There are four major types of deserts: Hot and Dry, Semiarid, Coastal, and
    Cold
Hot and Dry:
The four major North American hot and dry deserts are the Chihuahuan,
    Sonoran, Mojave and Great Basin
The seasons are generally warm throughout the year, and are very hot in the
    summer
Soils are course-textured, shallow, rocky or gravely with good drainage and
    have no subsurface water
Semiarid:
Major deserts of this type include the sagebrush of Utah, Montana and Great
    Basin.
Summers are moderately long and dry -- days are hot, nights are cool
Coastal:
Occur in moderately cool to warm areas such as the Nearctic and Neotropical
    realm
An example is the Atacama of Chile
The cool winters of coastal deserts are followed by moderately long, warm
    summers
Soil is fine-textured with a moderate salt content
Cold:
Characterized by cold winters with snowfall and high overall rainfall throughout
    the winter and occasionally over the summer
They occur in the Antarctic, Greenland and the Nearctic realm
Short, moist, and moderately warm summers with fairly long, cold winters
Soil is heavy, silty, and salty