The Sahara is one of the greatest deserts in the world. It stretches across almost all of North Africa, covering as many as nine million square kilometers. In fact, the Sahara Desert covers almost a third of the entire Black Continent. Almost nowhere else are there such high temperatures: in the summer the thermometer scale rises to 57 degrees Celsius. But it was not always so. Believe it or not, the Sahara was not always a hot desert.
5000 years ago, one of the driest and one of the most desolate places in the world was full of life. The Western Sahara Desert, if it exists today, could make the list of 12 largest water reservoirs.
French researchers have identified ancient river channels: they believe that the desert supported the existence of a huge number of living organisms.
People simply cannot understand the speed with which the climate is changing. In just a couple of thousand years, the Sahara has turned from an oasis into a hot wasteland. It can happen anywhere. - Russell Win, exobiologist.
The first computer simulation of the Sahara took place back in 2013. Then scientists could not believe their own calculations: according to the data received, constant monsoon rains supported the existence of a huge ecosystem, where there was room for both humans and fish.
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Some researchers believe that the changed climatic situation was the main reason for the migration of people from Central Africa.
French researchers have even managed to find an ancient river system fed by a large amount of precipitation. Scientists believe that the entire territory of the Sahara was crossed by the Tamanrasset River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean in the region of Mauritania.
Tamanrasset could well be included in the list of the longest rivers in the world, surpassing even the Amazon.
This information came as a surprise to the entire scientific world. Just two years ago, scientists were convinced that monsoon rains did not provide enough rainfall to power such a huge river.
The data was obtained using the Japanese ALOS satellite. Based on the new information, scientists were able to draw a conclusion about the rich plant and animal life that flourished in the now arid desert.
But everything can go back to normal. Scientists have found: over the past 200,000 years, this area has changed nine times, that is, after several millennia, the Sahara may again become a huge oasis.