Bountiful rains have recently transformed typically barren stretches of the Sahara into unexpectedly lush landscapes. Parts of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya saw heavy rainfall over September 7th and 8th, as an extratropical cyclone swept across the northwestern Sahara. This unusual downpour coincided with a northward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a band of rainfall that oscillates near the equator from July to September. This year, the ITCZ extended farther north than usual, delivering significant rainfall to regions in Niger, Chad, and Sudan, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. The result has been an exceptionally wet Sahara, with some areas receiving two to six times more rainfall than normal.
"When you get these really exceptional rainfall events, the dunes become these just incredibly verdant and flowered fields where the plants will just instantly grow for a short period of time to take advantage," Peter de Menocal, president and director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, explained to ABC News. The rainfall has spurred a rapid greening of typically desolate landscapes, allowing dormant seeds to sprout and bloom. NASA's MODIS satellite has captured images of this transformation, with swaths of green spreading across the desert and long-dry lakes, such as one in Morocco's Iriqui National Park, filling up with water.
One area that has especially benefited from the rains is Sebkha el Melah, a salt flat in central Algeria that has only flooded six times between 2000 and 2021. Moshe Armon, a senior lecturer at the Institute of Earth Sciences and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, suggests this year's rains will make it the seventh, marking a rare event that could impact the local ecosystem. For years, Sebkha el Melah has been a desolate salt flat, but the influx of water may enable a brief, flourishing ecosystem.
This temporary greening of the Sahara is a reminder of a time thousands of years ago when the region bore little resemblance to today's arid desert. Around 11,000 years ago, during the African Humid Period, the Sahara was more akin to the savannas of Kenya or Tanzania, supporting abundant vegetation, lakes, and wildlife. Evidence of this wetter past can be found throughout the Sahara, from fossilized lightning strikes embedded in desert sands to erosion patterns on the ancient Sphinx in Egypt, and the remnants of Lake Chad, which once spanned tens of thousands of square miles beyond its current limits.
Yet, while the recent rains bring a rare moment of relief and biodiversity to the Sahara, they have also wrought devastation. Flooding has caused extensive damage, displacing thousands of residents, destroying homes, and tragically claiming hundreds of lives. The rains have tested communities in the region, many of whom live with minimal resources and infrastructure ill-equipped to handle such extreme weather events.
The Sahara's human inhabitants, rich in cultural heritage, have long adapted to its extreme conditions. However, life in this harsh environment often entails living in poverty, with sparse resources to sustain livelihoods. Rainfall, a precious resource, enables short-lived but crucial bursts of agricultural activity. However, climate models predict more frequent droughts in the future, which will likely strain the already limited resources in desert regions. For many desert dwellers, brief rainfall events like this one are critical, allowing them to store water, revive crops, and sustain livestock, thereby securing their livelihoods for months or even years.
In this instance, the rains may indeed provide temporary relief, but they are also a stark reminder of the region's vulnerabilities. As climate change continues to influence global weather patterns, the Sahara may see more of these extreme events, whether in the form of rare downpours or prolonged droughts. While the recent greening of the desert offers a glimpse into the Sahara's distant, wetter past, it also serves as a warning about the challenges facing those who call this unforgiving landscape home.