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El Nino Brings Change to Earth's Driest Desert
Newser • • world
Key Points:
- The Atacama Desert in Chile, the driest nonpolar desert on Earth, has experienced a massive bloom of wildflowers due to heavy rains brought by a super El Nino weather pattern earlier this year.
- Millions of seeds and bulbs, some dormant for decades, have sprouted across approximately 6,560 square miles, creating a vibrant floral display known as the Desierto Florido, an extraordinary and unusual event featuring over 200 plant species.
- The desert, typically characterized by rocky, brown dunes, has transformed into a colorful carpet of flowers, surprising visitors and locals alike.
- Record rainfall between July and August, driven by the increasingly strong super El Nino phenomenon, caused flooding and devastation in parts of Chile but also enabled this historic flowering event.
- Experts highlight that this rare bloom is linked to the super El Nino's impact on global temperatures and precipitation patterns, marking a unique ecological occurrence in the Atacama region.
