Explain why the Great Basin area of the western United States is dry. What term is applied to this type of desert?
What will be an ideal response?
The Great Basin is effectively cut off from the Pacific Ocean and its moisture by the Sierra Nevada Mountains. These mountains are a barrier that causes orographic lifting of moist air from the Pacific, and the lifting results in cloud formation and precipitation in the mountains. Once the air reaches the Great Basin, it is completely dry, making the Great Basin a feature known as a rainshadow desert.
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What will be an ideal response?