The East Arabian fog shrublands and sand desert occupies two stretches of coastal desert in Oman, on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula: the Wahiba Sands dune sea in the north and the more varied Huqf region to the south, where gravel plains, salt flats, and coastal dunes meet the Arabian Sea. Vegetation is largely sparse shrubland and ephemeral grasses broken by areas of open woodland, with the ghaf tree (Prosopis cineraria) serving as the ecoregion's flagship species and forming groves that shelter much of its wildlife. The climate is true desert, with less than 50 mm of rain a year and temperatures ranging from around 25 degrees Celsius in winter to about 40 degrees in summer, but its defining trait is the marine fog driven by coastal winds and monsoon, which condenses to give plants moisture that rainfall cannot. The dunes and woodlands support Arabian gazelle, sand cat, Ruppell's fox, and Arabian wolf, while the coast offers important stopovers for migratory birds. Other characteristic plants include Calligonum dune shrubs, salt-tolerant Zygophyllum qatarense, and sea-lavender (Limonium), reflecting a flora adapted to drought, salinity, and fog rather than rain.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 21.7°N, 58.8°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
12b-13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
12b-13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.9°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Deserts & Xeric Shrublands
Realm
Palearctic
Approximate area
6,816 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Could Reach Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 2)
About the deserts & xeric shrublands biome
Arid and semi-arid lands where low, erratic rainfall and high evaporation limit vegetation to drought-adapted shrubs, succulents, and sparse grasses. Day-to-night temperature swings are large, and life is finely tuned to water scarcity.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 4
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other deserts & xeric shrublands ecoregions to explore: