra'' is a genus of gymnosperm shrubs. The various species of ''Ephedra'' are widespread in many arid regions of the world, ranging across southwestern North America, southern Europe, northern Africa, southwest and central Asia, northe ...
are other shrubs that may be found. Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert include desert sand verbena (''Abronia villosa''), desert sunflower (''Geraea canescens''), and evening primroses.
Ascending from the valley up bajadas, various subtrees such as velvet mesquite (''Prosopis velutina''), palo verde (''Parkinsonia florida''), desert ironwood
''Olneya tesota'' is a perennial flowering tree of the family Fabaceae, legumes (peas, beans, etc.), which is commonly known as ironwood, desert ironwood, or palo fierro in Spanish. It is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Olneya''. This ...
(''Olneya tesota''), desert willow
''Chilopsis'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants containing the single species ''Chilopsis linearis''. It is known commonly as desert willow (''Chilopsis linearis'' ssp. ''arcuata''), and crucifixion thorn (''Canotia holacantha'') are common, as well as multi-stemmed ocotillo (''Fouquieria splendens''). Shrubs found at higher elevations include whitethorn acacia (''Acacia constricta''), fairy duster, and jojoba. In the desert subdivisions found on Baja California, cardon cactus, elephant tree, and boojum tree occur.
The California fan palm (''Washingtonia filifera'') is found in the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert, the only native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
palm in California, among many other introduced Arecaceae genera and species. It is found at spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...
-fed oases, such as in Anza Borrego Desert State Park
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (, '' AN-zə bə-RAY-goh'') is a California State Park located within the Colorado Desert of southern California, United States. The park takes its name from 18th century Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and ...
, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.
Fauna
The Sonoran Desert is home to a wide variety of animals, birds and other creatures. such as the Gila monster, bobcat, mule deer, antelope jackrabbit
The antelope jackrabbit (''Lepus alleni'') is a species of North American hare found in southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico that occupies dry desert areas.
Behaviour
It is most active during twilight (crepuscular) and during the night (noctu ...
, burrowing owl, greater roadrunner, western diamondback rattlesnake, and elf owl. There are three hundred fifty bird species, 20 amphibian species, over 100 reptile species, 30 native fish species, over 1000 native bee species, and more than 2,000 native plant species found in the desert area. The Sonoran Desert area southeast of Tucson and near the Mexican border is vital habitat for the only population of jaguars living within the United States. The Colorado River Delta
The Colorado River Delta is the region where the Colorado River flows into the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez) in eastern Mexicali Municipality in the north of the state of Baja California in northwesternmost Mexico. The ...
was once an ecological hotspot within the Sonoran desert due to the Colorado river in this otherwise dry area, but the delta has been greatly reduced in extent due to the damming and use of the river upstream. Species that have higher heat tolerance are able to thrive in the conditions of the Sonoran Desert. One such insect species that has evolved a means to thrive in this environment is Drosophila ''mettleri'', a Sonoran Desert fly. This fly contains a specialized P450 detoxification system that enables it to nest in the cool region of exudate moistened soil. Thus, the fly is one of few that can tolerate the high desert temperatures and successfully reproduce.
Human population
The Sonoran Desert is home to the cultures of over 17 contemporary Native American tribes, with settlements at American Indian reservations in California
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
and Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, as well as populations in Mexico.
The largest city in the Sonoran Desert is Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
, with a 2017 metropolitan population of about 4.7 million. Located on the Salt River in central Arizona, it is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States. In 2007 in the Phoenix area, desert was losing ground to urban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...
at a rate of approximately per hour.
The next largest cities are Tucson, in southern Arizona, with a metro area population of just over 1 million,[Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CBSA-EST2006-01)](_blank)
, United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, 2007-04-05. Accessed 2007-09-11 and Mexicali, Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
, with a similarly sized metropolitan population of around 1,000,000. The metropolitan area of Hermosillo, Sonora, has a population close to 900,000. Ciudad Obregón
Ciudad Obregón is a city in southern Sonora. It is the state's second largest city after Hermosillo and serves as the municipal seat of Cajeme, as of 2020, the city has a population of 436,484. Ciudad Obregón is south of the state's norther ...
, Sonora, in the southern part of the desert, has a population of 375,800.
California
The Coachella Valley, located in the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert, has a population of 365,000. Several famous Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
desert resort cities such as Palm Springs and Palm Desert are located here.
During the winter months, from November to April, the daytime temperatures in the Coachella Valley range from 70 °F (21 °C) to 90 °F (32 °C) and corresponding nighttime lows range from 46 °F (8 °C) to 68 °F (20 °C) making it a popular winter resort destination. Due to its warm year-round climate citrus
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...
and subtropical fruits such as mangoes, figs, and dates are grown in the Coachella Valley and adjacent Imperial Valley. The Imperial Valley has a total population of over 180,000 and has a similar climate to that of the Coachella Valley. Other cities include Borrego Springs, Indio Indio may refer to:
Places
* Indio, Bovey Tracey, an historic estate in Devon, England
* Indio, California, a city in Riverside County, California, United States
People with the name
* Indio (musician), Canadian musician Gordon Peterson
* Índi ...
, Coachella, Calexico
Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. It is about east of San Diego ...
, El Centro, Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texas
...
, and Blythe The name Blythe ( or ) derives from Old English ''bliþe'' ("joyous, kind, cheerful, pleasant"; modern ''blithe''), and further back from Proto-Germanic ''*blithiz'' ("gentle, kind").
People
*Blythe (given name), including a list of people named ...
.
United States–Mexico border region
Straddling the US-Mexican border with low levels of human-installed security, the Sonoran desert is a route for unauthorized entry across the border. The harsh conditions mean that the 3-to-5-day march, usually moving at night to minimize exposure to the heat, sometimes results in death.
Protected areas
There are many National Parks and Monuments; federal and state nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological o ...
s and wildlife refuges; state, county, and city parks; and government or nonprofit group operated natural history museums, science research institutes, and botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
s and desert landscape garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
s.
* Index: Protected areas of the Sonoran Desert
* Index: Protected areas of the Colorado Desert
;Sonoran Desert protected areas include:
* Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum
* Sonoran Desert National Monument [The Sonoran Desert National Monument was created in 2001 in Arizona, to enhance protection of the unique resources of the Sonoran Desert, with .]
:Reference
Sonoran Desert National Monument
, Bureau of Land Management, U. S. Department of the Interior. Accessed on line June 17, 2009.
* Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park
Boyce Thompson Arboretum is the oldest and largest botanical garden in the state of Arizona. It is one of the oldest botanical institutions west of the Mississippi River. Founded in 1924 as a desert plant research facility and “living museum ...
– ''Sonoran Desert flora arboretum''
* Anza–Borrego Desert State Park
* Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
* Saguaro National Park
* Joshua Tree National Park
* Reserva de la Biosfera el Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar – ''Pinacate National Park, in Sonora, Mexico''
* Indio Hills Palms State Reserve
* Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area in Riverside County, California's Coachella Valley. It lies within the unincorporated community of Thousand Palms, just north of Palm Desert. The refuge contains the majority of cri ...
* Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge
* Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
* South Mountain Park
* Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute
See also
* Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert ( es, Desierto de Chihuahua, ) is a desert ecoregion designation covering parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It occupies much of far West Texas, the middle to lower Rio Grande Valley and the lo ...
* Dust storm
A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transp ...
* List of deserts by area
* List of ecoregions in the United States (EPA) (the Sonoran Basin and Range is item 81 on the map)
* List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF)
The following is a list of ecoregions in the United States as identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The United States is a megadiverse country with a high level of endemism across a wide variety of ecosystems.
Terrestrial ecoregi ...
* Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...
* Spanish missions in the Sonoran Desert
* :Mountain ranges of the Sonoran Desert
References
External links
Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum
*
Map of the Sonoran Desert Ecoregion
*
Sonoran Desert and its subdivisions
– ''with photos''.
* ttp://arizonensis.org/sonoran/ The Sonoran Desert Naturalist
Very short overview of Sonoran Desert Geology
International Sonoran Desert Alliance
Sounds of the Sonoran Desert
Parks and recreation areas
Saguaro National Park: official website
Anza–Borrego Desert State: official website
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument: official website
Arizona State Parks: official website (desert plants)
{{Authority control
Basin and Range Province
Deserts and xeric shrublands in the United States
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts of Arizona
Deserts of California
Deserts of Mexico
Deserts of North America
Deserts of the Lower Colorado River Valley
Ecoregions of Mexico
Ecoregions of the United States
Floristic provinces
Geography of Southern California
Geologic provinces of California
Gulf of California
Madrean Region
Physiographic sections
Physiographic regions of Mexico
Physiographic regions of the United States
Desert, Sonoran
Nearctic ecoregions