Abstract Vapor condensation, whether due to dew or fog, may add a stable and important source of water to deserts. This was also extensively assessed in the Negev, regarded as a dew desert. Dew deserts necessitate a large reservoir of vapor, and are therefore confined to near oceans or seas. Yet, examples of such deserts are scarce. Here we try to assess whether the Tabernas Desert in SE Spain can be regarded as a dew desert, and may therefore facilitate the growth of certain organisms that otherwise would not survive the dry season. We analyze some of the abiotic conditions of four relatively dry months (June, July, August, September) in the Tabernas and Negev deserts (with the Negev taken as an example of a dew desert) during 2003–2012. The analysis showed substantially lower values of relative humidity (by 10–13%) in the Tabernas in comparison to the Negev, with RH ≥95% being on average only 0.9–1.1 days a month in the Tabernas in comparison to 9.7–13.9 days in the Negev. Our findings imply that the Tabernas Desert cannot be regarded as a dew desert, suggesting that rain will be the main factor responsible for the food web chain in the Tabernas.

中文翻译：

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沿海沙漠一定是露水沙漠吗？塔贝纳斯沙漠的一个例子

摘要 水汽凝结，无论是由于露水还是雾气，都可能为沙漠增添稳定而重要的水源。这也在被视为露水沙漠的内盖夫进行了广泛评估。露水沙漠需要大量的水蒸气，因此仅限于附近的海洋或海域。然而，这种沙漠的例子很少。在这里，我们尝试评估西班牙东南部的 Tabernas 沙漠是否可以被视为露水沙漠，因此可能会促进某些生物的生长，否则这些生物将无法在旱季生存。我们分析了 2003-2012 年 Tabernas 和 Negev 沙漠（以内盖夫沙漠为例）的四个相对干燥月份（6 月、7 月、8 月、9 月）的一些非生物条件。分析表明，与内盖夫相比，塔伯纳斯的相对湿度值要低得多（10-13%），与 9.7-13.9 天相比，塔伯纳斯的 RH ≥95% 平均每月只有 0.9-1.1 天在内盖夫。我们的研究结果表明，Tabernas 沙漠不能被视为露水沙漠，这表明降雨将是造成 Tabernas 食物链的主要因素。