There are two main polar deserts, one being the Antarctic Polar Desert, and the other is the Arctic Polar desert. The Antarctic and Arctic are the two largest deserts in the world. The Antarctic Desert covers the continent of Antarctica and the Arctic Desert covers areas of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and, Russia.

The Arctic and Antarctic Polar deserts have a cold, and desolate climate with temperatures reaching up to only 10 °C (50 °F). Antarctica has average temperature of -20°C (-4°F). Annual precipitation is less 250 mm per year, which is equal to 9.8 inches. There are also harsh winds which can make the air fell colder than it is. This precipitation is primarily in the form of snow. Under the ice and snow it is mostly bedrock or gravel plains. Natural snow dunes are present in polar deserts where precipitation is locally occurring. Temperatures change from above to below freezing often which means ice is constantly thawing out then freezing again. This causes patterns to form in the ground after repetition of this process.

There are many plants in the polar deserts but few live in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The Arctic has algae, moss, and lichen, which is the most abundant plant in the Arctic. Moss and lichen provide patchy ground cover in the Arctic. There are only 60 species of flowering plants in the Arctic. In the Antarctic there is algae and lichen, along with some bacteria and fungi. Algae and lichen dominate in the region. The algae and lichen grow where there is moisture and protection from the harsh winds that occur. Lichen is the primary plant species in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

The food web of a polar desert is relatively simple. Phytoplankton is the primary producer in polar deserts. Krill and shrimp, small fish, and squid are the primary consumers. Whales, seals larger fish, and penguins make up the secondary consumers. Killer Whales are at the top of the food web.

Just like any other biome on Earth humans threaten the environment and the species that live there. Some species have been almost driven to extinction for the economic benefit. Species have been hurt due to soil being polluted. Over fishing has lessened the fish population significantly. Invasive species brought to these regions by ships have damaged the domestic species in the area. Human tourism and construction such as buildings and runways significantly affect the environment in the area. In the future mining for minerals could become legal and would damage the environment. Pollution from both human tourism and factories releasing green house gases threaten the cold climate of the area where the organisms live.

We can save polar deserts by limiting the amount of human travel to these areas, which takes away the isolation that these species need to survive. Limiting human travel to these secluded areas would also limit the amount of invasive species in the region. This also means pollution of the soil along with the water would be reduced and the environment would be cleaner. Also if there are less humans in the region there is less infrastructure being built which completely decimates that part of the environment. Fishing is a another large problem in these isolated areas and needs to be greatly limited for these marine species to survive. The biggest threat to the polar deserts doesn't actually occur there which is why people don't realize how negatively affected the region is by it. Pollution of the air with excess amounts of greenhouse gases leads a warmer climate which happens around the whole globe, not just around where the gases are being released. This global warming causes the climate to be warmer which leads to less ice forming and habitat being destroyed for many of the polar species. The polar desert is an ecosystem that needs a lot of help to remain alive, and if everyone changes a little now, it makes one big change for the future.