<p>Three-quarters of Earth’s land has become permanently drier in the last three decades, according to a recent research by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which was published on Monday, December 9.</p>

<p>According to the report, drylands now make up 40 per cent of the world’s land, excluding Antarctica. Those areas have turned from humid regions to arid ones, where agricultural activities are no longer possible.</p>

<p>Drylands are regions where most of the rainfall water is lost to evaporation, while only a small 10 per cent is left for the vegetation. According to the study, two-thirds of the land on earth will retain less water by midcentury.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/asteroid-that-hit-us-had-a-surprising-effect-on-earth-study-finds-781661">Asteroid that hit US had a surprising effect on Earth, study finds</a></strong></p>

<p>The scientists discovered that the growing aridity between the years 1990 and 2015 in Africa has resulted in a 12 per cent loss in its GDP. In particular, some crops like maize are significantly affected, with yields projected to be halved in Kenya by 2050.</p>

<p>It is predicted that in the next half decade, Africa will see a decline of 16 per cent of its GDP while Asia will witness about 7 per cent.</p>

<p>“Unlike droughts—temporary periods of low rainfall—aridity represents a permanent, unrelenting transformation,” said Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UN convention to combat desertification (UNCCD).</p>

<p>“Droughts end. When an area’s climate becomes drier, however, the ability to return to previous conditions is lost. The drier climates now affecting vast lands across the globe will not return to how they were, and this change is redefining life on Earth.”</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-discover-abnormally-large-skull-of-lost-human-species-in-asia-781439">Scientists discover abnormally large skull of 'lost' human species in Asia</a></strong></p>

<p>A global conference under the UNCCD in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh that will conclude on Friday, December 13, is halfway through. Despite being one of the world’s most arid countries and a driving force for desertification across the world, Saudi Arabia has shown reluctance till now, including at the UN framework convention on climate change conference of the parties (Cop) in Azerbaijan the previous month.</p>

<p>According to the report by UNCCD Science-Policy Interface (SPI), the UN body for assessing the science of land degradation and drought, human-caused climate change is the primary driver of this shift as the world fails to tackle the greenhouse gas emissions, intensive agriculture, and other human activities. This leads to warming of the planet and affects the rainfall, plant life, and evaporation, leading to increased aridity.</p>

<p>As of 2020, about 30 per cent of the world’s population, which is 2.3 billion people, lived in dryland areas, according to UN SPI. By 2100, the number is expected to double if the carbon emissions are not controlled.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Three-quarters of Earth’s land has become permanently drier in the last three decades, according to a recent research by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which was published on Monday, December 9.

Three-quarters of Earth’s land has become permanently drier in the last three decades, according to a recent research by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which was published on Monday, December 9. According to the report, drylands now make up 40 per cent of the world’s land, excluding Antarctica. Those areas have turned from humid regions to arid ones, where agricultural activities are no longer possible. Drylands are regions where most of the rainfall water is lost to evaporation, while only a small 10 per cent is left for the vegetation. According to the study, two-thirds of the land on earth will retain less water by midcentury. Also read | Asteroid that hit US had a surprising effect on Earth, study finds The scientists discovered that the growing aridity between the years 1990 and 2015 in Africa has resulted in a 12 per cent loss in its GDP. In particular, some crops like maize are significantly affected, with yields projected to be halved in Kenya by 2050. It is predicted that in the next half decade, Africa will see a decline of 16 per cent of its GDP while Asia will witness about 7 per cent. “Unlike droughts—temporary periods of low rainfall—aridity represents a permanent, unrelenting transformation,” said Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UN convention to combat desertification (UNCCD). “Droughts end. When an area’s climate becomes drier, however, the ability to return to previous conditions is lost. The drier climates now affecting vast lands across the globe will not return to how they were, and this change is redefining life on Earth.” Also read | Scientists discover abnormally large skull of 'lost' human species in Asia A global conference under the UNCCD in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh that will conclude on Friday, December 13, is halfway through. Despite being one of the world’s most arid countries and a driving force for desertification across the world, Saudi Arabia has shown reluctance till now, including at the UN framework convention on climate change conference of the parties (Cop) in Azerbaijan the previous month. According to the report by UNCCD Science-Policy Interface (SPI), the UN body for assessing the science of land degradation and drought, human-caused climate change is the primary driver of this shift as the world fails to tackle the greenhouse gas emissions, intensive agriculture, and other human activities. This leads to warming of the planet and affects the rainfall, plant life, and evaporation, leading to increased aridity. As of 2020, about 30 per cent of the world’s population, which is 2.3 billion people, lived in dryland areas, according to UN SPI. By 2100, the number is expected to double if the carbon emissions are not controlled. (With inputs from agencies)

Three-quarters of the Earth’s land has become permanently drier, says UN report

<p>The Sahara Desert is undergoing a rare transformation after receiving heavy rainfall. The satellite images&nbsp;show&nbsp;how unusual weather conditions and heavy rainfall are turning the arid yellow regions into green patches.</p>

<p>By the end of September, some parts of the Sahara Desert would have&nbsp;received five times the average rainfall it gets during the month. Some areas of North Africa have been experiencing too much precipitation because of which its usually arid landscape is getting flooded, reported&nbsp;Live Science.</p>

<p>The region does receive rainfall, however, the amount&nbsp;of it is generally a few inches of rain every year, as per the NASA Earth Observatory.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/central-japan-hit-by-massive-rains-floods-several-casualities-feared-760992">Central Japan hit by massive rains, floods; several casualties feared</a></p>

<p>But on September 7 and 8, the region faced an extratropical cyclone - which is a type of storm that has not been categorised as a tropical cyclone and has left behind a huge quantity of runoff water.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">An extratropical cyclone over the Sahara Desert drenched parts of Morocco and Algeria – bringing up to a year’s worth of rain to some areas. 🌧️ <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nasa</a>’s Terra satellite captured floodwaters and some Saharan lakes, usually dry, filled with water. <a href="https://t.co/cuS1c73RoA">https://t.co/cuS1c73RoA</a> <a href="https://t.co/m8Ga8G0FgO">pic.twitter.com/m8Ga8G0FgO</a></p>
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAEarth/status/1836071502384394313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p>NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) captured the heavy rain in the Sahara Desert.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">These images, captured by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIIRS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIIRS</a> onboard the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NOAA21?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NOAA21</a> satellite on Aug. 30 and Sept. 9, 2024, use enhanced color to highlight rain accumulation in the Sahara Desert.<br />
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Clouds are shown in light cyan, while water is dark blue to indicate moisture content.<br />
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Credit: <a href="https://twitter.com/NOAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NOAA</a>/<a href="https://twitter.com/CIRA_CSU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CIRA_CSU</a> <a href="https://t.co/SkFsuUPfJb">pic.twitter.com/SkFsuUPfJb</a></p>
— Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) (@JPSSProgram) <a href="https://twitter.com/JPSSProgram/status/1834581577336066148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p>This is an instrument aboard two satellites which can capture the imagery of the entire surface of Earth every one to two days.</p>

<p>While comparing the satellite images, an increase in water in the region was observed after the thunderstorms. Different shades of blue were seen depending on the depth of the water and vegetation appeared green.</p>

<p>NASA Earth Observatory further reported that water was filled in one of the normally dry lakes in the Sahara Desert as per the satellite images.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Why is the Sahara Desert receiving heavy rainfall?</strong></h2>

<p>According to some scientists, the heavy rainfall in the Sahara Desert has been triggered by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Heavy rains triggered floods in central Japan</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/heavy-rains-triggered-floods-in-central-japan-760985/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The air from the Northern and Southern hemispheres meet in the ITCZ which is a belt close to the equator and can carry storms. This ITCZ has shifted towards the northern Sahara this year and triggered rainfall as per the scientists.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, other experts have said that the water in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea has turned warmer than usual which may have caused the rainfall, reported the outlet and added that it is possible for Sahara to continue receiving more rainfall in the future.</p>

<p>According to NASA's report, more than 38,000 incidents of extreme rainfall have happened over the Sahara, since the time weather records have been&nbsp;maintained. Nearly 30 per cent of that rainfall was received during the summers and some were associated with&nbsp;extratropical cyclones.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The Sahara Desert is undergoing a rare transformation after receiving heavy rainfall. The satellite images show how unusual weather conditions and heavy rainfall are turning the arid yellow regions into green patches.

The Sahara Desert is undergoing a rare transformation after receiving heavy rainfall. The satellite images show how unusual weather conditions and heavy rainfall are turning the arid yellow regions into green patches. By the end of September, some parts of the Sahara Desert would have received five times the average rainfall it gets during the month. Some areas of North Africa have been experiencing too much precipitation because of which its usually arid landscape is getting flooded, reported Live Science. The region does receive rainfall, however, the amount of it is generally a few inches of rain every year, as per the NASA Earth Observatory. Also Read: Central Japan hit by massive rains, floods; several casualties feared But on September 7 and 8, the region faced an extratropical cyclone - which is a type of storm that has not been categorised as a tropical cyclone and has left behind a huge quantity of runoff water. An extratropical cyclone over the Sahara Desert drenched parts of Morocco and Algeria – bringing up to a year’s worth of rain to some areas. 🌧️ @nasa’s Terra satellite captured floodwaters and some Saharan lakes, usually dry, filled with water. https://t.co/cuS1c73RoA pic.twitter.com/m8Ga8G0FgO — NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) September 17, 2024 × NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) captured the heavy rain in the Sahara Desert. These images, captured by #VIIRS onboard the #NOAA21 satellite on Aug. 30 and Sept. 9, 2024, use enhanced color to highlight rain accumulation in the Sahara Desert. Clouds are shown in light cyan, while water is dark blue to indicate moisture content. Credit: @NOAA/@CIRA_CSU pic.twitter.com/SkFsuUPfJb — Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) (@JPSSProgram) September 13, 2024 × This is an instrument aboard two satellites which can capture the imagery of the entire surface of Earth every one to two days. While comparing the satellite images, an increase in water in the region was observed after the thunderstorms. Different shades of blue were seen depending on the depth of the water and vegetation appeared green. NASA Earth Observatory further reported that water was filled in one of the normally dry lakes in the Sahara Desert as per the satellite images. Why is the Sahara Desert receiving heavy rainfall? According to some scientists, the heavy rainfall in the Sahara Desert has been triggered by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Watch: Heavy rains triggered floods in central Japan The air from the Northern and Southern hemispheres meet in the ITCZ which is a belt close to the equator and can carry storms. This ITCZ has shifted towards the northern Sahara this year and triggered rainfall as per the scientists. Meanwhile, other experts have said that the water in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea has turned warmer than usual which may have caused the rainfall, reported the outlet and added that it is possible for Sahara to continue receiving more rainfall in the future. According to NASA's report, more than 38,000 incidents of extreme rainfall have happened over the Sahara, since the time weather records have been maintained. Nearly 30 per cent of that rainfall was received during the summers and some were associated with extratropical cyclones. (With inputs from agencies)

Sahara Desert is turning from arid yellow to lush green. NASA captures this rare transformation

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