Sahara Desert

The Sahara Desert used to be lush and full of vegetation – researchers find clues to what killed it

The Sahara Desert was a vast, rich grassland with plenty of rainfall just 6,000 years ago. Then it suddenly turned into the bleak and arid desert it is today. This transition was due to a shift in the circulation in the tropical atmosphere, researchers say. A new model of how tropical rain belts shift over time shows that a...