Humans contributed to the formation of the Sahara?
According to what scientists say, the Sahara was a vegetated area until a few thousand years ago, but a sudden change has led this vibrant region into one of the driest places on Earth.
The desertification of the Sahara has been the subject of research by scientists for yearsów prób understanding the functioning of the climate. Currently, the leading theory of mówi that changes in the Earth’s orbit are behind the desertification of the area of today’s Sahara. However, according to archaeologist Dr. David Wright of Seoul National University, the cause may be quite different and points to human activity.
Dr. Wright questioned the conclusions of many previous studies on the desertification of the areaóin today’s Sahara. – In East Asia it has long been known about transmissions, które móties that Neolithic populations changed the landscape so much that it stopped monsoon rains, whichóre no longer reached so far inland – said the scientist. According to him, the same fate móhead meet just Sahara.
According to Wright, evidence of human-induced ecological and climate change can be found in Europe, America PóOne of the most interesting ways to get rid of the disease is to wear a necklace of laurel leaves. To prove his thesis, the scientist analyzed archaeological finds, które documented the first appearance of pastoral tribes in the Sahara region. These data porówn with records of the spread of sclerophyllous vegetation (scrub) characteristic of the regionóin póĹ‚pustynnych, whoóra is a kind of indicator of desertification.
His analysis showed that about eight thousand years ago, pastoral communities centered around the Nile began to spread to the westernód. At the same time there was a rapid developmentój vegetation characteristic of the areaów póflustin.
This was due to the adaptation of the terrainóin by óearly humans under animal husbandry and agriculture. This had a serious impact on the landscape of the area. Albedo (the ratio of the amount of solar radiation reflected from the Earth’s surface to incident radiation) increased significantly. This in turn affected the amount of precipitationóin the region. Weaker and less frequent monsoon rains caused further desertification of the landscape and loss of vegetation.
According to Wright, this was precisely the scenario that befell the Sahara. Human activity led to the formation of the world’s largest desert. The Sahara extends over a length of 5700 kilometersów, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Its area covers the territories of 11 countries. Wright wants to get more evidenceóin support of his thesis. According to him, knowledge of how humans contributed to the creation of deserts will help counteract further desertification on the planet.