Even the Strongest of Microbe Can't Survive Here!

Do you remember the Copiapo Mining Accident? No? How about Chilean Mining Accident? It was an accident that happened at 2010 in which 33 miners were trapped 700 meter underground for 69 days.
But we aren't going to discuss that incident. What I want to write here is about Atacama Desert, where Copiapo Mining Accident took place, as the driest place on earth. As I said before, even microbe can't its harshness.


How dry?

Don't expect to find any cactus, snake, or any other desert creatures here. Instead you may find the remains of creatures who died here preserved, not decomposed, because the microbes which normally rot them can't survive!

driest place on earth

How can you measure how dry one place compared to another? It's measured by a device called rain gauge or udometer or pluviometer. It's some kind of cylinder which able to contain liquid. Over a set period of time (usually a year) it will contain certain amount of liquid and enable scientist to measure precipitation rate of one place. Usually it measured in milimeters unit.

Standart NOAA rain gauge (wikipedia.org)

Atacama desert as the driest place on earth, has a rainfall rate of 1mm a year! Compare it to Austin, Texas with 854.71mm a year, and Chicago with 921.25 mm a year. Even Phoenix, Arizona has precipitation rate of 210,5 mm a year! In fact, not even a single raindrops reach the dry land of Atacama in the past 30 years.

Why is it so dry?

This unfortunate condition is caused by its unfortunate geographic location. Andes Mountain in the east and Humbolt cold wave combined with anticyclone pacific all form some sort of invisible barrier which prevent any form of water (fog, steam, vapor) entering this region, at least not much enough to form a rain. And voila! driest place on earth.

location

satellite view

Unique Inhabitants

People do live in certain places of Atacama desert, usually a miner because Atacama desert is rich in copper,   sodium nitrate, coal, and saltpeter. In the past, locals used to buy water from other area and transport it there. It's inefficient and costly. But now people produce their own water by trapping fog. A wide net stretched in certain high places on certain month.

Stretched net

When thick fog pass through the net, it condensed the fogs and help them precipitate. Enough water supply for months. Efficient and cheaper.

trapping fog

Source:
wikipedia.org
infoplease.com
worldwonderphotos.com
anomalibio.com