Climate Change May Be Greening the Sahara

Posted by: Nate Berg

4 August 2009 - 11:00am

The Sahara desert is becoming increasingly green, according to satellite imagery -- which scientists are attributing to rising temperatures associated with global climate change.

The higher temperatures are said to increase the amount of moisture air can hold, therefore creating more opportunity for rains.

"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."

Full Story: Sahara Desert Greening Due to Climate Change?

Source: National Geographic, August 3, 2009