Scientists say the Horn of Africa's rapidly worsening climate is cause for concern, according to a Scientific American article. New research indicates that the Horn of Africa is getting hotter and drier more quickly than it has over the past 2,000 years.
Scientists studied the chemical structures of land plant traces taken from marine sediments found in the region to determine dry and wet periods over time. Surprisingly, their findings contradict existing global climate models which speculate that drier areas will get wetter as carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise.
The current models tend to partially or completely miss the Horn's longer rainy season, which skews their results. The study pinpoints the need for additional climate data for the area. Scientists contend that finding connections among atmosphere, ocean and land is a very difficult task.