In which one of the following habitats does the diurnal temperature of soil surface vary most ?
- Grassland
- Desert
- Shrub land
- Forest
Answer
(2) Desert
Solution
Diurnal variation is the difference between day and night temperature.
In a desert the soil is sandy and bare (no vegetation cover) and the air is dry with little cloud, so the soil surface heats up very quickly by day and loses heat rapidly at night by radiation.
∴ The diurnal temperature of the soil surface varies the most in deserts.
Answer: (2)