<p><a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090731-green-sahara.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This article of desert greening</a> states that some areas around the Sahara have seen increased plant growth in recent decades, caused by global warming. The causal chain would be warmer air can hold more water -> more precipitation -> more plant growth.</p>

<p>Apparently (from historical sources) the Sahara was wetter during the medieval climate anomaly, which would fit.</p>

<p>However, the article gives as sources satellite images, reports by locals on plant growth and climate models predicting increased precipitation. Which makes me wonder, isn't there direct measurement of precipitation in some relevant areas (over the last decades)? Don't we have direct data to check?</p>

<p>Helpful would be data from the areas indicated in the article: Sahel zone, central Chad, Western Sudan.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-30T11:18:48.297Z
[Here](https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/variables/atmosphere/precipitation) you will find a list of precipitation data sets (gauge, satellite-only, and gauge+satellite). A brief overview is given [here](https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/precipitation-data-sets-overview-comparison-table). These are products summarizing individual measurements. The [CRU TS3.21](http://catalogue.ceda.ac.uk/uuid/ac4ecbd554d0dd52a9b575d9666dc42d) data set is one example.
daniel.heydebreck
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-30T11:21:44.347Z
One on the publications mentioned in the article is available [here](dx.doi.org/10.1029/2005GL023232). When they documented their work nicely, you should be able to find more information in there.
daniel.heydebreck
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-30T11:46:41.553Z
Hmm, the article shows a decrease in precipitation in between (or rather a draught in the 70ties to 90ties) but I need to read it in more detail. @daniel.neumann thx, I've looked briefly at one data set and am not yet sure I can make heads andtails of it - see if I can answer my question myself over the next days, else I'll reformulate.
mart
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-01T14:02:21.213Z
There is a recent Nature paper on rainfall in the Sahel Zone: [Park et al., 2016](dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3065). Maybe the National Geographic articles was initialized by that paper?
daniel.heydebreck
<climate-change><measurements><rainfall><desert>
Desert greening - Do we have long term (several decades) data on precipitation around the Sahara?
mart
# Desert greening - Do we have long term (several decades) data on precipitation around the Sahara?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-06-30)

[This article of desert greening](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090731-green-sahara.html) states that some areas around the Sahara have seen increased plant growth in recent decades, caused by global warming. The causal chain would be warmer air can hold more water -> more precipitation -> more plant growth.

Apparently (from historical sources) the Sahara was wetter during the medieval climate anomaly, which would fit.

However, the article gives as sources satellite images, reports by locals on plant growth and climate models predicting increased precipitation. Which makes me wonder, isn't there direct measurement of precipitation in some relevant areas (over the last decades)? Don't we have direct data to check?

Helpful would be data from the areas indicated in the article: Sahel zone, central Chad, Western Sudan.

**Tags:** climate-change, measurements, rainfall, desert

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: [Here](https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/variables/atmosphere/precipitation) you will find a list of precipitation data sets (gauge, satellite-only, and gauge+satellite). A brief overview is given [here](https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/precipitation-data-sets-overview-comparison-table). These are products summarizing individual measurements. The [CRU TS3.21](http://catalogue.ceda.ac.uk/uuid/ac4ecbd554d0dd52a9b575d9666dc42d) data set is one example.  
> **username_1**: One on the publications mentioned in the article is available [here](dx.doi.org/10.1029/2005GL023232). When they documented their work nicely, you should be able to find more information in there.  
> **username_0**: Hmm, the article shows a decrease in precipitation in between (or rather a draught in the 70ties to 90ties) but I need to read it in more detail. @daniel.neumann thx, I've looked briefly at one data set and am not yet sure I can make heads andtails of it - see if I can answer my question myself over the next days, else I'll reformulate.  
> **username_1**: There is a recent Nature paper on rainfall in the Sahel Zone: [Park et al., 2016](dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3065). Maybe the National Geographic articles was initialized by that paper?  

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## 0 answers

