Teh One Who Knocks
10-25-2021, 12:28 PM
Sean Seddon for Metro.co.uk
https://i.imgur.com/21o6hVn.jpg
A seemingly lifeless desert has sprung into life and transformed into a purple oasis.
The sand dunes of Chile’s Atacama are the driest place on Earth but these tiny flowers cling on.
Their seeds survive through the blisteringly hot summers in a region that sees less than an inch of rain every year.
What makes this year’s bloom even more impressive is that there’s been a drought in recent months.
Resistant seeds and bulbs are able to survive the Atacama’s extremely dry weather for years at a time until they flower during the spring.
In areas which get no rain for an entire year, which isn’t uncommon, they lie dormant until some water arrives further down the line.
More than 200 species of plant, many of which exist nowhere else on the planet, are known to be able to cling to life in these conditions.
https://i.imgur.com/MpvgrvE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vWPaG3x.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/o8GWTqg.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/TVbfSIP.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/yMuZBFD.jpg
Scientists are concerned that a warming planet could see the astonishing natural phenomenon wiped out for good.
Biologist Andrea Loaiza said: ‘This is a natural laboratory, because it lets you see how changes in rainfall affect plant diversity.’
Conservationists work hard to protect the area from tourists who drive deep into the desert to witness the rare occurrence.
https://i.imgur.com/qQMU4a1.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/SNkHshu.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/yKLmLgT.jpg
Plant traffickers have targeted the flowers in the past and vehicles have been driven into the area, damaging the terrain.
Biologist Cesar Pizarro said that the area has tended to receive less and less rainfall over time, with the exception of the years 2007 and 2011.
He said: ‘Even though the rain is restricted to a small area, it is still impressive to see it in the planet’s most arid desert.’
The water deficit has led to studies in the region that seek to understand the impact that climate change has had over local plant species, as well as the plants’ ability to survive and adapt to the drier environment.
https://i.imgur.com/21o6hVn.jpg
A seemingly lifeless desert has sprung into life and transformed into a purple oasis.
The sand dunes of Chile’s Atacama are the driest place on Earth but these tiny flowers cling on.
Their seeds survive through the blisteringly hot summers in a region that sees less than an inch of rain every year.
What makes this year’s bloom even more impressive is that there’s been a drought in recent months.
Resistant seeds and bulbs are able to survive the Atacama’s extremely dry weather for years at a time until they flower during the spring.
In areas which get no rain for an entire year, which isn’t uncommon, they lie dormant until some water arrives further down the line.
More than 200 species of plant, many of which exist nowhere else on the planet, are known to be able to cling to life in these conditions.
https://i.imgur.com/MpvgrvE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vWPaG3x.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/o8GWTqg.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/TVbfSIP.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/yMuZBFD.jpg
Scientists are concerned that a warming planet could see the astonishing natural phenomenon wiped out for good.
Biologist Andrea Loaiza said: ‘This is a natural laboratory, because it lets you see how changes in rainfall affect plant diversity.’
Conservationists work hard to protect the area from tourists who drive deep into the desert to witness the rare occurrence.
https://i.imgur.com/qQMU4a1.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/SNkHshu.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/yKLmLgT.jpg
Plant traffickers have targeted the flowers in the past and vehicles have been driven into the area, damaging the terrain.
Biologist Cesar Pizarro said that the area has tended to receive less and less rainfall over time, with the exception of the years 2007 and 2011.
He said: ‘Even though the rain is restricted to a small area, it is still impressive to see it in the planet’s most arid desert.’
The water deficit has led to studies in the region that seek to understand the impact that climate change has had over local plant species, as well as the plants’ ability to survive and adapt to the drier environment.