The largest desert in the world becomes fertile every 21,000 years

The previous period when the Sahara was a green forest area was between 15,000 and 5,000 years ago.

It is the Earth’s orbit around the Earth that determines the climate of the Sahara

Climatologists from the University of Helsinki and the University of Bristol have simulated wet periods in North Africa over the past 800,000 years using a climate model.

The results of the expanded study revealed that with a time interval of about 21 thousand years, the Sahara desert turns from dry to wet, with favorable conditions for plants and animals.

This periodic trend appears to be driven by periodic changes in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, which is also 21,000 years old.

As the Earth revolves around the Sun, the weather and climate change throughout the year. This is what we usually call seasons.

Lush carpet

These changes affect the amount of sunlight and heat we get here on Earth.

Sunlight and temperatures have a significant impact on monsoon rains in North Africa, affecting the ability of plants to grow in the Sahara Desert.

This eventually leads to a fertile carpet over North Africa.

According to the study, we can expect the world’s largest desert to become green and lush again in 6,000 to 16,000 years.

Spread man shouts

The cyclical transformation that North Africa is witnessing is not only of great importance for the Sahara, but it also has serious consequences for our history.

“The desert is a kind of gate that controls the spread of species. The gate was open when the desert was green, and closed when it was desert. “This means that we are now also better able to understand the spread of species and understand the evolution of the human race in Africa,” says Mika Talavara, Co-author of the study and Assistant Professor of Hominin Ecology at the University of Helsinki, V.A statement.

It is not clear from the study whether or how human-made climate change is affecting climate change in the desert.