Photo series of unusual rain makes desert bloom in the middle of winter

Photo series of unusual rain makes desert bloom in the middle of winter

Saturday, July 13, 2024 11:59 PM (GMT+7)

Unusual rainfall causes flowers to bloom in winter in Chile's Atacama Desert.

Vast swaths of the Atacama Desert, the driest place on the planet, are covered in purple and white flowers following unusual rains in northern Chile.

Typically, this desert blooms every few years in the spring in the South – if and when conditions are right – covering thousands of square kilometers.

However, experts say the flower is now appearing in winter, something that hasn't happened since 2015.

Cesar Pizarro, head of biodiversity conservation at the National Forestry Corporation, said the 11-12 mm of rain in April, “plus the very dense low cloud cover in the area that wets these surfaces every night”, helped to activate these plants.

While the famous spring blooming desert covers more than 15,000 square kilometers, this winter the bloom only covers a few hundred square kilometers.

At its peak, there were over 200 species of plants blooming here.

Recent weather conditions have been mostly suitable for the "pata de guanaco", a purple flower that requires almost no water and prefers sandy places.

Scientists have yet to determine whether the phenomenon is “directly related to climate change or to El Nino or La Nina,” Pizarro said.

View of the Atacama Desert covered in flowers in Copiapo, Chile.

Thanh Nha (according to GDTĐ)

Source: https://danviet.vn/chum-anh-mua-bat-thuong-khien-sa-mac-no-hoa-giua-mua-dong-20240713223351074.htm