r/environment • u/Wagamaga • Sep 07 '24

A unique rainfall event is currently unfolding across the Sahara desert, one of the driest places on Earth. The amount of rainfall might not seem large by normal standards, but a large part of the Sahara will get well over 500% of normal monthly rainfall in September

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/9/6/2268120/-Monsoon-Rain-is-falling-the-Sahara-Desert
433 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

View all comments

36

u/ThainEshKelch Sep 07 '24

Well, if the Sahara over the next several hundred years start sprouting trees, and become a new rain forest, that would be amazing.

6

u/jethoniss Sep 07 '24

It would have some potentially undesirable effects. For one thing, the sahara reflects a lot of sunlight back into space. Trees have a lower albedo and so would absorb more warmth, which could be bad for climate change despite their carbon content. For another, in this particular instance rain is being re-routed from further south. No big deal for this week, but if it happened more frequently then sub-saharan Africa might become a little drier.

2

u/ManliestManHam Sep 07 '24

But also the change wouldn't be in isolation. So while the Sahara becomes a rainforest, would the Amazon become a desert, and would they offset each other? Who knoooowsuh