Our planet has been changing and evolving ever since its inception. While some changes go unnoticed, the others make the kind of impression that alters the whole ecosystem. One such evolution happened with the now-known Sahara Desert that transformed it from a green oasis to a wasteland today.
Long before the Sahara Desert became a dryland we know of it today, it was beaming with life. Rivers flowed fiercely and trees breathed calmly making the place a green haven. So what exactly went wrong? Well, one of the main triggers was the Earth’s orbital shift. Around 5,000- 10,000 years ago, Earth’s tilt and orbit caused stronger summer sunlight in the Northern parts of the country where the desert is located.
During the African Humid Period, northern Africa was drenched in generous rains, breathing life into the Sahara. But this balance was fragile. As Earth’s tilt gradually intensified heat, the rain couldn’t keep up with the extreme glaring sun. Over the years, during that particular time period, the transition from humid to dry happened far more rapidly in some areas than usual, resulting in the Sahara Desert we know of today.
Experts suggest that wasn’t just the heat that took away life from the land, humans too were a major part of the process. As settlements increased around the area, cattle came in to graze around the lush greenery. The goats ate up all the greens leaving behind patches of tiny shrubs in places. Environmentalists also suggest that every time humans come with their goats to a grassland, it often turns the land into a desert.
However in the dead man’s land, life still breathes in abundance. Several mammals and birds have made Sahara their home, residing in a less harsher area of the desert. The ecosystem lives on with animals like barbary sheep, camel, oryx, spotted hyena, dama gazelle, ostriches, chameleons, crocodiles, and scorpions.
Moreover, in the recent years, when rainfall was considerate in the desert, NASA had captured several patches of the area that turned green. This suggests that it might be possible for the place to turn into its original lush greenery in the upcoming years.
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