Great Solrath Desert
The name "Solrath" roughly translates to "wrath of the sun".
Geography
It is comprised of xeric shrubland surrounded by semiarid desert, with spots of arid desert in the central region, and ecological breaks separating the entire desert from its surroundings.The terrain is mostly rocky hamada, with ergs forming only a minor part, though these dunes are often 590-820 ft in height. The desert's features, shaped by the wind and rare rainfall, also include smaller dune systems, red dunes, quicksand, limestone plateaus, desert pavement, wadis, and salt flats. It also includes several deeply dissected mountains, many of which are volcanic.
The central Great Solrath is hyperarid with sparse vegetation, often receiving no rainfall for several years, while the northern and southern areas, as well as the highlands, have areas of sparse grassland and desert shrubs. Wadis, which collect moisture, have trees and taller shrubs.
Climate
The stable atmosphere of the Great Solrath desert prevents convective overturning and the formation of clouds. This absence of clouds allows unhindered light and thermal radiation, with the weather tending to be sunny, dry, and stable, with minimal chance for rainfall.Overall, the harsh climate of the Great Solrath desert is characterized by: extremely low, unreliable, highly erratic rainfall; extremely high sunshine duration values; high temperatures year-round; negligible rates of relative humidity; a significant diurnal temperature variation; and extremely high levels of potential evaporation.
Temperature
The absence of clouds contributes to a high sunshine duration throughout the desert. Most of the desert has bright sunshine for over 80% of daylight hours per year, while other areas exceed 90% or even 98%. In the transitional zones to the north and south, this number of hours is lower, around 75%.The high position of the sun, the extremely low relative humidity, and the lack of vegetation and rainfall make the Great Solrath desert the hottest large region in the world, with some parts reaching the hottest temperatures in the world during the summer months and the annual average daily temperature exceeds what most would consider warm throughout the desert. During the hottest 3-5 months of the year, the average high temperature, except at very high altitudes, causes humanoids and other unadapted creatures to require at least twice the amount of water consumption per day to avoid dehydration and risk heatstroke and fatigue after an hour. In the central-southern region, the temperature may remain hazardous for 6-7 months of the year, while in summer hotspots, the soaring high temperatures may force these creatures to triple their water consumption and risk heatstroke and fatigue after merely 10 minutes of exposure. Sand and ground temperatures during the day are also extremely high, easily reaching temperatures at which walking barefoot will lead to blisters or severe burns after only a minute.
Due to the lack of cloud cover and low humidity, the desert usually has high diurnal temperature variations between day and night, with nighttime temperatures being significantly cooler and falling outside the hazardous zone. These variations are greatest towards the center of the desert and, occasionally during winter nights in December or January, may cause the temperature to approach or drop just below the freezing point, especially in areas with high elevation.
Precipitation
Overall, about 30% of the desert receives less than 0.4 in of rain annually, while 15% receives 0.2 in or less, and another 15% receives less than 0.02 in per year, with the central Great Solrath receiving the least amount of rainfall. The other 40%, located along the north and south of the desert, receives around 4 in annually.Flora and Fauna
The flora of the Great Solrath desert can be divided into 3 zones based on rainfall amount - northern, central, and southern - with northern and southern transition zones. The number of plant species is extremely limited for the vast size of the region but includes acacia trees, date palms, succulents, spiny shrubs, fire bushes, and grasses which have adapted to the arid conditions.Where fauna is concerned, the desert is inhabited by addax and gazelle which have adapted to require little water, as well as by several species of fox. The desert is also home to cheetah, oryx, ibex, sand cats, hyena, wolves, caracals, jackals, desert hares, honey badgers, monitor lizards, spiny-tailed lizards, deathstalker scorpions, hyraxes, sand vipers, silver ants, and wild dogs. Birds, such as the red-necked ostrich, silverbill, and black-faced firefinch, can also be found. Among domesticated animals, dromedary camels and goats are the most common.
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