The Atacama Desert in northern Chile, one of the Earth’s driest places, experienced something rare.
The place, usually believed to be hot and dry, bloomed with a colorful display of white and purple flowers, CNN reported.
Climate experts attribute the transition to climate change due to higher rainfall which doesn’t happen frequently.
Flowering Desert
The rare event, known as the “flowering desert” or “Desierto Florido,” typically occurs when conditions of rainfall and temperature are just right.
This year’s unusual bloom has been attributed to rainfall driven by El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon that affects global weather patterns.
El Niño causes more rainfall as hot weather evaporates more water which leads to more rainfall.
15 Events in Past 40 Years
Over the past 40 years, approximately 15 such blooming events have occurred, according to an analysis from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
Climate researchers believe that such events are expected to increase and disturb the local ecosystem of the desert.
