Sonoran Desert

{{Infobox ecoregion

|name = Sonoran Desert

|image = Saguaro National Park - Flickr - Joe Parks.jpg

|image_size =

|image_alt =

|caption = Saguaro National Park in Arizona

|map = Sonoran Desert map.svg

|map_size = 200px

|map_alt =

|map_caption = Sonoran desert

|biogeographic_realm = Nearctic

|biome = Deserts and xeric shrublands

|animals =

|bird_species = 246{{Cite web|title=The Atlas of Global Conservation|url=http://maps.tnc.org/globalmaps.html|access-date=2020-11-16|website=maps.tnc.org}}

|mammal_species = 120

|border1 = Arizona Mountains forests

|border2 = Baja California desert

|border3 = California coastal sage and chaparral

|border4 = California montane chaparral and woodlands

|border5 = Chihuahuan Desert

|border6 = Colorado Plateau shrublands

|border7 = Gulf of California xeric scrub

|border8 = Mojave Desert

|border9 = Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine-oak forests

|border10 = Sonoran-Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forests

|area = 222998

|country1 = Mexico

|country2 = United States

|state1 = Arizona

|state2 = California

|state3 = Baja California

|state4 = Baja California Sur

|state5 = Sonora

|region_type =

|elevation =

|coordinates = {{Coord|32|15|N|112|55|W|region:MX_type:landmark_scale:2500000|display=it|format=dms}}

|geology =

|seas =

|rivers = Colorado River

|climate = Hot desert (BWh)

|soil =

|conservation = Relatively Stable/Intact{{WWF ecoregion|name=Sonoran desert|id=na1310|access-date=2020-11-16}}

|global200 =

|habitat_loss = 10.5

|habitat_loss_ref =

|protected = 39

|protected_ref =

|embedded =

}}

The Sonoran Desert ({{langx|es|Desierto de Sonora}}) is a hot desert and ecoregion in North America that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the Southwestern United States (in Arizona and California). It is the hottest desert in Mexico.{{cite web | date=21 May 2021 | title=The hottest surface temperatures on earth | language=en | url=https://www.sciencealert.com/death-valley-is-famous-for-it-s-heat-but-there-are-two-deserts-even-hotter | access-date=12 March 2023 | publisher=American Meteorological Society}} It has an area of {{convert|260000|km2|sqmi|sp=us}}.

In phytogeography, the Sonoran Desert is within the Sonoran floristic province of the Madrean region of southwestern North America, part of the Holarctic realm of the northern Western Hemisphere. The desert contains a variety of unique endemic plants and animals, notably, the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) and organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi).

The Sonoran Desert is clearly distinct from nearby deserts (e.g., the Great Basin, Mojave, and Chihuahuan deserts) because it provides subtropical warmth in winter and two seasons of rainfall (in contrast, for example, to the Mojave's dry summers and cold winters). This creates an extreme contrast between aridity and moisture.{{cite AV media |date=15 November 2020 |title=A Delicate Balance |language=en |url=https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=72F70677-E9E4-4858-B6B7-E4D1030487D7 |access-date=6 December 2020 |publisher=National Park Service}}

Location

The Sonoran desert wraps around the northern end of the Gulf of California, from Baja California Sur (El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve in central and Pacific west coast, Central Gulf Coast subregion on east to southern tip), north through much of Baja California, excluding the central northwest mountains and Pacific west coast, through southeastern California and southwestern and southern Arizona to western and central parts of Sonora.{{cite web|url=http://www.desertmuseum.org/|title=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ – Zoo, Botanical Garden and Art Gallery|website=www.desertmuseum.org|access-date=15 April 2018}}

It is bounded on the west by the Peninsular Ranges, which separate it from the California chaparral and woodlands (northwest) and Baja California desert (Vizcaíno subregion, central and southeast) ecoregions of the Pacific slope. The Gulf of California xeric scrub ecoregion lies south of the Sonoran desert on the Gulf of California slope of the Baja California Peninsula.

To the north in California and northwest Arizona, the Sonoran Desert transitions to the colder-winter, higher-elevation Mojave, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau deserts.

The coniferous Arizona Mountains forests are to the northeast. The Chihuahuan Desert and Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests are at higher elevations to the east. To the south the Sonoran–Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest is the transition zone from the Sonoran Desert to the tropical dry forests of the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

=Sub-regions=

The desert's sub-regions include the Colorado Desert of southeastern California; and the Yuma Desert east of the north-to-south section of the Colorado River in southwest Arizona. In the 1957 publication Vegetation of the Sonoran Desert, Forrest Shreve divided the Sonoran Desert into seven regions according to characteristic vegetation: Lower Colorado Valley, Arizona Upland, Plains of Sonora, Foothills of Sonora, Central Gulf Coast, Vizcaíno Region, and Magdalena Region.{{cite web|url=http://alic.arid.arizona.edu/sonoran/documents/mcginnies/McGinnies_overview.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030121161839/http://alic.arid.arizona.edu/sonoran/documents/mcginnies/McGinnies_overview.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 January 2003|title=Sonoran Desert: An Overview of the Sonoran Desert by William G. McGinnies|date=21 January 2003|access-date=15 April 2018}} Many ecologists consider Shreve's Vizcaíno and Magdalena regions, which lie on the western side of the Baja California Peninsula, to be a separate ecoregion, the Baja California desert.

Within the southern Sonoran Desert in Mexico is found the Gran Desierto de Altar, with the El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, encompassing {{convert|2000|km2}} of desert and mountainous regions.{{Cite web |url=http://www.bajaquest.com/penasco/pinacate.htm |title=Pinacate Rocky Point Puerto Peñasco Sonora Mexico |access-date=2010-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202042819/http://www.bajaquest.com/penasco/pinacate.htm |archive-date=2011-02-02 |url-status=dead }} The biosphere reserve includes the only active erg dune region in North America. The nearest city to the biosphere reserve is Puerto Peñasco ('Rocky Point') in the state of Sonora.

;Sub-regions

Sonoran Desert sub-regions include:

Climate

The Sonoran desert has an arid subtropical climate and is considered to be the most tropical desert in North America.{{Cite book |last1=Fleming |first1=Theodore H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G9dOEAAAQBAJ&dq=Desert+history+Sonoran+desert&pg=PA3 |title=Columnar Cacti and Their Mutualists: Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation |last2=Valiente-Banuet |first2=Alfonso |date=2021-11-30 |publisher=University of Arizona Press |isbn=978-0-8165-4742-5 |language=en}} In the lower-elevation portions of the desert, temperatures are warm year-round, and rainfall is infrequent and irregular, often less than 90 mm (approx. 3.5") annually. The Arizona uplands are also warm year-round, but they receive 100–300 mm (approx. 4–12") of average annual rainfall, which falls in a more regular bi-seasonal pattern.

According to the Köppen climate classification system, the majority of the Sonoran Desert has a hot desert climate (BWh). Hot semi-arid climate (BSh) exists on some of the higher elevation mountains within the desert, as well as in a continuous swath on the eastern and northeastern fringes as elevations gradually rise toward the Madrean Sky Islands in the east and the Mogollon Rim in the northeast. There are also a few small areas of cold semi-arid climate (BSk) and even hot-summer Mediterranean climate ("Csa") on only the highest mountain peaks within the region.

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| single line = Y

| location = 7 WNW Sundad, AZ, Elevation {{convert|945|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2022

| Jan record high F = 82.1

| Feb record high F = 90.7

| Mar record high F = 98.8

| Apr record high F = 103.6

| May record high F = 111.5

| Jun record high F = 117.6

| Jul record high F = 120.6

| Aug record high F = 116.2

| Sep record high F = 114.1

| Oct record high F = 105.4

| Nov record high F = 96.6

| Dec record high F = 83.7

| year record high F = 120.6

| Jan high F = 68.0

| Feb high F = 71.4

| Mar high F = 78.4

| Apr high F = 85.7

| May high F = 94.0

| Jun high F = 103.2

| Jul high F = 106.5

| Aug high F = 105.4

| Sep high F = 100.4

| Oct high F = 89.8

| Nov high F = 77.0

| Dec high F = 66.6

| year high F = 87.3

| Jan low F = 39.0

| Feb low F = 42.0

| Mar low F = 47.3

| Apr low F = 52.6

| May low F = 60.5

| Jun low F = 69.2

| Jul low F = 77.8

| Aug low F = 78.0

| Sep low F = 70.5

| Oct low F = 57.4

| Nov low F = 45.3

| Dec low F = 37.8

| year low F = 56.5

| Jan record low F = 18.1

| Feb record low F = 24.3

| Mar record low F = 29.0

| Apr record low F = 38.1

| May record low F = 44.3

| Jun record low F = 52.8

| Jul record low F = 62.4

| Aug record low F = 64.5

| Sep record low F = 51.2

| Oct record low F = 36.5

| Nov record low F = 25.8

| Dec record low F = 19.9

| year record low F = 18.1

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 0.74

| Feb precipitation inch = 0.71

| Mar precipitation inch = 0.55

| Apr precipitation inch = 0.13

| May precipitation inch = 0.08

| Jun precipitation inch = 0.03

| Jul precipitation inch = 0.68

| Aug precipitation inch = 0.78

| Sep precipitation inch = 0.52

| Oct precipitation inch = 0.39

| Nov precipitation inch = 0.43

| Dec precipitation inch = 0.62

| year precipitation inch = 5.64

|humidity colour = green

| Jan humidity = 40.6

| Feb humidity = 37.7

| Mar humidity = 31.9

| Apr humidity = 23.1

| May humidity = 20.4

| Jun humidity = 17.5

| Jul humidity = 27.4

| Aug humidity = 32.0

| Sep humidity = 30.6

| Oct humidity = 28.1

| Nov humidity = 32.1

| Dec humidity = 40.5

| year humidity = 30.1

| Jan snow inch = 0.0

| Feb snow inch = 0.0

| Mar snow inch = 0.0

| Apr snow inch = 0.0

| May snow inch = 0.0

| Jun snow inch = 0.0

| Jul snow inch = 0.0

| Aug snow inch = 0.0

| Sep snow inch = 0.0

| Oct snow inch = 0.0

| Nov snow inch = 0.0

| Dec snow inch = 0.0

| year snow inch = 0.0

| Jan dew point F = 30.1

| Feb dew point F = 31.2

| Mar dew point F = 32.4

| Apr dew point F = 29.8

| May dew point F = 33.5

| Jun dew point F = 37.0

| Jul dew point F = 53.8

| Aug dew point F = 57.7

| Sep dew point F = 51.0

| Oct dew point F = 38.6

| Nov dew point F = 31.2

| Dec dew point F = 28.9

| year dew point F = 38.0

| source = PRISM{{cite web |url=http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/|title=PRISM|access-date=August 15, 2023}}}}

Flora

{{see also|List of flora of the Sonoran Desert Region by common name}}

File:Sonoradesert 1.JPG during winter.]]

Many plants not only survive, but thrive in the harsh conditions of the Sonoran Desert. Many have evolved specialized adaptations to the desert climate. The Sonoran Desert's bi-seasonal rainfall pattern results in more plant species than any other desert in the world. The Sonoran Desert includes plant genera and species from the agave family, palm family, cactus family, legume family, and numerous others. Many of these adaptations occur in food crops. Mission Garden is a living agricultural museum that showcases foods that have been grown in the Sonoran Desert for over 4000 years.

The Sonoran is the only place in the world where the famous saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) grows in the wild.{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/Saguaro-Brochure.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231230447/http://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/Saguaro-Brochure.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 31, 2015|title=The Saguaro Cactus|website=nps.gov|access-date=15 April 2018}} Cholla (Cylindropuntia spp.), beavertail (Opuntia basilaris), hedgehog (Echinocereus spp.), fishhook (Ferocactus wislizeni), prickly pear (Opuntia spp.), nightblooming cereus (Peniocereus spp.), and organ pipe (Stenocereus thurberi) are other taxa of cacti found here. Cacti provide food and homes to many desert mammals and birds, with showy flowers in reds, pinks, yellows, and whites, blooming most commonly from late March through June, depending on the species and seasonal temperatures.

Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) and bur sage (Ambrosia dumosa) dominate valley floors. Indigo bush (Psorothamnus fremontii) and Mormon tea are other shrubs that may be found. Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert include desert sand verbena (Abronia villosa), desert sunflower (Geraea canescens), and evening primroses.

File:Prosopis velutina Anza-Borrego.jpg (Prosopis velutina)]]

Ascending from the valley up bajadas, various subtrees such as velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina), palo verde (Parkinsonia florida), desert ironwood (Olneya tesota), desert willow (Chilopsis linearis ssp. arcuata), and crucifixion thorn (Canotia holacantha) are common, as well as multi-stemmed ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens). Shrubs found at higher elevations include whitethorn acacia (Acacia constricta), fairy duster, and jojoba. In the desert subdivisions found on Baja California, cardon cactus, elephant tree, and boojum tree occur.MacMahon, J. A. Deserts. 1986, 638 pages

File:Washingtonia filifera Anza-Borrego.jpg in Anza Borrego Desert State Park]]

The California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) is found in the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert, the only native palm in California, among many other introduced Arecaceae genera and species. It is found at spring-fed oases, such as in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.Hogan, C. M. 2009. [http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=90942 California Fan Palm: Washingtonia filifera, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930184850/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=90942 |date=2009-09-30 }}

Fauna

The Sonoran Desert is home to a wide variety of fauna that have adapted and thrive in the hot, arid desert environment, such as the Gila monster, bobcat, mule deer, antelope, jackrabbit, burrowing owl, greater roadrunner, western diamondback rattlesnake, and elf owl. There are 350 bird species, 20 amphibian species, over 100 reptile species, 30 native fish species, and over 1000 native bee species found in the Sonoran.[http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2005/1/survivingsonoran.cfm Surviving the Sonoran] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430061202/http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2005/1/survivingsonoran.cfm |date=2010-04-30 }} The Sonoran Desert area southeast of Tucson and near the Mexican border is vital habitat for the only population of jaguars living within the United States.[http://www.envsci.nau.edu/scbs/students/2004_newell/Jaguar%20web%20site/conservation.html The Jaguar in the Borderlands of Arizona, New Mexico and Northern Mexico: Conservation – Threats & Strategies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090330143949/http://www.envsci.nau.edu/scbs/students/2004_newell/Jaguar%20web%20site/conservation.html |date=2009-03-30 }} The Colorado River Delta was once an ecological hotspot within the Sonoran desert due to the Colorado river in this otherwise dry area, but the delta has been greatly reduced in extent due to damming and use of the river upstream. Species that have higher heat tolerance are able to thrive in the conditions of the Sonoran Desert. One such insect species that has evolved a means to thrive in this environment is Drosophila mettleri, a Sonoran Desert fly. This fly contains a specialized P450 detoxification system that enables it to nest in the cool region of exudate moistened soil. Thus, the fly is one of few that can tolerate the high desert temperatures and successfully reproduce.

{{Gallery

|mode=packed

|width=150

|align=center

|File:Crotalus cerastes - 2022.jpg

|Crotalus cerastes in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico

|File:Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus - 2020.jpg

|Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus in Phoenix, United States

|File:Haemorhous mexicanus - 2022.jpg

|Haemorhous mexicanus in Maricopa County, United States

|File:Callisaurus draconoides ssp. draconoides - 2020.jpg

|Callisaurus draconoides in Los Cabos, Mexico

|File:Vanessa cardui - 2020.jpg

|Vanessa cardui in Riverside County, United States

|File:Bombus sonorus - 2019.png

|Bombus sonorus in Phoenix, United States

}}

Human population

{{main|:Category:History of Indigenous peoples of North America}}

The Sonoran Desert is home to the cultures of over 17 contemporary Native American tribes, with settlements at American Indian reservations in California and Arizona, as well as populations in Mexico.

The largest city in the Sonoran Desert is Phoenix, Arizona, with a 2017 metropolitan population of about 4.7 million.{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |title=U.S. Census website |access-date=2019-01-31 }} Located on the Salt River in central Arizona, it is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States. In 2007 in the Phoenix area, desert was losing ground to urban sprawl at a rate of approximately {{convert|4000|m2|acre|0|sp=us}} per hour.[http://researchmag.asu.edu/stories/ewan.html Make No Small Plans], Adelheid Fischer, ASU Research magazine. Accessed on line October 15, 2007

The next largest cities are Tucson, in southern Arizona, with a metro area population of just over 1 million,[https://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/CBSA-EST2006-01.csv Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CBSA-EST2006-01)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914155415/http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/CBSA-EST2006-01.csv |date=September 14, 2007 }}, United States Census Bureau, 2007-04-05. Accessed 2007-09-11 and Mexicali, Baja California, with a similarly sized metropolitan population of around 1,000,000. The metropolitan area of Hermosillo, Sonora, has a population close to 900,000. Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, in the southern part of the desert, has a population of 375,800.{{Cite web|date=2015|title=Población en municipios de zonas metropolitanas|url=http://dgeiawf.semarnat.gob.mx:8080/ibi_apps/WFServlet?IBIF_ex=D1_SISCDS01_06&IBIC_user=dgeia_mce&IBIC_pass=dgeia_mce&NOMBREENTIDAD=*&NOMBREANIO=*|website=SEMARNAT}}

=California=

The Coachella Valley, located in the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert, has a population of 365,000. Several famous Southern California desert resort cities such as Palm Springs and Palm Desert are located here.

File:Gateway to the Springs.jpg via Highway 62]]

During the winter months, from November to April, the daytime temperatures in the Coachella Valley range from 70 °F (21 °C) to 90 °F (32 °C) and corresponding nighttime lows range from 46 °F (8 °C) to 68 °F (20 °C) making it a popular winter resort destination. Due to its warm year-round climate citrus and subtropical fruits such as mangoes, figs, and dates are grown in the Coachella Valley and adjacent Imperial Valley. The Imperial Valley has a total population of over 180,000 and has a similar climate to that of the Coachella Valley. Other cities include Borrego Springs, Indio, Coachella, Calexico, El Centro, Imperial, and Blythe.

=United States–Mexico border region=

Straddling the Mexico–United States border, the Sonoran desert is an important migration corridor for humans and animals. The harsh climate conditions and border militarism mean that the journey can be perilous, usually moving at night to minimize exposure to the heat.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21029783 Arizona: Naming the dead from the desert], BBC News, 17 January 2013

Protected areas

File:Sondes.jpg in the Sonoran Desert National Monument]]

There are many National Parks and Monuments; federal and state nature reserves and wildlife refuges; state, county, and city parks; and government or nonprofit group operated natural history museums, science research institutes, and botanical gardens and desert landscape gardens.

;Sonoran Desert protected areas include:

Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum
Sonoran Desert National Monument The Sonoran Desert National Monument was created in 2001 in Arizona, to enhance protection of the unique resources of the Sonoran Desert, with {{convert|2008|km2|acre|sp=us}}.
:Reference: [http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/natmon/son_des.html Sonoran Desert National Monument] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126014634/http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/natmon/son_des.html |date=2009-01-26 }}, Bureau of Land Management, U. S. Department of the Interior. Accessed on line June 17, 2009.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park – Sonoran Desert flora arboretum
Anza–Borrego Desert State Park
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Saguaro National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Reserva de la Biosfera el Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar – Pinacate National Park, in Sonora, Mexico
Indio Hills Palms State Reserve
Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
South Mountain Park
Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute
Skyline Regional Park

References

External links

[http://www.desertmuseum.org/ Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum]
[https://www.desertmuseum.org/images/csds/sonoran_map-lg.jpg Map of the Sonoran Desert Ecoregion]
[http://www.desertmuseum.org/desert/sonora.php Sonoran Desert and its subdivisions] – with photos.
[http://www.oneworldjourneys.com/sonoran/hist_timeline.html Timeline of the Sonoran desert]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20030121161839/http://alic.arid.arizona.edu/sonoran/documents/mcginnies/McGinnies_overview.html An Overview of the Sonoran Desert, by William G. McGinnies]
[http://arizonensis.org/sonoran/ The Sonoran Desert Naturalist]
[http://dana.ucc.nau.edu/~are-p/road_map/eco/geology.html#sonoran Very short overview of Sonoran Desert Geology]
[http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoregions/51310frame.htm Sonoran Desert images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu] ([http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoregions/51310.htm slow modem version])
[http://www.isdanet.org International Sonoran Desert Alliance]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110613193141/http://content.lib.utah.edu/u/?%2Fwss%2C2460 Sounds of the Sonoran Desert])

=Parks and recreation areas=

[https://web.archive.org/web/20090126014634/http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/natmon/son_des.html Sonoran Desert National Monument: official website]
[https://www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm Saguaro National Park: official website]
[http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638 Anza–Borrego Desert State: official website]
[https://www.nps.gov/orpi/index.htm Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument: official website]
[https://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm Joshua Tree National Park: official website]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20000424121927/http://www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/hikesoth.html South Mountain Park – Preserve]
[https://azstateparks.com/desert-plants Arizona State Parks: official website (desert plants)]