Thanks for the feedback and ideas!

I've done a little more work. Just a bit on the desert, a lot more on the Polar regions.

I think I have improved both effects, but in particular, the Polar Regions. I used two different clipping layers to achieve more of a "Snow/Ice on Bare Ground" appearance. The randomness could be a bit better on the Northern Region, but I'm pretty happy with the south.

I'm liking the color/texture of the desert now, but I need to make a better border with the grasslands.

I've also added some more noise to the water portion and used the Dodge/Burn tool to darken and lighten the water where it is deeper and shallower respectively. And no, I haven't matched it up on the East and West edges yet. ;-)

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