"On a Desert" or "In a Desert" and Common Usage | 社區大學終身學習網
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I believe the answer is not so much a technical one but a literary one.
When the author writes, "He was in the middle of a desert", he is placing the character in a setting, and indicating it was a harsh environment and so on.
Next, the author writes, "And he knew where to find water on a desert." The author is not only avoiding re-using "in a desert", but the author is also drawing the readers attention to the surface of the desert, from which presumably youd dig a hole to find water, or trace surface features to an oasis, etc.
desert中文(繁體)翻譯:劍橋詞典 | 社區大學終身學習網
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