The Sahara desert does not have much greenery, but after an unusual influx of rain, the color can be seen from space, creeping into some parts of one of the driest places in the world, bTV reported.
Recently, satellites captured plant life blooming in parts of the normally dry southern Sahara after storms moved there when they shouldn't have. This has also led to catastrophic floods, writes CNN.
Scientists say global warming due to fossil fuel pollution increases the likelihood of both.
Rainfall north of the equator in Africa generally increases from July to September when the West African monsoon sets in.
“The ocean is overflowing and it is a problem for everyone“
Water temperatures in the Pacific Northwest are rising three times faster than expected
The phenomenon is characterized by an increase in stormy weather that occurs when moist tropical air from the equatorial region meets hot, dry air from the northern part of the continent.
During the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere, the focus of this stormy weather moves north of the equator. Much of it moves south of the equator during the warm months of the Southern Hemisphere
Scientists observe interesting changes in the behavior of these very important mammals for nature and for us
Since mid-July, this area has shifted, sending storms south of the Sahara, including parts of Niger, Chad, Sudan and even as far as Libya.
As a result, these parts of the desert are two to more than six times wetter than they should be.
There are two potential reasons for this strange northward shift, according to researchers. The transition from “El Niño“ to “La Niña” has affected how far north that area has moved this summer.
“El Niño“ - a natural climate pattern characterized by higher-than-average ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, generally resulting in drier-than-normal conditions in the humid parts of West and Central Africa. “La Niña“ it can backfire.
The other important factor is global warming.
Not only is the change turning deserts green, but it is disrupting the Atlantic hurricane season and has had serious consequences in the past few months for several African countries.
Countries that should get more rain are getting less as the storms move north. According to data, only 50-80% of the usual amounts of rain have fallen since mid-July in some parts of Nigeria and Cameroon.
Further north, typically dry areas, including parts of Niger, Chad, Sudan, Libya and southern Egypt, have received more than 400% of their typical rainfall since mid-July.
This excessive rainfall has caused devastating floods in Chad. Nearly 1.5 million people have been affected and at least 340 have died in the country's floods this summer, according to UN figures.
Frightening floods have killed more than 220 people and displaced hundreds of thousands across Nigeria, mainly in the country's normally drier north.
Deadly floods also rocked Sudan in late August, killing at least 132 people and destroying more than 12,000 homes.
As the world warms, it will be able to hold more moisture. This could lead to wetter monsoons overall and more devastating floods like this season.
More research is needed to determine exactly what role climate change played in each of the floods, but this could be a sign of things to come.