What is the primary factor explaining why the Judean Desert receives less than 100 mm of rain annually despite being located only 25 km east of Jerusalem (which receives ~550 mm)?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. A rain shadow effect as westerly maritime air descends and warms adiabatically

  1. Step 1: Winter rain clouds form over the Mediterranean and move eastward.
  2. Step 2: They rise over the central Judean mountain crest (Jerusalem ridge), cooling and releasing precipitation through orographic lifting.
  3. Step 3: As air descends eastward down the steep slopes toward the Dead Sea (dropping 1,200 meters), it compresses and warms adiabatically, causing relative humidity to drop and cloud cover to dissipate rapidly.
Answer
A rain shadow effect as westerly maritime air descends and warms adiabatically.
Why not the others: High albedo does not prevent rainfall when storm fronts pass; there are no cold ocean currents in the Jordan Valley; Hadley cell subsidence governs subtropical belts broadly, not localized 25 km rain-shadow contrasts.

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