About Us Portfolio Press Careers Sitemap Advertise Contact Us Make this your Homepage

Custom Search

Register

Sign In

Sign In Using Facebook

Home » Environmental Health

Climate Changes And Increased Rainfall 'Greening' the Sahara Desert Becoming Green Due to Climate Change

by Tanya on August 04, 2009 at 7:58 AM Environmental Health

Thanks to the rising temperatures due to climate change, scientists are cautioning that the Sahara desert and surrounding regions are greening due to increasing rainfall.

Related Links

According to a report in National Geographic News, if sustained, these rains could revitalize drought-ravaged regions, reclaiming them for farming communities.

This desert-shrinking trend is supported by climate models, which predict a return to conditions that turned the Sahara into a lush savanna some 12,000 years ago.

The green shoots of recovery are showing up on satellite images of regions including the Sahel, a semi-desert zone bordering the Sahara to the south that stretches some 2,400 miles (3,860 kilometers).

Images taken between 1982 and 2002 revealed extensive regreening throughout the Sahel, according to a new study in the journal Biogeosciences.

The study suggests huge increases in vegetation in areas including central Chad and western Sudan. he transition may be occurring because hotter air has more capacity to hold moisture, which in turn creates more rain, according to Martin Claussen of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany.

"The water-holding capacity of the air is the main driving force," Claussen said.

While satellite images can't distinguish temporary plants like grasses that come and go with the rains, ground surveys suggest recent vegetation change is firmly rooted.

Throughout North Africa, new trees, such as acacias, are flourishing, according to Stefan Kropelin, a climate scientist at the University of Cologne's Africa Research Unit in Germany.

Page 1

Page 1 | 2

Next

Breastfeeding is Best for Babies

Child With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Also Raises Sibling's Risk Of the Disease

More News on: Health Effects of Global Warming

Comment & Contribute

Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters
	Notify me when reply is posted I agree to the terms and conditions
Your comments are automatically posted once they are submitted. All comments are however constantly reviewed for spam and irrelevant material (such as product or personal advertisements, email addresses, telephone numbers and website address). Such insertions do not conform to our policy and 'Terms of Use' and are either deleted or edited and republished. Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading.

doug0l(Guest)

10/19/2009

So let me get this right; AGW=everyone being bitten by scorpions. Got it.

Reply | Forward

Health News Index

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Latest News Most Popular Most Commented

Daughter Cuts Off Cancer Fighting Mother's Hair

Growth in Early Life May Well Forecast Adult Bone Health, Points Delhi Study

Drugs Factory Sealed by Pakistan After Deaths

Indicator for Alzheimer's Disease Could Distress Mental Function Even In Healthy Adults

New Proof Touch-Sensing Nerve Cells Can Aggravate 'Ringing In the Ears'

News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :

News Quick Links

	News Central			Health Watch
	Latest Health News			Health In Focus
	News Category (500+)			Breaking Health News
	Popular News			Celebrating Life
	Health News and Press Release			Medindia - Exclusive
	News Photo Gallery			India Special
	News Video Gallery			Lifestyle and Wellness
	News From Other Resources

News Categories:


»	Showing Superbugs Turning Resistant To Antibiotics

»	New Drug Improves Survival Rate in Advanced Prostate Cancer Patients: Clinical Trial

»	Birth Control Pills Recalled in US by Pfizer Over Packaging Error

»	New Drug Delivery System Developed by Boston University Researchers

»	Clinical Trial Shows Arthritis and Cholesterol Drugs are Well Tolerated in Prostate Cancer Treatment
More Drug News

Environmental Health Related News
»	Economic Chill Prompts Greeks to Axe Trees for Warmth	»	4000 Eco-Friendly Paper Bags Get Trichy Students into Limca Book of Records
»	Teenagers in Chile Over-exposed to UV Radiation from Sun Rays	»	Solar Cell Efficiency can be Boosted by New Nanomaterials-Based Technology
»	California Condor Still Imperilled by Human Activities, Scientific Paper Points	»	Guessing the Effect of Global Warming Across the Earth
»	Water Could be Cleaned Inexpensively Via Natural Substance from Miracle Tree	»	Adequate Pollution Info Not Published by China's Urban Areas

Read More >>

Climate Changes And Increased Rainfall 'Greening' the Sahara Desert Becoming Green Due to Climate Change

Environmental Health Related News

Consumers

Medical Professionals

Medical Students

Directories