Sahara Desert sees a surprising burst of greenery, NASA shares stunning images | Watch

  • Some regions in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya—which barely receive a few inches of rain per year—now show traces of green after an extratropical cyclone drenched parts of northwestern Sahara on September 7 and 8. The cyclone drenched large, treeless swaths of the region.

Written By Saurav Mukherjee
Updated25 Sep 2024, 06:22 PM IST
Green patches of Sahara Desert captured by NASA’s Terra satellite.
Green patches of Sahara Desert captured by NASA’s Terra satellite. (X/@NASAEarth)

The Sahara Desert, renowned for its barren, arid landscapes, is considered to be one of the driest places on Earth. However, NASA's Earth Observatory satellite images show the region is seeing a surprising burst of greenery.

Some regions in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya—which barely receive a few inches of rain per year—now show traces of green after an extratropical cyclone drenched parts of northwestern Sahara on September 7 and 8. The cyclone drenched large, treeless swaths of the region.

Also Read | When Australia radio telescope helped capture ’two Americans walking on moon’

On September 10, the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured the false-color image of the resulting runoff and floodwater.

In the news image taken on Terra satellite, NASA combined visible and infrared light and showed areas covered by water that appeared dark and light blue. According to details, the shade of blue is influenced by the depth of the water and the amount of suspended sediment.

Also Read | NASA SpaceX Crew-9 mission gears up for takeoff, set to ‘rescue’ Sunita Williams

The same region was dry and arid in the image captured on August 14.

Earlier on August 9, France24 reported that torrential rains caused floods that killed at least 11 people and left nine still missing in Morocco's southern provinces of Tata, Tiznit, and Errachidia. It added that the floods destroyed 40 homes, damaged 93 roads, and disrupted electricity, water supply, and phone networks in several villages.

Scientists explain WHY?

Explaining the sudden change, senior lecturer at the Institute of Earth Sciences and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Moshe Armon said, as NASA quoted, "While some degree of rainfall in this region happens every summer, what’s unique this year is the involvement of an extratropical cyclone."

He added that cyclone was formed over the Atlantic Ocean and extended far southward, pulling moisture from equatorial Africa into the northern Sahara.

According to the preliminary satellite analysis, more than 200 millimeters of rainfall fell in the affected areas, which is roughly equivalent to what the region receives in a year.

Also Read | 5 awe-inspiring images of star birth taken by NASA

The rainfall accumulation estimates are based on NASA’s IMERG (Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for GPM) data due to ground-based rain gauges and radar stations being scarce.

“What’s also fascinating is that normally dry lakes in the Sahara are filling due to this event,” Armon added.

On closer inspection, several of these lakes are visible in the image as dark blue areas, including one in Morocco’s Iriqui National Park and Sebkha el Melah, a salt flat in central Algeria.

When Prof Armon and his colleagues analysed two decades (2000–2021) of IMERG data to better understand the frequency of heavy precipitation events, they identified only six prior occurrences that led to the lake filling.

The researchers identified more than 38,000 heavy precipitation events over the Sahara and found that roughly 30 per cent of those occurred during the summer.

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

MoreLess
First Published:25 Sep 2024, 06:22 PM IST
Business NewsScienceNewsSahara Desert sees a surprising burst of greenery, NASA shares stunning images | Watch

Get Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!

  • Employment Type

    Most Active Stocks

    Tata Steel

    161.60
    03:59 PM | 25 SEP 2024
    1.05 (0.65%)

    HDFC Bank

    1,778.85
    03:58 PM | 25 SEP 2024
    10.4 (0.59%)

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises

    133.75
    03:52 PM | 25 SEP 2024
    6.45 (5.07%)

    Vedanta

    479.60
    03:59 PM | 25 SEP 2024
    9.35 (1.99%)
    More Active Stocks

    Market Snapshot

    • Top Gainers
    • Top Losers
    • 52 Week High

    Eclerx Services

    2,885.00
    03:29 PM | 25 SEP 2024
    157.2 (5.76%)

    HEG

    2,433.55
    03:49 PM | 25 SEP 2024
    123.8 (5.36%)

    Tata Communications

    2,128.25
    03:59 PM | 25 SEP 2024
    104.9 (5.18%)

    Mahindra Lifespace Developers

    574.70
    03:29 PM | 25 SEP 2024
    28.1 (5.14%)
    More from Top Gainers

    Recommended For You

      More Recommendations

      Gold Prices

      • 24K
      • 22K
      Bangalore
      76,385.00210.00
      Chennai
      76,391.00210.00
      Delhi
      76,543.00210.00
      Kolkata
      76,395.00210.00

      Fuel Price

      • Petrol
      • Diesel
      Bangalore
      102.86/L0.00
      Chennai
      100.98/L0.23
      Kolkata
      104.95/L0.00
      New Delhi
      94.72/L0.00

      Popular in Science

        HomeMarketsPremiumInstant LoanMint Shorts