Western Desert

• Development Opportunities


  How well an area lends itself to developing money making opportunities
• States in the Western Desert region

  • California
  • Nevada
  • Utah
  • Arizona
  • New mexico
• The Western Desert region covers an area of 200,000 km2
• Major cities in the Western Desert region

  • Las Vegas
  • Phoenix
  • Tuscan
• Over 50% of the population live in these cities – what challenges does this create?
• Las Vegas: pop. 2 million
• Phoenix: pop. 4.5 million
• Western Desert's development opportunities

  • Tourism
  • Farming
  • Mining
  • Energy
• High temperature and lots of sunlight is good for growing crops – provided water can be found for irrigation
• Strong insolation (energy from the sun) makes the Western desert ideal for solar power
• The Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree national Parks attract many visitors
• The Western desert is rich in minerals including Copper, uranium, zinc, lead and coal
• Some farms rely on aquifers (underground stores of water) in the Sonoran desert, where everything from lemons to grapes can be grown
• Many people from around the USA visit the Colorado museum to find out about native tribes
• Some mineral extraction has not been allowed to go ahead due to other land uses – a uranium mine near the Grand Canyon was recently stopped
• Copper mining has gone on for centuries in the Sonoran Desert but on a small scale due to a lack of water
• The Sonoran solar Project in Arizona is a new solar power plant that will produce power 100,000 and create 360 building jobs
• Hydroelectric power is created by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River
• Las Vegas attracts 37 million visitors a year
• Two major lakes (Lake Mead and Lake Powell) have been created on the Colorado river, attracting 2 million visitors a year
• Farms are supplied with water from canals – farms use 80% of water but make up just 10% of the economy
• Drilling for oil has been going on in Arizona since 1905 and produces $50 million worth of oil per year
• The Coachella festival is America's equivalent of Glastonbury and attracts thousands of people to the region each year
• In last lesson, we learnt about 4 development opportunities in the Western Desert: mineral extraction (mining), energy development, farming and tourism.
• However, this development is not without challenges.
• 3 major challenges to development in the Western Desert

  • Extreme temperatures
  • Lack of water supply
  • Inaccessibility
• City that shouldn't be

  • Las Vegas
• Extreme temperatures in the Western Desert

  • Temperatures can reach 50°C during the day and fall below freezing at night
  • High diurnal temperature range makes human survival, activity and working conditions very difficult
  • Some buildings must be designed to have both air conditioning and heating
• Lack of water supply in the Western Desert

  • Deserts receive less than 250 mm rainfall annually
  • Challenging to ensure there is enough water for humans, buildings, infrastructure, transport, technology etc.
• Inaccessibility of the Western Desert

  • Extreme weather and presence of vast barren areas
  • Very limited road and transport network
  • Many places only accessible via one major route
• Parts of the Western Desert lack surfaced roads.
• 30 million people depend on water from the Colorado River


  The population is rapidly growing – so is the demand for water!
• Vast amounts of water from the Colorado River are transferred to support settlements in the Western Desert but there are limits as to what can be achieved.
• In 2015, an elderly tourist died of dehydration when he became lost after driving off road on the edge of the Mojave Desert. The road signs and network were poor.
• Early migrants adapted their houses to the extreme temperatures by

  • Flat roofs to collect rainwater
  • Small to reduce contact with sunlight
  • Whitewashed walls to reflect sunlight
• There is an international agreement which states that water from the Colorado River must be allowed to flow in to Mexico. This limits the amount of water available to supply the desert area.
• The region's water security is threatened by climate change


  Reduced rainfall is a big problem; in 2014, Lake Mead reached a record low level.
• By the late 1800s, railroad developers had established stations in Las Vegas valley, leading to the cities initial growth. However, these links are not extensive and the city remains relatively inaccessible
• The populations of Nevada, Arizona and Utah are growing at a rate more than double of the national average


  More people need more water!
• The population of Phoenix is predicted to double by 2050, but the city already takes the maximum share of water that it is allowed from the Colorado River.