El Niño rains awaken millions of dormant seeds in Chile's Atacama Desert
Heavy precipitation from El Niño has triggered a rare mass flowering across thousands of hectares of one of Earth's driest regions.
What to know
- El Niño-driven rains have triggered the rare "flowering desert" phenomenon in Chile's Atacama, one of Earth's driest places.
- Approximately 200 plant species with dormant seeds and bulbs have bloomed across thousands of hectares, carpeting the landscape with violet and white flowers.
- This is a fleeting natural display that occurs only when sufficient moisture reaches the region, awakening seeds that can lie dormant for extended periods.
“The Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, has changed appearance after heavy rains in northern Chile. Vast stretches of land that are normally parched have been carpeted with violet and white blossoms in a natural phenomenon known as the "flowering desert".”
Euronews · Euronews ↗
El Niño weather pattern Climate driver
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesvideosposts
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Thousands of hectares bloom as El Niño transforms Atacama
Updated reporting confirms that exceptionally heavy El Niño rains have awakened millions of seeds lying dormant underground, carpeting vast swathes of the Atacama with violet and white blossoms from approximately 200 different species in the natural phenomenon known as the "flowering desert."
“Exceptionally heavy El Niño rains have awakened millions of seeds lying dormant underground, blanketing vast swathes of one of the planet's driest regions with flowers.”
— Euronews -
first by The Atlantic, 23h ago · also Euronews
2 more headlines
- El Niño transforms Atacama desert as thousands of hectares burst into bloom Euronews.com · 23h ago
- El Niño transforms Chile's Atacama Desert as thousands of hectares bloom Euronews · 23h ago
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El Niño rains trigger wildflower bloom in Atacama Desert
Exceptionally heavy El Niño precipitation has awakened dormant seeds in Chile's Atacama Desert, creating a rare fleeting display of wildflowers across the world's driest region.
“El Niño helped set the stage for rare precipitation in Chile's Atacama Desert, awakening dormant seeds for a fleeting display of wildflowers.”
— CNN -
first by Phys.org, 20h ago
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