| Sechura Desert | |
|---|---|
 Landscape of the Sechura Desert | |
 Map of the region | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Neotropical |
| Biome | deserts and xeric shrublands |
| Borders | |
| Mammal species | Sechuran fox |
| Geography | |
| Area | 5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi) |
| Country | Peru |
| Coordinates | 5°45′S80°30′W / 5.750°S 80.500°W /-5.750; -80.500 |
TheSechura Desert is a coastaldesert located south of thePiura Region ofPeru along thePacific coast and inland to the foothills of theAndes Mountains. Its extreme aridity is caused by the upwelling of cold coastal waters andsubtropical atmosphericsubsidence, but it is also subject to occasional flooding duringEl Niño years. In 1728, the town ofSechura was destroyed by atsunami and was later rebuilt in its present location. In 1998,runoff from flooding rivers caused the formation of a temporary lake some 145 km (90 mi) long filling the Bayóvar Depression. Short rivers flowing across the desert from the Andes support intensiveirrigation-based agriculture.
Within Peru, the desert is described as the strip along the northernPacific coast of Peru in the southernPiura and westernLambayeque regions, and extending from the coast 20–100 km (12–62 mi) inland to the secondary ridges of theAndes Mountains. At its northern end near the city ofPiura, the Sechura Desert transitions to theTumbes–Piura dry forests ecoregion. Including much of eastern Lambayeque Region, this habitat is composed ofequatorial dry forests. The total area of the Sechura Desert is 5,000 km2 (1,931 sq mi).
While a desert, the Sechura has been subject to flooding from rivers and to storms driven in from the Pacific Ocean. In 1728, atsunami generated from an earthquake swept inland, destroying the town ofSechura, then located closer to the water. Survivors moved inland and re-established the town in its current location.
DuringEl Niño years, flooding in the desert regularly occurs. In 1998, the runoff from the flooding rivers poured into the coastal Sechura Desert. Where there had been nothing but arid, hardscrabble waste for 15 years, suddenly, the second-largest lake in Peru had developed: 90 mi (145 km) long, 20 mi (32 km) wide, and 10 ft (3.0 m) deep, with occasional parched domes of sand and clay poking up from the surface.[1]
The Peruvian Desert has a low range of temperature changes due to the moderating effect of the nearby Pacific Ocean. Because of the upwelling of cold coastal waters and subtropical atmospheric subsidence, the desert is one of the most arid on Earth.[2]
Summer (December through March) is warm and sunny with temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F) during the day, and temperatures that average over 24 °C (75 °F) at night. In the winter (June through September) the weather is cool and cloudy with temperatures that vary from 16 °C (61 °F) at night to 30 °C (86 °F) during the day.
The Bayóvar Depression, which is the lowest point in Peru and all of theSouthern Tropics, is located in this desert.
The numerous short rivers that cross the Sechura supportedprehistoricindigenous human settlements for millennia. A number of urban cultures flourished here, including theMoche. The Moche survived on a diet of fish,guinea pigs,camelids,squash, and peanuts. TheSican Culture (circa 800–1300CE) succeeded the Moche, and developed refined techniques oflost wax goldsmithing.
Today, the rivers support intensiveirrigated agriculture on the fertilebottomlands. Two of Peru's five largest cities, includingPiura andChiclayo, lie within the agricultural region in the north.
