| Great Sandy Desert | |
|---|---|
 A satellite image of the dunes in the Great Sandy Desert | |
 TheIBRA bioregions, with the Great Sandy Desert in red | |
| Area | 284,993 km2 (110,036 mi2) |
| Geography | |
| Country | Australia |
| State/Territory | |
| Coordinates | 20°S125°E / 20°S 125°E /-20; 125 |
TheGreat Sandy Desert is aninterim Australian bioregion,[1][2] located in the northeast ofWestern Australia straddling thePilbara and southernKimberley regions and extending east into theNorthern Territory. It is the second largest desert in Australia after theGreat Victoria Desert and encompasses an area of 284,993 km2 (110,036 sq mi).[3][4] TheGibson Desert lies to the south and theTanami Desert lies to the east of the Great Sandy Desert.
The Great Sandy Desert contains largeergs, often consisting of longitudinaldunes.[citation needed]
In the north-east of the desert there is ameteorite impact crater, theWolfe Creek crater.[5]
"Fairy circles", which are circular patches of land barren of plants, varying between 2 and 12 m (7 and 39 ft) in diameter and often encircled by a ring of stimulated growth of grass, are found in the western part of the desert, in the Pilbara region. It has not yet been proven what causes these formations, but one theory suggests that they have been built and inhabited byAustralian harvester termites since thePleistocene.[6][7]
The region is sparsely populated. The main populations consist ofAboriginal Australian communities and mining centres. The Aboriginal people of the desert fall into two main groups, theMartu in the west and thePintupi in the east. Linguistically, they are speakers of multipleWestern Desert languages. Many of these Indigenous people were forcibly removed from their lands during the late 18th, 19th, and the early 20th centuries, to be relocated to other settlements, such asPapunya in the Northern Territory. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, some of the original inhabitants returned. Young adults, from the Great Sandy Desert region, travel to and work in the Wilurarra Creative programs to maintain and develop their culture, and a greater sense of community.[8]
Rainfall is low throughout the coast and, especially further north, is strongly seasonal. Areas near the Kimberley have an average rainfall that exceeds 300 mm (12 in), but can be patchy. Many dry years end with a monsoon cloud mass or atropical cyclone. Like many of Australia's deserts, precipitation is high bydesert standards, but with the driest regions recording total rainfall a little below 250 mm (9.8 in). The heat of Australia’s ground surface, in turn, creates a massive evaporation cycle, which partially explains the higher-than-normal desert rainfall. This region is one which gives rise to the heat lows, which help drive the NW monsoon. Almost all the rain regionally comes from monsoon thunderstorms, or the occasional tropical cyclone rain depression.[9]
Annually, for most of the area, there are about 20–30 days where thunderstorms form. However, in the north and bordering the Kimberley, 30-40 per year is the average.[10]
Summer daytime temperatures are some of the highest in Australia.[11] Regions further south average 38 to 42 °C (100 to 108 °F), except when monsoonal cloud cover is active. Several people have died in this region during seasonal flooding, after their vehicles were stuck or broken down on remote dirt roads. Conversely, a few travellers have had their vehicles malfunction during the hottest times of the year, with dehydration, sun exposure and heatstroke being the predominant causes of death.[12] Winters are short and warm; temperatures range from 25 to 30 °C (77 to 86 °F).
Frost does not occur in most of the area. The regions bordering the Gibson Desert in the far southeast may record a light frost or two every year.[13] Away from the coast winter nights can still be chilly in comparison to the warm days.
| Climate data for Telfer, Western Australia (temperatures, extremes and rain data 1974 - 2013) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 48.1 (118.6) | 47.1 (116.8) | 45.1 (113.2) | 41.2 (106.2) | 38.0 (100.4) | 33.9 (93.0) | 33.4 (92.1) | 36.0 (96.8) | 41.3 (106.3) | 44.1 (111.4) | 46.0 (114.8) | 47.5 (117.5) | 48.1 (118.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 40.6 (105.1) | 38.6 (101.5) | 37.3 (99.1) | 34.5 (94.1) | 29.1 (84.4) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.3 (77.5) | 28.4 (83.1) | 32.7 (90.9) | 37.0 (98.6) | 39.4 (102.9) | 40.2 (104.4) | 34.0 (93.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.4 (77.7) | 23.9 (75.0) | 20.6 (69.1) | 15.3 (59.5) | 11.9 (53.4) | 10.6 (51.1) | 12.5 (54.5) | 16.5 (61.7) | 20.8 (69.4) | 23.4 (74.1) | 25.4 (77.7) | 19.4 (66.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) | 17.7 (63.9) | 14.4 (57.9) | 11.5 (52.7) | 5.6 (42.1) | 2.1 (35.8) | 3.0 (37.4) | 2.5 (36.5) | 6.2 (43.2) | 10.5 (50.9) | 13.0 (55.4) | 16.5 (61.7) | 2.1 (35.8) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 49.1 (1.93) | 102.7 (4.04) | 77.3 (3.04) | 20.0 (0.79) | 18.5 (0.73) | 12.1 (0.48) | 13.2 (0.52) | 5.4 (0.21) | 2.5 (0.10) | 2.9 (0.11) | 16.5 (0.65) | 46.9 (1.85) | 370.4 (14.58) |
| Average precipitation days | 7.5 | 8.7 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 5.3 | 42.6 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology[14] | |||||||||||||
Indigenous art is a huge industry in central Australia. Mines, most importantly theTelfer gold mine andNifty copper mine, and cattle stations are found in the far west. Telfer is one of the largest gold mines in Australia. The undevelopedKintyre uranium deposit lies south of Telfer.
The vegetation of the Great Sandy Desert is dominated byspinifex.[15]
Animals in the region includeferal camels anddingoes. Other mammalian inhabitants includebilbies,mulgara,marsupial moles,rufous hare-wallabies, andred kangaroos.
Varied types of lizards occur here, such asgoannas (including the largeperentie),thorny devils, andbearded dragons.
Some of the bird-life found within the desert include the rareAlexandra's parrot, themulga parrot and thescarlet-chested parrot.[16]
Media related toGreat Sandy Desert at Wikimedia Commons
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