What caused the Sahara to dry up?
The sudden subsequent movement of the ITCZ southwards with a Heinrich event (a sudden cooling followed by a slower warming), linked to changes with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle, led to a rapid drying out of the Saharan and Arabian regions, which quickly became desert.
What was the Sahara like 10000 years ago?
Then humans showed up. Today, the Sahara Desert is defined by undulating sand dunes, unforgiving sun, and oppressive heat. But just 10,000 years ago, it was lush and verdant.
What would happen if the Sahara desert flooded?
“Floods, landslides most of the vegetation would die.” The land isn’t covered with vegetation, so the erosion will be immense. In large parts of the Sahara the aquifer isn’t far below the surface. With 300 inches a year, you have enough water to saturate 75 FEET of sand.
Where did all the sand in the Sahara desert come from?
The sand is primarily derived from weathering of Cretaceous sandstones in North Africa. When these sandstones were deposited in the Cretaceous, the area where they are now was a shallow sea. The original source of the sand was the large mountain ranges that still exist in the central part of the Sahara.
What if the Sahara stayed green?
Stager’s research suggests that as the Sahara turns green, it could trigger a warming trend out to sea in the Atlantic Ocean that would make our weather here in the eastern US far more volatile. “When you green the Sahara, there’s less dust, the air clears, the tropical sun beats down on the ocean right on this spot.