The largest desert in the world is not the Sahara Desert, nor is it comprised of sand. The largest desert on this planet is named Antarctica. The entire continent itself is roughly 5,500,000 square miles and has an average elevation of 8,200 ft. Antartica is located where it is at due to its high elevation because of rain shadows effect. The air currents that come in from over the coast has to rise even further above the already-high altitude continent, and in doing so, the air cools, turning into clouds. As the clouds form, precipitation usually occurs but due to the cold currents that come in from along it’s coast, it renders the cold air mass’s ability to properly retain the moisture.
As seen in the image below, Antarctica's borders is completely surrounded in an offshore cold oceanic current, which provides a reason to the rain shadow effect.
Through a big misconception, many people would probably believe that Antarctica is completely covered in ice and consists of glaciers. There are the McMurdo Dry Valleys, a region in Antarctica where it is completely snow-free. In these valleys, weathering occurs, leaving behind many ventifacts (rocks that are worn down from the wind and the sediment that is carried along with the wind, which is a common type to see in deserts).
An interesting land formation created by the sediment, carried by the wind but not landing on land is “dirty ice”. The sediment that is carried by the wind lands in bodies of water. For example, in Antarctica’s opening to the Ross Sea, there lies Garwood and Marshall valleys. These places are examples of the sediment deposits that land in bodies of water, creating an ‘island’ of its own kind.
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