Why Is There a Desert in Somalia? Odd Geography
Descrição
Why is there a desert in Somalia and Kenya, extending to the equator? For that matter, why is East Africa home to savannas and woodlands, rather than the rainforest we often find at such equatorial latitudes? And shouldn't subtropical West Asia be more humid, considering the fact that subtropical deserts are usually absent from eastern coastlines? The expansive deserts and savannas of Eastern Africa and Western Asia are explained in this video.
00:00 (Introduction)
02:00 (ITCZ Explained)
03:30 (Asian Monsoon Winds)
04:06 (Rain Shadow)
05:18 (Winter Monsoon Winds)
05:52 (Southern Hemisphere Monsoon)
06:31 (The Silver Lining)
07:02 (Upwelling)
08:08 (Somali Jet)
08:56 (Turkana Jet)
09:43 (Effect of Madagascar)
Image Sources:
Daniel Davis (creator)
NASA
NOAA
Wikipedia Creative Commons: Charles J. Sharp, Manuel Werner, Byekwaso Blasio, Krg, Rhanjit Baskar.
Flickr Creative Commons: DFID—UK Department for International Development
earth.nullschool.net
Google Earth
Information Sources:
Nicholson, S. (2011). Dryland Climatology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511973840 p. 293-320.
Barimalala, R., Desbiolles, F., Blamey, R. C., & Reason, C. (2018). Madagascar Influence on the South Indian Ocean Convergence Zone, the Mozambique Channel Trough and Southern African Rainfall. Geophysical Research Letters. doi:10.1029/2018gl079964
Sharma, S., Ha, KJ., Cai, W. et al. Local meridional circulation changes contribute to a projected slowdown of the Indian Ocean Walker circulation. npj Clim Atmos Sci 5, 15 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-022-00242-w
King, J. A., Engelstaedter, S., Washington, R., & Munday, C. (2021). Variability of the Turkana low-level jet in reanalysis and models: Implications for rainfall. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 126, e2020JD034154. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD034154
Vizy, E. K., and Cook, K. H. (2003), Connections between the summer east African and Indian rainfall regimes, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4510, doi:10.1029/2003JD003452, D16.
Rito, T., Vieira, D., Silva, M., Conde-Sousa, E., Pereira, L., Mellars, P., … Soares, P. (2019). A dispersal of Homo sapiens from southern to eastern Africa immediately preceded the out-of-Africa migration. Scientific Reports, 9(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41176-3
Maslin, M. A., Shultz, S., & Trauth, M. H. (2015). A synthesis of the theories and concepts of early human evolution. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1663), 20140064–20140064. doi:10.1098/rstb.2014.0064
Estes, R. (1991). The Behavior Guide to African Mammals. University of California Press. pp. 240–242. ISBN 978-0-520-08085-0.
Kingdon, J. (1988). East African Mammals: An Atlas of Evolution in Africa, Volume 3, Part B: Large Mammals. University of Chicago Press. pp. 147–61
O’connor, D., Stacy‐Dawes, J., Muneza, A., Fennessy, J., Gobush, K., Chase, M. J., Mueller, T. (2019). Updated geographic range maps for giraffe, Giraffa spp., throughout sub‐Saharan Africa, and implications of changing distributions for conservation. Mammal Review. doi:10.1111/mam.12165
Monsoon wind and maritime trade: a case study of historical evidence from Orissa, India. Sila Tripati and L. N. Raut. Current Science, Vol. 90, No. 6 (25 March 2006), pp. 864-871.
Asefa, M., Cao, M., YunYun, H., Mekonnen, E., Song, X., & Jie, Y. (2020). Ethiopian vegetation types, climate and topography. Plant Diversity. doi:10.1016/j.pld.2020.04.004
Glaw, F. (2015). "Taxonomic checklist of chameleons (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae)". Vertebrate Zoology. 65 (2): 167–246.
Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 157.
Ahrens, C. D. (2013). Meteorology Today (10th ed., pp. 490-492). Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Monthly Wind Climatology. Climate Monitoring Technologies, Columbia University. https://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/maproom/Global/Climatologies/Vector_Winds.html
Chatterjee, A., Kumar, B. P., Prakash, S., & Singh, P. (2019). Annihilation of the Somali upwelling system during summer monsoon. Scientific Reports, 9(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-019-44099-1
NOAA
00:00 (Introduction)
02:00 (ITCZ Explained)
03:30 (Asian Monsoon Winds)
04:06 (Rain Shadow)
05:18 (Winter Monsoon Winds)
05:52 (Southern Hemisphere Monsoon)
06:31 (The Silver Lining)
07:02 (Upwelling)
08:08 (Somali Jet)
08:56 (Turkana Jet)
09:43 (Effect of Madagascar)
Image Sources:
Daniel Davis (creator)
NASA
NOAA
Wikipedia Creative Commons: Charles J. Sharp, Manuel Werner, Byekwaso Blasio, Krg, Rhanjit Baskar.
Flickr Creative Commons: DFID—UK Department for International Development
earth.nullschool.net
Google Earth
Information Sources:
Nicholson, S. (2011). Dryland Climatology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511973840 p. 293-320.
Barimalala, R., Desbiolles, F., Blamey, R. C., & Reason, C. (2018). Madagascar Influence on the South Indian Ocean Convergence Zone, the Mozambique Channel Trough and Southern African Rainfall. Geophysical Research Letters. doi:10.1029/2018gl079964
Sharma, S., Ha, KJ., Cai, W. et al. Local meridional circulation changes contribute to a projected slowdown of the Indian Ocean Walker circulation. npj Clim Atmos Sci 5, 15 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-022-00242-w
King, J. A., Engelstaedter, S., Washington, R., & Munday, C. (2021). Variability of the Turkana low-level jet in reanalysis and models: Implications for rainfall. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 126, e2020JD034154. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD034154
Vizy, E. K., and Cook, K. H. (2003), Connections between the summer east African and Indian rainfall regimes, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4510, doi:10.1029/2003JD003452, D16.
Rito, T., Vieira, D., Silva, M., Conde-Sousa, E., Pereira, L., Mellars, P., … Soares, P. (2019). A dispersal of Homo sapiens from southern to eastern Africa immediately preceded the out-of-Africa migration. Scientific Reports, 9(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-019-41176-3
Maslin, M. A., Shultz, S., & Trauth, M. H. (2015). A synthesis of the theories and concepts of early human evolution. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1663), 20140064–20140064. doi:10.1098/rstb.2014.0064
Estes, R. (1991). The Behavior Guide to African Mammals. University of California Press. pp. 240–242. ISBN 978-0-520-08085-0.
Kingdon, J. (1988). East African Mammals: An Atlas of Evolution in Africa, Volume 3, Part B: Large Mammals. University of Chicago Press. pp. 147–61
O’connor, D., Stacy‐Dawes, J., Muneza, A., Fennessy, J., Gobush, K., Chase, M. J., Mueller, T. (2019). Updated geographic range maps for giraffe, Giraffa spp., throughout sub‐Saharan Africa, and implications of changing distributions for conservation. Mammal Review. doi:10.1111/mam.12165
Monsoon wind and maritime trade: a case study of historical evidence from Orissa, India. Sila Tripati and L. N. Raut. Current Science, Vol. 90, No. 6 (25 March 2006), pp. 864-871.
Asefa, M., Cao, M., YunYun, H., Mekonnen, E., Song, X., & Jie, Y. (2020). Ethiopian vegetation types, climate and topography. Plant Diversity. doi:10.1016/j.pld.2020.04.004
Glaw, F. (2015). "Taxonomic checklist of chameleons (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae)". Vertebrate Zoology. 65 (2): 167–246.
Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 157.
Ahrens, C. D. (2013). Meteorology Today (10th ed., pp. 490-492). Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Monthly Wind Climatology. Climate Monitoring Technologies, Columbia University. https://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/maproom/Global/Climatologies/Vector_Winds.html
Chatterjee, A., Kumar, B. P., Prakash, S., & Singh, P. (2019). Annihilation of the Somali upwelling system during summer monsoon. Scientific Reports, 9(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-019-44099-1
NOAA
Palavra-chave: meteorologia moçambique hoje
Comentários da comunidade
@orpheus1662 YouTube · 19/11/2023 · 👍 1592
Hundreds of trees are cut down daily in Somalia and shipped to the UAE as charcoal. The UAE might seem like a first world country but they require charcoal for some reason.
@thecoder7188 YouTube · 23/11/2023 · 👍 933
As a person who lives in Central Somalia 🇸🇴 i always used to ask myself why my country is hot desert while the neighbouring countries aren't. Thanks for explaining this important topic.
@salman_chowdhury YouTube · 26/11/2023 · 👍 156
This is a very underappreciated fact, but due to Somalia being the only place on earth with an arid climate on equator on the eastern side of a continent - those areas are quite literally the best place on earth to launch rockets from. Equatorial location provides maximum payload boost, arid climate means launches are not hampered by rain, and being on the eastern side of Africa - the boosters would crash on the ocean far away from human settlement.
@younisroble YouTube · 26/11/2023 · 👍 98
As a Somali, watching this video explained why Nairobi felt like I was back in Addis Abba and why Muqdisho is brighter and hotter! Thank you Casual Earth!
@s.o.m.a.l.i.a5800 YouTube · 20/11/2023 · 👍 32
In old story we were toll the land was raining and green for centuries and suddenly the rain became less and the land got dry .
@spritestar141 YouTube · 19/11/2023 · 👍 7
Babe wake up the best Youtuber on the planet just dropped a new one 🎉
@kamal-hassan YouTube · 20/11/2023 · 👍 38
I’m from Somalia and it’s quite arid here. Very low rainfall and droughts most of the time.
@dealingwithkatherine4068 YouTube · 25/01/2024 · 👍 219
I am studying seasonal rainfall in this region for my PhD and this video encapsulates basically every way in which this region is so dry. Similar to El Nino (and La Nina), the Indian Ocean undergoes a similar type of variability called the IOD (Indian ocean dipole). Occasionally, when SST (sea surface temperature) anomalies are high in the west, such that the water temperature is above average, this can (for a brief period) increase rainfall in east Africa. This typically only occurs in the 'short rains' season from October-December since positive IOD events only tend to occur following boreal summer. positive IOD events increased rainfall in east Africa in short rains 2023 and 2019, bringing flooding and a high impact on the people who live there.
@casualearth-dandavis YouTube · 19/11/2023 · 👍 315
To keep it close to ten minutes, many details were left out of this video. I’ve studied this topic for many years, so if you have a question (or any climate question) please ask in the comments! Thanks for watching.
@allhailmacrinus YouTube · 11/02/2024 · 👍 8
It’s crazy because the ethnically Somali regions in Kenya and Ethiopia are also desert