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Living in a humid atmosphere where on a rainy day you may not be able to see the sun at all day long. And sometimes street lights are lit up and cars move with their headlights on during monsoon as it appears like evening time at noon, I would like to how do people live without water and without shade of a tree. I have heard and seen pictures of the empty quarter. How do plants and animals survive there ?
The Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) is the largest contiguous sand desert (erg) in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 square kilometres (250,000 sq mi) (the area between long. 44°30′−56°30′E, and lat. 16°30′−23°00′N) including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert.
Terrain
The desert is 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) long, and 500 kilometres (310 mi) wide. Its surface elevation varies from 800 metres (2,600 ft) in the southwest to around sea level in the northeast. The terrain is covered with sand dunes with heights up to 250 metres (820 ft), interspersed with gravel and gypsum plains. The sand is of a reddish-orange color due to the presence of feldspar.
There are also brackish salt flats in some areas, such as the Umm al Samim area on the desert's eastern edge.
Lake beds
Along the middle length of the desert there are a number of raised, hardened areas of calcium carbonate, gypsum, marl, or clay that were once the site of shallow lakes. These lakes existed during periods from 6,000 to 5,000 years ago and 3,000 to 2,000 years ago. The lakes are thought to have formed as a result of "cataclysmic rainfall" similar to present-day monsoon rains and most probably lasted for only a few years. However, lakes in the Mundafen area in the southwest of the Rub' al Khali show evidence of lasting longer, up to 800 years, due to increased runoff from the Tuwaiq Escarpment.
Evidence suggests that the lakes were home to a variety of flora and fauna. Fossil remains indicate the presence of several animal species, such as hippopotamus, water buffalo, and long-horned cattle. The lakes also contained small snails, ostracods, and when conditions were suitable, freshwater clams. Deposits of calcium carbonate and opal phytoliths indicate the presence of plants and algae. There is also evidence of human activity dating from 3,000 to 2,000 years ago, including chipped flint tools, but no actual human remains have been found.
Climate
The region has a hot desert climate typical of the larger Arabian Desert. The region is classified as "hyper-arid", with typical annual rainfall of less than 3 centimetres (1.2 in). Daily maximum temperatures average at 47 °C (117 °F) and can reach as high as 51 °C (124 °F).
Biodiversity
Fauna includes arachnids (e.g. scorpions) and rodents, while plants live throughout the Empty Quarter. As an ecoregion, the Rub' al Khali falls within the Arabian Desert and East Saharo-Arabian xeric shrublands. The Asiatic cheetahs, once widespread in Saudi Arabia, are regionally extinct from the desert.
Oil
Geologically, the Empty Quarter is the most oil-rich site in the world.[citation needed] Vast oil reserves have been discovered underneath the sand dunes.[citation needed] Sheyba, at the northeastern edge of the Rub' al Khali, is a major light crude oil-producing site in Saudi Arabia. Ghawar, the largest oil field in the world, extends southward into the northernmost parts of the Empty Quarter.
The Empty Quarter Flora and fauna Plant life exists in the Empty Quarter, and in places can be good for grazing. In some areas plants can grow thick despite the scanty rains.There exist plants that have local names such as Al-Abal, Al-Haram, As-Shinan, Az- Zahar, Al-Andab, Al- Alqa, Al-Burkan, and Al-Ghadha; these are seasonal and resistant to drought for relatively long periods. The vegetation, in earlier periods, allowed parts of the Empty Quarter to be a refuge for a number of large animal species. Until recently, Arabian oryx, ostrich, sand tigers, and other species were known in the region, but they are now gone, possibly from drought or hunting. 
The National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia established a wildlife park in the southwestern edge of the Empty Quarter, at 'Uruq Bani Ma'aridh. The total conservation area is, km2. It lies south of As Sulayyil and east of Jabal Tuwaiq. It is intended as a resettlement location for animals previously in this area, such as the Arabian oryx and reem gazelle. It is also meant to protect local plants from unregulated grazing and cutting. WaterThe Empty Quarter has many ancient wells and water sources. These sources are relatively plentiful in the eastern, northeastern, and northern parts of the area due to the relative nearness of groundwater. The main sources of water are:Artesian wells with sulfurous water dug by Aramco during its survey and exploration activities. The wells are scattered over most parts of the area. Gorges containing brackish water, spreading in the eastern part of the Empty Quarter. Such water is near to the surface. Wells: these contain water that is somewhat potable. The local inhabitants and shepherds cover the tops of these wells after using them to avoid sand dumping. They are well marked for their use when needed. Famous water sources in the Empty Quarter are: B'ir Al Shalfa'a, B'ir Fadil, ‘Ayn Humaidan, B'ir Owbar, Galmat Al Juhaish, B'ir Hadi, B'ir al Towairgiyah, Galmat al Harsha'a, B'ir ath Thuwairah, Galmat Mahoula (The Triangle), Abar Ma'amourah, B'ir Umal Hadeed, B'ir Faisal, B'ir Faris, Galmat Ummahat Borkan, Galmat Uwairkrah, Galmat at Taweelah, Galmat Hamraa Natheel, Galmat Um Shaddad, B'ir al Gidairat, Galmat al Abellah, Galmat al Hafra, B'ir Taweelat Hadi, among others. The Kingdom established laboratories for water technology of some artesian wells dug at inhabited centers in Ash Sharourah, Alwadee'ah, Al Kharkheer, Ardah, As Samhah, Zaabalutin, and Shabeetah, and in the border guard centers close to neighboring countries. The Ministry of Water has a project that is underway to dig wells in Al Nigaha'a in the Empty Quarter east of Najran to draw and purify water for Najran city. Ref :http://www.sgs.org.sa/English/earth/pages/emptyquarter.aspx
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The Rub Al Khali ( الربع الخالي ) or Empty Quarter Desert is the largest sand desert in the world (Vincent) ncompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, including saudi Arabia, and areas of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The desert covers some, square km (, sq mi), and it is part of the larger Arabian Desert (Clark).
Sand dune flora and halophyte plants live throughout the Empty Quarter (Fig.1). As an ecoregion, the Rub Al Khali falls within the Arabian Desert and East Saharo-Arabian Xeric Shrublands. Due to high evaporation rates and also due to its origin as a remnant of the Tethyan Ocean, most surface water as well as aquifers are saline so that between sand dunes, salt plains (known as Sabkha) are common (Fig.2).
Fig.1. Calligonum crinitum in the Eastern Rub Al Khali / Empty Quarter Desert, Arabian Peninsula. Own photograph.
Fig.2. Sand dunes intercalated by salt plains (sabkha) in the Eastern Rub Al Khali / Empty Quarter Desert. Own photograph.
Animals in the Rub Al Khali can survive a long period without water because they absorb most of the water in their food. The sparse dune vegetation and halophyte flora support this extreme desert food web, with an increasing reptile and bird of prey relative diversity and density, and both mammal herbivores (the vulnerable Sand Gazelle Gazella subgutturosa marica) and the reintroduced Arabian Oryx / White Oryx Oryx leucoryx), and carnivores (the near threatened Sand Cat / Dune Cat Felis margarita, and the least concern Sand Fox / Rüppell's Fox Vulpes rueppellii).
Read more on the Rub Al Khali: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rub%_al_Khali
Read more on the Arabian Desert and East Saharo-Arabian Xeric Shrublands:http://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/pa
Watch video on the Rub Al Khali / Empty Quarter Desert:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLJcuiz-d3U
Watch video on the Sahara Desert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS_WlzdOc_A
Watch video on wildlife adaptations in the Australian Central Desert:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6bRkq_w
Read more on Sand Dune Flora and Halophyta Species Checklists in the Rub Al Khali: https://www.academia.edu//Arabian_Peninsula
Clark A () Lakes of the Rub Al Khali. Saudi Aramco World(3):–
Vincent P () Saudi Arabia: and environmental overview. Taylor & Francis, pp
its adesert in the southern part of suadi arabia , its considered one of the biggest deserts in the arab world
it is also known as the empty quarter, which is basically the vast empty desert devoid of any human settlement in Saudi Arabia between Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
The Rub' al Khali or Empty Quarter is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world (erg), encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula.
The Rub-AL-khali is an empty desert
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