Read here. The African region known as the Sahel lies just south of the Sahara, from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea. The climate experts had predicted that this region of Africa would be come more arid, with a greater frequency of droughts due to global warming making it an unlivable area. That has not happened. The consensus of climate experts was wrong.
Instead, the Sahel has received more rainfall, and vegetation is growing in areas that were previously rock and sand. The greening has become so well established that agriculture has once again become viable.
"The United Nations’ Africa Report of 2008 confirmed that the greening of the Sahel is now well established and that increases in rainfall are the main driver of the change in the vegetation cover. The report noted that there was a 50% increase in vegetation in parts of Mali, Mauritania and Chad during 1982-2003. Vegetation changes play a significant role in the rainfall variability. The increase in rainfall has allowed more plants to grow, which in turn increases precipitation even more. Plants transfer moisture from the soil into the air by evaporation from their leaves and hold water in the soil close to the surface, where it can also evaporate. The darker surface of plants compared with sand also absorb more solar radiation, which can create convection and turbulence in the atmosphere which might create rainfall. Vegetation effects account for around 30 percent of annual rainfall variation in the Sahel. The increased vegetation will fix the soil, enhance its anti-wind-erosion ability, reduce the possibility of released dust and consequently cause a decline in the numbers of sand-dust storms."
Previous failed-prediction postings.
