Antarctic Desert, The World's Largest Desert

"In terms of sheer size, the Antarctic Desert is the largest desert on Earth, measuring a total of 13.8 million square kilometers. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and most isolated continent on Earth, and is considered a desert because its annual precipitation can be less than 51 mm in the interior. It’s covered by a permanent ice sheet that contains 90% of the Earth’s fresh water. Only 2% of the continent isn’t covered by ice, and this land is strictly along the coasts, where all the life that is associated with the land mass (i.e. penguins, seals and various species of birds) reside. The other 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice which averages 1.6 km in thickness . . . Beyond a limited range of mammals, only certain cold-adapted species of mites, algaes, and tundra vegetation can survive there." The Antarctic Desert has experienced some of the most intense warming over the past 50 years. Climate change impacts on this ecoregion cause glaciers to retreat and increased levels of ocean acidification. This threatens native Antarctic species and causes ocean levels to rise.