An Empirical Analysis of the Variation of Precipitation Patterns in the Sahara Desert and their Environmental Consequences

The Sahara Desert, in Africa has been known to be part of the hottest regions of the Earth. As a desert it is expected to always have low rainfall, limited vegetation, and high temperatures. Recent observations using satellite images have shown an increase in vegetation cover in some parts of the Sahara Desert. This observation has been attributed to variation in precipitation pattern within the region. In this study, the changed precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, and hail) is the variable of focus. Precipitation data for twenty years (November 2004 to October 2024) was accessed from National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Giovanni data platform. The study shows that the significant change in the precipitation pattern over the two decades was only observable at the twentieth year. This change was attributed to the cause of the greenness observed in a portion of the Sahara Desert as seen by satellite. Hence, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data for the selected period is also given to show the new greening areas. The consequences of the observed change in precipitation and the attendant greening were also analyzed in relation to climate change and other factors.