The Kopet Dag semi-desert

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

(WWF ID: PA1319) is a small ecoregion that crosses the border of southwestern

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

into northeastern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. It covers a transition zone between the deserts to the north and west, and the foothill steppes and woodlands in the higher Kopet Dag mountains to the east and the Alborz Mountains to the south. The terrain is mostly barren semi-desert and widespread 'takir', a type of seasonal salt flat or dried clay deposit in an interdune depression.

Location and description

The region is mostly at a low altitude along the base of the mountains, particularly in a wide strip of cultivated land that reaches east to the capital city of Ashgabat. The Caspian lowland desert ecoregion occupies a 20 km wide strip of land between the Kopet Dag semi-desert and the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

. To the north is another desert, the Central Asian southern desert. To the south are the Kopet Dag woodlands and forest steppe ecoregion, and the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests ecoregion. The ecoregion is about from west to east, and from north to south.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is '' Cold semi-arid climate'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

(BSk)). This climate is characteristic of steppe climates intermediary between desert humid climates, and typically have precipitation is above

evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration (ET) refers to the combined processes which move water from the Earth's surface (open water and ice surfaces, bare soil and vegetation) into the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of w ...

. At least one month averages below . Precipitation may reach 200 mm/year.

Flora and fauna

Much of the region is devoid of vegetation. But there is significant cultivation in the strip on the northern edge of the Kopet Dag. There is also herbaceous ground cover and cultivation in the southern of the region, particularly in Iran.

Protections

There are few protected areas in the ecoregion. A small portion of Golestan National Park in Iran crosses into the Kopet Dag semi-desert.

References

{{Palearctic desert and xeric shrubland ecoregions Ecoregions of Iran Ecoregions of Turkmenistan Deserts and xeric shrublands Palearctic ecoregions