Sahara Desert Turns Green, NASA Shares Stunning Image of Transformation

One of the driest places on Earth is seeing a surprising burst of greenery, as heavy rainfall has led to vegetation sprouting across the typically barren Sahara Desert. NASA's satellite images reveal patches of plant life emerging in the desert following an extratropical cyclone that drenched parts of northwestern Africa on September 7 and 8. Regions in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, which rarely receive rain, are now showing traces of green, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.

Shrubs and trees are growing in low-lying areas like riverbeds, explained Sylwia Trzaska, a climate variability researcher at the Columbia Climate School. Peter de Menocal, president of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, noted that while it's rare, plant life does respond quickly to heavy rain events in this part of Africa. When substantial rain falls, dunes transform into lush, green landscapes for a brief time as plants take full advantage of the moisture.

An extratropical cyclone over the Sahara Desert drenched parts of Morocco and Algeria – bringing up to a year's worth of rain to some areas. ?️ @nasa's Terra satellite captured floodwaters and some Saharan lakes, usually dry, filled with water. https://t.co/cuS1c73RoA pic.twitter.com/m8Ga8G0FgO — NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) September 17, 2024

Historically, the Sahara was once covered in vegetation and lakes between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago, de Menocal's past research suggests. Now, even lakes that are typically dry are filling up due to this recent deluge, according to Moshe Armon, a lecturer at the Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The unusual rainfall event was triggered by the northward movement of the tropical rain belt, known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone, reaching farther north than usual, bringing heavy rains typical of equatorial regions into the Sahara. Some areas saw over half a foot of rain, which far exceeds the typical annual precipitation of just a few inches.

While the rains largely affected sparsely populated areas, devastating floods have killed over 1,000 people and affected around 4 million across 14 African nations, according to the World Food Programme and the Associated Press. 

Experts believe the shift in the rain belt is influenced by record-high ocean temperatures and climate change, which could lead to further changes in rainfall patterns across Africa. However, as ocean temperatures balance out globally, the rain belt is expected to shift back south, potentially crossing the equator, according to de Menocal.