I'm a geek. I like this kind of stuff, and this is interesting as hell. =)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10...est_dust_link/
Scientists have conclusively demonstrated the extent of the link between the Sahara desert and the Amazon rainforests.
It might sound unlikely, but their work has shown that the Amazon rainforest depends on dust from one tiny area of the Sahara desert to restock its soil with nutrients and minerals. Analysis of images from NASA's MODIS satellite have revealed the Bodélé, a region of the Sahara not far from Lake Chad, as the source of more than half the material that fertilises the rainforest.
The Bodélé depression was already known as one of the largest sources of dust in the world, but the scientists involved in the research say no one had any idea of the scale of the region's importance to the Amazon. It transpires that if the Bodélé was not there, the Amazon would be a mere wet desert.
It might sound unlikely, but their work has shown that the Amazon rainforest depends on dust from one tiny area of the Sahara desert to restock its soil with nutrients and minerals. Analysis of images from NASA's MODIS satellite have revealed the Bodélé, a region of the Sahara not far from Lake Chad, as the source of more than half the material that fertilises the rainforest.
The Bodélé depression was already known as one of the largest sources of dust in the world, but the scientists involved in the research say no one had any idea of the scale of the region's importance to the Amazon. It transpires that if the Bodélé was not there, the Amazon would be a mere wet desert.
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