Savanna ≠ Desert: Understanding the Tropical Grassland Climate

First, a correction: savanna is not a desert. It's a tropical/subtropical grassland with scattered trees—distinct biome, distinct climate, distinct ecology.

Savanna Climate Profile

• Temperature: Warm year-round. Summer (wet season): 24–35°C (75–95°F). Winter (dry season): 18–28°C (65–82°F). No frost.
• Rainfall: 500–1,500 mm/yr. Strongly seasonal: 90% in 4–6 wet months. Dry season = fire season.
• Humidity: High in wet season; drops sharply in dry.

Global Distribution

• Africa: Serengeti, Maasai Mara, Sahel transition, Okavango
• South America: Cerrado (Brazil), Llanos (Venezuela/Colombia), Gran Chaco
• Australia: Top End (NT), Kimberley (WA), Cape York
• India/SE Asia: Deccan Plateau margins, Myanmar central

Desert vs. Savanna: The Line

Desert: <250 mm rain, sparse/no trees, bare soil dominant.
Savanna: >500 mm rain, continuous grass layer, tree canopy 5–30%.
Transition: Sahel (desert → savanna), Chaco (dry forest ↔ savanna).

Fire: The Savanna Sculptor

Dry-season fires (natural + human) maintain grass dominance, suppress woody encroachment, recycle nutrients. Trees adapt: thick bark, underground organs, resprouting. Without fire → woodland/forest.

Not a Desert. Never Was.

Calling savanna "desert" erases its productivity, biodiversity, and human history (cradle of hominins, pastoralism, early agriculture). It's a grassland that thinks it's a forest—or a forest that burns to stay grass.