Title: The Sahara Desert used to be green and lush. Then humans showed up.
Headings: The Sahara Desert used to be green and lush. Then humans showed up.
The Sahara Desert used to be green and lush. Then humans showed up.
Solving the mystery of the Sahara

Content: A map of the North African landscape during the African Humid Period (AHP) around 10,000 years ago (left) and today (right). The thick dashed line represents the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ICTZ), where winds from the southern and northern hemispheres meet. The region south of the ICTZ receives more rainfall than the region to the north. The thin dashed line represents the Congo Air Boundary (CAB), where winds from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. The region west of the CAB receives more rainfall than the region to the east. Wright’s research suggests widespread grazing transformed the landscape, shifting these lines. Wright, 2017
Foley said Wright’s research offers “a thought-provoking idea, worthy of more debate and study, but the current body of evidence does not prove the hypothesis.” Wright noted this idea has a historical parallel. Humans transformed the climate in Asia and North America through grazing. And the loss of vegetation continues to affect the climate today.