Why Is There a Desert in Somalia? Odd Geography

[@g.a.bconsult3darchitectura892]

Am Peter Ngugi from Kenya and am a climatologist researcher. I have found some answers on this video which i have been finding concerning decline of long rains season (March April May) in this particular region (Equatorial Eastern Africa). As the ITCZ move southward from northern hemisphere during Short rains season (October - December), its seems Splitted / gap in between (eastern part and western part), and then join while being above the equator as far as being in southern hemisphere. The splitting phenomena create a vacuum in Somalia, eastern Ethiopia and eastern Kenya hence no tropical storms at this particular regions which ended up to dryness. Good work for a very informative Video..

[@thecoder7188]

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.

[@Wayeelow]

@JustinYiseverywhere Insha' Allah

[@WARLORDDOM]

Hahahha Hahahah Ogaden will be free Of Somalia

[@Mrbarentsberg]

​@@WARLORDDOM the leader of ogedon was assassinated😂😂😂

[@user-ko2lp6zb6o]

It didn't feel like a desert when I was there. More like savannah ish

[@hotman_pt_]

my condolences

[@vlachlemnmichail]

Man you went from like 15.000 to now almost 80.000 subscribers in the last three months. Keep uploading a little bit more frequently and you'll boom, your style is very appreciable.

[@casualearth-dandavis]

Thanks, I am completing a teaching certification this year and that takes most of my free time. After I finish it, I'll be able to upload a lot more frequently.

[@solomon4554]

​@@casualearth-dandavisbest of luck to you!

[@daltonmiller5590]

@@casualearth-dandavis You're doing exactly what I aim to do in the future. Just started Uni to become a history professor. I've thought about doing KZbin videos on the side, but I have no idea where to start. You're a great inspiration! This is the level of quality content I hope to one day begin to create.

[@wxcvbndu51]

​@@casualearth-dandavisyeah focus on your academic certification for now, that's the most stable path between this and KZbin. Still, I'll stay tuned to see what you have coming next!

[@rhymesmithnash9957]

Llmlml .rà😊

[@casualearth-dandavis]

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.

[@CrispyGFX]

Feel free to make these 15, 30, 60 minutes long or more.

[@MegaClaymore123]

Great video. I wish I studied this sort of thing in university

[@dylancooper787]

Your channel is exactly what I've been looking for quite some time now. I love learning about the interplay between geological, meteorological, and geographical phenomena. So many channels out there are too superficial, but I don't necessarily want to watch recorded college lectures.. Your channel is the perfect balance. So happy I came across your video on extreme microclimates of elevated sinkholes. Keep up the good work!

[@Vativ]

@@CrispyGFX pls dont do this, i have a zoomer attention span and 30 minutes is too much

[@_helium_]

Please feel free to include all of the information you wish. These videos are fantastic. I love your channel!

[@orpheus1662]

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.

[@casualearth-dandavis]

Yes, a local sea breeze circulation helps to create a belt of scrub and forest a few kilometers inland in part of Somalia. But this unfortunately is a heavily degraded habitat, and most of the country has suffered similar habitat destruction. All of the megafauna adapted to arid Kenya (Grevy's Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, etc.) were once widespread in Somalia.

[@skp8748]

That's only down south... Puntland Galmudug and Somaliland have strict laws against it

[@mohamedhussein4124]

It’s business

[@franceshorton918]

@casualearth Such a shame that humans will cut down the trees and bush, And Not Plant Replacements. Maybe the people need to live TODAY and have no capacity to think of their children's world tomorrow. Perhaps no one would care for the emergent bush. Allow their hungry animals to graze. Mankind's stewardship of the very environment that could sustain them (and their livestock) is broken. I wonder why this isn't obvious.... ?

[@skp8748]

@@franceshorton918 illegal trade with UAE who buy from Al shabab

[@dealingwithkatherine4068]

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.

[@alexanderconrad669]

Why is the rainfall during boreal spring not increased but the rainfall during boreal autumn is? For example in April when the ITC is in east Afrika, only moving in the other direction bringing convection close to potentially warmer ocean waters during El Nino?

[@dealingwithkatherine4068]

​@@alexanderconrad669 this is because positive IOD events typically begin in boreal summer, so the strong SST anomalies associated with them are at their peak around October alongside the short rains season. For more info I recommend reading Saji et al 1999 "A dipole mode in the tropical Indian Ocean". Variability in the long rains season in the most recent decades is characterised more by La Nina, such that La Nina brings drought during this rainfall season.

[@Anoss91]

no, sorry. The Sahara was green and full of water 6000 years ago. Life developed there. A few things ravaged everything in a very short time, and it was this devastation that changed the conditions not the other way around, water or no water, you don't create a desert like that, PHD or not, you are wrong.

[@petarkrsmanovic9166]

Thanks for verifying that the video is not false in any way. I want to ask you a question if you dont mind. Before watching this video i thought that because of how big pacific is the water around indonesia should be the warmest ocean water and that this causes stationary cyclone in this area and that moistore is eliminated from east africa by walker circulation. What are you thoughts about this? Also is the interpretation of somali jet influence a bit wrong because it does not look at 4 quadrants of the jet streak?

[@GnomaPhobic]

I really enjoyed this video. Discovering your channel has been a real pleasure this year, I'm realizing how little I know about how physical geography influences weather and climate; I have a history background and it's cool to discover a whole new perspective on natural forces that have shaped human history. Keep up the great work!

[@gabiesanchez8943]

As a Kenyan, I now understand why Kenya has such varied climates from East to West (1000 miles apart), and why the Turkana region has such powerful winds, and also so dry. I get why South Sudan experiences heavy storms and sometimes flooding creating superb pastures, and it totally makes sense. (Maybe the same weather effect influences the South Sudanese height in some way; weather> superb pastures> many cows> lots of milk> calcium in milk helps in bone growth> tall people). Netherlands has a very tall population and they consume a lot of dairy products. And yes, these climatic conditions in Eastern Africa must have played a huge part in human evolution. The East African region is very fascinating to archaeologists because they have found some of the oldest evidence of human activity in this region. Early man must have actively looked for the warm, moderately wet climate of East Africa in order to increase his comfort and his chance of survival.

[@neverlookback1244]

The pygmies live a few kilometers away in the forests of Central African Republic and they are one of the shortest people

[@RazorMureithi]

could not have said it better

[@lukahkamande6826]

I understand why Kengen is planning to create another wind farm in Marsabit county

[@meaktooni]

North Kenya North itiobia Djibouti somalia land is somaliland 🇸🇴🇸🇴🇸🇴🇸🇴🇩🇯🇩🇯🇩🇯🇩🇯

[@kaboonali5466]

@@meaktooniwhy are you telling

[@amillison]

Thanks so much for this video. I have been trying to answer this exact question after doing some research on Dodoma, Tanzania. I could not undertand why this area of Africa is so arid, but now I have an explanation. Keep up the great work :-)

[@evandewey6539]

East africa is fascinating in so many ways. Great video

[@jacobdewey2508]

So true!

[@tedsteiner]

The cradle of humanity :)

[@torstimyle1355]

​@@tedsteiner evolution is illusion

[@AliHussein-gv6nh]

Somalia 🇸🇴 you meant 😆 ancient land

[@joalvarado8506]

It’s more fascinating when you realize that one of the world’s major language families originated there. Afro-Asiatic people came from the horn and their early forms of pre-agriculture influenced true agriculture in the Levant some few thousand years later and likely contributed to the drying in the area as well. The Egyptians themselves believed that they and their gods came from the land of Punt.

[@yo1or]

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!

[@BraveOnE_]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and Research, you answered all the key points of climate questions that we ask our selves. Lived both Somalia and Kenya 🇸🇴 🇰🇪 experienced this in first hand.

[@waspjournals41]

On reddit people ask this question all the time and every single comment gives a different explanation for the unusual dryness of the Horn of Africa. This video explains it very well (And I will be posting a link to it whenever the topic comes up again). Truly fascinating. Thank you.

[@skp8748]

Somali plate... Younger dryas

[@solomon4554]

@@skp8748 Mount Kilimanjaro, Somali Plateau..

[@Bell_plejdo568p]

Why do they ask it all the time

[@m.streicher8286]

Have you done a video looking at the species that have tiny ranges (

[@MikaerPéVermelho]

Thanks for explaining this! I am also curious about northeast Brazil. Though not a desert, it has a semiarid climate near Equador and near the Amazon rain forest. It is called the Caatinga region. Hopefully, you could make a video about it one day

[@joaovictor536]

Yeah! The Brazilian semi-arid is truly an interesting topic to explore

[@casualearth-dandavis]

Yes, the Caatinga is fascinating and it is also near the Atlantic Rainforest on the east coast. Along with the Cerrado, it divides this rainforest from the Amazon. I have written many notes about it and touched on it briefly in my video about primates, but not the climate. My plan was to cover it in at the same time that I cover the lack of hurricanes in the South Atlantic, as these topics fit together.

[@everettduncan7543]

The southern hemisphere is on average colder than the north, because there is so much more uninterrupted water flow. This causes drier conditions in many areas that had Antarctica still been connected to either Australia or South America would have blocked.

[@44point5]

Based on radiocarbon dating of potsherds, proponents of historical ecology such as William Denevan and William Balee have suggested that large sections of the Caatinga region may be of anthropogenic origin. Over 1000 years ago, native peoples may have unintentionally created the environment of the modern-day Caatinga through constant slash-and-burn agriculture, thereby stymying plant succession and preventing major rainforests from growing within the region.[7] Conversely, fossil evidence suggests that the Caatinga may historically have been part of a much larger dry belt.[4][5]. Wikipedia

[@44point5]

The Wikipedia article goes on to describe on going desertification in the region due to overgrazing and tree cutting for firewood etc. For overgrazing, read the same stupid grazing practices of the past 10000 years that have aridified vast regions of formerly productive forest and savannah.

[@mosquitobight]

India: "Thank you for the Monsoons" Somalia: -_-

[@casualearth-dandavis]

Basically

[@leoc544]

My friend thank you so much for this. I’ve been wondering about this for ages and never got to fully understand it until now. Quality content at its finest, cheers and keep up!

[@leopoldopetrieska6564]

outstanding video. comprehensive, interesting, clarifying, just couldnt stop watching it!

[@BIickyMouse]

You’re killing it dude. I don’t know anything about weather but you sure have peaked my interests. Best of luck with your channel!

[@AM-vc4tt]

I've moved to Somalia from the UK. And i wondered why its so arid and dry down here. I'm always looking at the remperature map, and see parts of Ethiopia 10 degrees cooler. I see western Ethiopia as lushes and green and Somaliland dry and desert. Now i know why, its because of the "Rain Shadow" effect. This is so interesting. Thank you for this great video!

[@hotmess9640]

My family is from borama, pretty lush and green. I’m ethnically Somali and grew up in Southern California, when giditing Somaliland for the first time I was shocked at the difference in microclimate between hargiesa and borama.

[@_.cenzo1]

​@@hotmess9640 boroma is part of somalia

[@fatesd84]

​@@_.cenzo1so is somaliland

[@HanaHana-ft9li]

@@hotmess9640my mom is from borama both her families and my dad is isaq. I too grew up outside Somalia but when I visited borama when I was 15 I really loved the city. It’s so beautiful the ppl there are nice. My siblings prefer hargeisa but I always think about borama. My grandmother died so we haven’t been back there for years. I hope I can visit it soon regardless.

[@HanaHana-ft9li]

@@fatesd84Somalia somaliland are the same. We are all Somali. Doesn’t matter what part of we are the same.

[@kamal-hassan]

I’m from Somalia and it’s quite arid here. Very low rainfall and droughts most of the time.

[@mohamedhussein4124]

Northern somalia 🇸🇴 not south somalia is savanna and forest

[@shukriiii]

In Hargeysa it rained a lot during spring in the year I lived there. What part of Somalia are you in? Only parts of the central region are more desert like.

[@kamal-hassan]

The north is the most arid region in Somalia with little to no rainfall. Even there's scarcity of water. Puntland and Somaliland regions are the driest.@@shukriiii

[@Bell_plejdo568p]

@@kamal-hassan They used to not be

[@karobiawho6845]

Having experienced the fierce Turkana winds, it's fascinating to know that they come all the way from the coast through gaps in the mountains.

[@Hydrogen101]

I live in Nairobi, Kenya, and I was curious about this. Hot af and dry down by the coast, but temperate at the city and rain forest all the way to the west coast of central Africa. Rwanda and Congo are wet and magnificent (can get colder than you think!), and similar elevation to Nairobi, but wetter. But why is Eastern Africa dry at the equator? Now I know!

[@vivabratislava]

isn't Nairobi located in highlands? that is why is cooler

[@JL-ti3us]

I cant recall if it was this channel, but you guys should really look for videos on subtropical highland climates and how the correspond with tropical population density. Kenya, Mexico, Columbia prime examples.

[@solomon4554]

@@JL-ti3us it's called Geodiode, his climate videos are the creme de la creme.

[@casualearth-dandavis]

@@JL-ti3us Yes, I covered this in my video "the Geography of Mountain Civilizations".

[@casualearth-dandavis]

Nairobi is almost 1800 meters in elevation (5,889 feet). That's a very significant elevation difference compared to the coast.

[@Nicolas-v1z4i]

this is quality content. pretty sure you're gonna go big, love the content and style , keep finding interesting stuff to share us!

[@jordanp5469]

This is my favorite geography channel on KZbin

[@innis17]

Another great video! thanks for uploading!

[@simba995]

Great video. From Kenya and always wondered why 2/3 of the country to the east and north east are arid and semi arid. Finally got a comprehensive explanation. Thanks.

[@LONE_WOLF_GANG]

If only The Weather Channel knew the value of this content and how it can drastically change the way people perceive a weather channel. You deserve a slot on TV.

[@Trollogrefey]

Fascinating video as per usual, great job.

[@edmondantes4338]

Thank you. Once again this video is the most complete explanation for this geographical oddity that I've ever come across, usually only the direction of the monsoon winds is mentioned.

[@Hydrogen101]

I’d like to learn more about the upwelling off the coast. It’s hot bath water off Mombasa and I find it hard to believe there’s cold water out there. But it makes sense there would be because the winds can get cool at night when it blows onshore. Also, that Turkana wind blows from Mombasa, over Nairobi, and out to Lake Kisumu. Fascinating!

[@solomon4554]

Mombasa has a Savanna climate as opposed to an arid one.

[@casualearth-dandavis]

Mombasa is too far south to experience the upwelling system in Somalia, Yemen, and Oman. You're right, there is very warm water and no upwelling off Mombasa.

[@DJ_POOP_IT_OUT_FEAT_LIL_WiiWii]

moonbathon bath salts

[@Nick_J_]

It should be noted also, that the upwelling in this case is still relatively warm water. It is only cooler water compared to the very warm waters around Indonesia and such.

[@casualearth-dandavis]

@@Nick_J_ This is mostly true, but isolated areas along Somalia and Oman do have water temperatures below 22 C (or about 72 F) in July. Those are the kind of water temperatures many people would wear a wetsuit in.

[@watchyourlanguage3870]

I’ve been waiting so long for this exact video, thanks!!

[@solomon4554]

Same!

[@habibi_sport312]

One of the best scientific, historical and just in general KZbin videos I have ever seen. You just gained a subscriber bro, well done and keep going!

[@thisguy317]

Casual Earth? More like hardcore earth! Thanks for your awesome videos.

[@FrankFantasy]

Dahomey Gap is also an area where the shape of the coastline strongly influences the precipitation pattern, leading to a coastal savanna flanked by dense rainforests.

[@casualearth-dandavis]

Yes, the monsoon winds are southwesterly, so they flow onshore in most of West Africa--but they only flow alongshore by Benin, leading to less monsoon rain there. There is an exact parallel to this along part of Oaxaca's coastline, which also faces southeast and thus is drier than adjacent shorelines.

[@FrankFantasy]

⁠@@casualearth-dandavisThanks a lot for replying. It’s truly remarkable that both the Dahomey and Oaxaca gaps are clearly visible in the seasonal precipitation pattern you showed at 5:20 as white spots surrounded by shades of blue.

[@salman_chowdhury]

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.

[@skp8748]

Makes sense why soviets built a runway there

[@mkodyglobalsouthsoldier]

Smart guy 😂

[@abdimajidmohamed1463]

Wow. As a somali and knowing that Turkey wants to launch its satellite rockets and moon whatever from Somalia. I have always wondered why but now I know.

[@Geo197Plus]

Good explanation. Thanks for doing this nice video, perfect script and perfect video.

[@Markfr0mCanada]

Excellent video. Material like this was not covered in my own public education. I'm glad this platform exists today so folks like yourself can plug the gap.

[@s.o.m.a.l.i.a5800]

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 .

[@TheNamelessChicken]

I googled this a couple weeks ago and everything I could find was incomprehensibly dry research papers, so walked away without a satisfying answer. Thank you so much for clearing this up

[@oiaeyu]

I was hoping you would make a video about this. I had the exact same question while worldbuilding climate zones for a map but could never get a straight forward answer to this, thank you!

[@vaaggasje]

This channel is so good!

[@Sergio1Rodrigues]

I've always wanted to know why that region was a desert, thanks!

[@Nuubynubnub.]

Please include all of the information you have on it, because it’d be waste to leave out details that you spent time on and that people would also really look forward to - I know I definitely am. you could make a second video that’s also 10 mins … or release a longer video

[@solomon4554]

I completely agree

[@serenissimarespublicavenet3945]

I really love your channel! I discovered you during the long break you had between uploads, and watched all your previous videos. I was so happy when you uploaded again! I really hope that in future, as you get more and more popular, you keep your great habits of putting all sources in the description and keeping your videos relatively short. Sadly, most "educational" youtube content has, over the past five years, turned into half an hour long entertainment garbage. Keep up with the good work!

[@spritestar141]

Babe wake up the best KZbinr on the planet just dropped a new one 🎉

[@KnowHistory]

I loved to learn about this! Thank you for the vid!

[@ziizoziizo3553]

Thank you i am from the northern part of Somalia i always wondered why is our country so dry and desert. I once went to addis ababa it was so cold and rainy i was surprised that was the first time i experienced so much rain and cold.

[@ScienceDrYang]

Why wind comes from West in East Africa is something I always wanted but failed to understand. Thank you very much for the explanation!

[@g.a.bconsult3darchitectura892]

That a very good question. lets me gives you a brief answer:- The Climatological winds systems in Eastern Africa is Easterly anomalies usually from the Indian Ocean (winds from east to west), now, winds from West usually comes from the Congo Basin (2nd Largest tropical rain forest on earth) under a climatological Pattern known as Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO).

[@dr.briandecker496]

I was literally just scrolling through Google earth a few weeks ago and saw this seemingly out of place desert and got curious so spend the next hour reading about it. This video is a fantastic summary!

[@brooksarahl1652]

Hey I love geography and this is the perfect needy channel to get into all the details of the world! Keep up the great work!

[@Bru7aLis]

Thank you so much for all your videos. Intriguing topics, amazing insight, no clickbait, straight to the point. Love it. Wish you many subscribers and views. You truly deserve them.

[@heartlandauthor]

Thank you for this video! The Horn of Africa has always struck me as a climatological oddity.

[@lt2143]

Very interesting and informative video! Congrats on 50K plus views in over 1 day!😮

[@Peello-y5v]

Great video as always. Video suggestion: why the interior of Northeastern Brazil is (relatively) very dry even though it's entirely within the tropical zone and at the same latitude as much of the Amazon See: Caatinga en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caatinga

[@casualearth-dandavis]

Yes, I mentioned the Caatinga briefly in my video in primates but planned to make a dedicated video about its climate.

[@solomon4554]

The Caatinga is dry due to the way in which the ITCZ is positioned over the region, though local geography is also a factor. The ITCZ is positioned north of the region for most of the year, so the northeast trade winds don't really make landfall in that part of Brazil. At the same time, the southeast trade winds lie in the rain shadow of Brazil's coastal escarpment, meaning relatively little rain falls on the leeward side. By contrast, Salvador on the coast has a very wet tropical rainforest climate on the other side of the escarpment. The Caatinga does have a short wet season in spring when the ITCZ moves over the region, though it's not enough to push it out of the semi-arid zone. I hope this was helpful.

[@brandonzzz9924]

Would you be interested in making a theoretical video on the effects of reforesting deserts on global climate patterns? There are many videos that detail the small scale effects on particular areas where humans are repopulating plant life into deserts, but something that looks at what would need to happen to make large scale changes to places like Arabia, the Sahara, and other deserts that are not directly caused by rain shadows would be interesting to see the run off effects on other areas of the planet, and the potential scope that these megaprojects would have on other areas of the world.

[@casualearth-dandavis]

Yes, I do plan on covering this topic at some point. There is a lot to say about it.

[@ShaunOverton]

I'm glad you're back

[@TrickstaleX]

Great video! Very well explained. This really is prime content that you create here!!!

[@ashryverxS]

always videos on subjects of my previous interests, ones that needed some holes filling 10/10 channel

[@ScottMaday]

I feel like you can explain most geographical questions with this 2-part answer: - Why? Because of wind, heat, and moisture patterns caused by the Coriolis force - Why not? Because mountains block the aforementioned affects and providing a rain shadow

[@RobertGotschall-y2f]

I spent a tour of duty in Asmera, Eritrea. We had 13 months of spring time because of the elevation. It was a desert except for the summer monsoon when everything turned green. Sometimes the rains don't come and it just stays a desert.

[@ekiratomi]

This is what i asked for months, and no one can answer this, even the BMKG (Indonesia national organisation of Geography and atmosphere)

[@MagdalenaBarszczewska]

Thank you for explaining it so well, i had a great time watching it

[@BeepskiBopski]

I really really like this channel. Please keep the videos coming.

[@lxmvnade6756]

MR DAVIS POSTED LETS GO 🗣️

[@sebastiangruenfeld141]

Amazing explanation! Could you do one on Australia?

[@dimo2081]

why is there a desert in somalia? Where else would the pirates bury their treasure?

[@shafsteryellow]

Nah you invest in gold from India, real estate in Sharjah and business in Kenya

[@vinayparakala656]

Great video. I’ve been looking for a channel like this for years

[@esterparis1190]

Clear and well-detailed explanations on a very complex subject.

[@jesusfuentes7589]

These are brilliant and very well explained. A very specific request but maybe one day you can mention it - why are easternmost Canary Islands a desert while the westermost are a lush forest? You might already have hinted at the reason - slowly going through your other videos!

[@casualearth-dandavis]

Compare the Canaries to Isla Guadalupe and Isla de Cedros off of Baja. They both have rainfall severely limited by high pressure systems over the ocean. Although true rain cannot happen when these high pressure systems are centered over the area, these same highs generate northerly winds in the area. These winds are humid (often foggy) at low levels. When they rise up the north-facing slopes of the islands, the water vapor condenses into fog and mist even at times when rainfall is not possible. This creates more lush north-facing slopes, and more arid and clear south-facing slopes of these islands. The eastern Canaries are much drier because they're more frequently affected by the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), which is effectively a cloud-destroying machine brought by easterly trade winds. It desiccates the land by baking away rising clouds. You probably know that humid air is more buoyant (less dense) than dry air. However, this is of course not true when the dry air is much hotter. Even when there's no high pressure system located over the Canaries and adjacent Sahara, capping precipitation, the SAL can prevent rainfall. This hot, dry air will be more buoyant than the cool, humid air over the ocean, so it will cap the humid air and prevent it from rising. It takes a very long time for these two air layers to mix, and if they do, the SAL drops the relative humidity throughout the air mass. This is largely how the SAL ruins hurricane formation frequently in the North Atlantic. Islands like Fuerteventura are affected by the SAL a lot more often.

[@jesusfuentes7589]

@@casualearth-dandavis Very detailed reply! You obviously love your subject. Thanks very much!

[@stewiegriffin3496]

​@@casualearth-dandavisHi. 3 things I don't quite get. I was wondering why it is that certain windward parts of Reunion or Hawaii are among the wettest places in the world while being close to the north Pacific high like Guadalupe island or the Canary islands in the Atlantic. Doesn't that mean that Islands such as Hispaniola should have extremely high trade wind precipitation as well? I have also wondered why precipitation associated to the trade winds is highly dependent on elevation. The highest parts of Kauai are exceptionally wet while the summit of mouna kea receives less than 200 mm of yearly precipitation even though one would assume that due to orographic lift precipitation would rise the higher you go. I think Teide volcano on Tenerife island has a similar phenomenon. Lastly, is there a similar phenomenon to the SAL off the coast of Baja California that would bring similar to Fuerteventura in Isla de los Cedros?

[@casualearth-dandavis]

@@stewiegriffin3496 1. Atmospheric subsidence, which prevents rainfall, is concentrated on the eastern side of the high pressure. This is why the Canaries are dry, while the windward sides of Caribbean islands are usually not (and same with Baja vs. Hawaii). The high pressure actually redirects humid tropical air poleward on the western side, which tends to increase rainfall there. I cover this in the video "Why East Coasts Lack Deserts (Usually)". That being said, when those high pressure systems move westward and are centered over Hawaii/Puerto Rico/etc., they do cause dry conditions. 2. Hispaniola does have quite high rainfall on the windward side, just like most Caribbean and Hawaiian islands. You'll get higher rainfall on some Hawaiian slopes just due to the higher elevation and long, uninterrupted path of Pacific trade winds. 3. The reason that precipitation often decreases at high elevations in some tropical locations is due to the Trade Wind Inversion Layer. Where trade winds are strong and consistent, there is atmospheric subsidence at a high altitude (air sinking down and capping rising air). On eastern sides of the high, this inversion layer is low enough to prevent summer rain (as in the Canaries). But as the trade winds continue on their path, the inversion layer slowly starts to lift, and rainfall is possible. There will, however, be an altitude that clouds don't rise above. This would be where the Hawaiian observatories are. In a continental tropical climate with limited trade winds, you may not find a pronounced inversion layer--for instance, in the Rift mountains of the eastern Congo basin. This has allowed glaciers to form there, in parts.

[@maks9644]

Wow, what an incredible video, love it

[@florisv559]

Thank you for this great video! Keep up the good work!

[@amyheath6324]

Always excited for a new video

[@TheTororist]

kemya has the best weather. high altitude towns in near the equator. very temoerate. just a balmy 22 degree average

[@kristinaoravcova372]

Top quality content! Thanks :)

[@collinsoconnor5843]

Somalis have, from the 1950s, notoriously cut trees and shrubs for charcoal to be sold in UAE and Saudi Arabi.

[@shafsteryellow]

This is thousands of years old

[@VallelYuln]

Thank you so much for this video! I've been continuously puzzled by the climate of africa after trying some climate worldbuilding techniques I saw online. None of those also say that rainforest add their own moisture like a sea. I never quite understand where the moisture in the congo rainforest comes from. It seems like the winds shouldn't reach inland enough to bring moisture there

[@casualearth-dandavis]

The moisture does come from the ocean ultimately, but is recycled by evapotranspiration (evaporation+transpiration), and it can be transported elsewhere to add rainfall in other regions. The Amazon rainforest is even more impressive in this regard---the moisture that waters the western Amazon comes from the Atlantic, not the Pacific. As easterly trade winds move across the Amazon, moisture recycling maintains a high humidity despite the winds traveling 1,000 miles inland. Moisture recycling is very effective at tropical and boreal latitudes. In the Congo basin, westerly monsoon winds bring Atlantic moisture during northern hemisphere summer. In fall and spring, Indian Ocean moisture moves across tropical Africa and waters the Congo basin along with the eastern savannas.

[@VallelYuln]

@@casualearth-dandavis the Indian Ocean moisture reaches the Congo basin despite the rainshadow of the rift mountains? Or do I misunderstand the severity of the effect of rainshadows?

[@casualearth-dandavis]

@@VallelYuln It does reach the Congo basin, yes. There is certainly a rain shadow effect limiting how much enters though, that's correct. During the transition seasons, when easterly trade winds blow across central Africa, there is a lot of upper level moisture from the Indian ocean. The large amount of upper level moisture helps to ensure that Indian ocean moisture reaches the Congo basin despite the high topography of the east.

[@Scigatt]

​@@casualearth-dandavis I can understand the tropical part, but why boreal?

[@solomon4554]

​@@casualearth-dandavisdoes moisture from the Indian Ocean also reach the Congo Basin from easterly low-level jets that cross through gaps in the Rift Mountains and slow down over Central Africa during Northern Hemisphere summer, similar to the Turkana jet?

[@isoinic4575]

Amazing channel, great quality of the video with a fascinating scope

[@elgrandjefe4661]

Excellent video, it explains a lot in a simple and logical way.

[@laughinggiraffe9176]

As a subscriber and big fan, will you do a video on why rainshowers in Hawaii are so light and lack thunder?

[@anythreeletters]

Hi there, I'm interested in creating detailed custom worlds for my D&D games. Do you know of any programs that allow you to import a custom-made globe and simulate climate?

[@JL-ti3us]

Gplates for geology. Its a science tool not a worldbuilding one, so be warned. Azgaar isn't nearly as scientific, but its designed for worldbuilders.

[@solomon4554]

Gplates and maptoglobe. The only climate simulation software I've heard of so far is ClimaSim, which only simulates temperature but not precipitation.

[@anythreeletters]

@@JL-ti3us Thanks!

[@JL-ti3us]

@@anythreeletters np man, you used Azgaar before?

[@idle_speculation]

Madeline James Writes and Worldbuilding Pasta both have very good tutorials for realistic climate mapping. I mostly use WBP's guides, but stick to MJW's methods for air circulation and precipitation.

[@juancruzmarques2106]

Wow love this topic, it's amazing how all its geographic features impact a region's climate. Can you do Argentinian vs Chilean Patagonia? it's an interesting place to explore this topic in such detail.

[@MrPoornakumar]

Your presentation style is unique (with language spoken intelligible to all) and suits topics in Geography.

[@esterparis1190]

Des explications claires et bien détaillées sur un sujet trés complexe. (Merci la traduction automatique !!!)

[@zach6210]

good video topic

[@LegendLength]

Africa would have such an amazing tourist income if it wasn't so dangerous.

[@claudedebussy2984]

We don't want tourism because it brings a lot of old people looking for sexual pleasure

[@sentimentalsediment]

Another fascinating video!

[@vadimveskreb8764]

I myself live near an upwelling zone (Odessa, Ukraine). Strong north and west winds blow hot water away and as a result there is no convection near the coast, This year in some parts of my region there was no rain for more than 5 month, while if you go like 40km away from coast - there will be lots of thunderstorms during summer months. The Black sea kills any convection. (and in autumn and winter its vice versa, the sea cools slower than land and there might be thunderstorms in november-december because of moist humid air above water)

[@owenkjartanson7476]

The Black Sea region and it's diverse climates would be a great topic for one of these videos.

[@solomon4554]

I was always confused by the strip of Semi-arid climate in the northern black sea while looking at climate maps. Thanks for clearing up my confusion.

[@casualearth-dandavis]

@@solomon4554 Dry conditions on the northern and western side of the Black Sea are also due to wind direction. Northerly winds prevail in summer, for reasons I explained in "A Rainforest in Turkey & Iran?" and westerlies/northwesterlies prevail in winter. This creates temperate rainforest to the south and east. It gets drier as you go toward the Black Sea in Romania or Ukraine because the temperature increases, but without a corresponding increase in humidity (so the relative humidity decreases).

[@solomon4554]

@@casualearth-dandavis yes I've seen that video of yours, amazing work as always.

[@solomon4554]

@@casualearth-dandavis quick question though, how far north does this 'anti-monsoon reach? As in where do summer northerlies end and summer westerlies begin?

[@jdillon8360]

Very interesting! Thanks.

[@adurpandya2742]

This channel covers a lot of the questions I’ve had

[@guupser]

Quality content! Looking forward to more😊

[@AlissonBirck]

So well explained! That was amazing

[@chrishoo2]

Great information intelligently given & a good voice with which to present it!

[@A.Meymandi]

There is a plan to construct some tunnels or a canal to pump a huge amount of sea water to the low-level ground deserts in the middle of Iran (the name of the project is #Iran_River).The creation of these huge lakes could lead to regular raining in the nearby mountains in the region Or will the #humid_air just go away from the region?

[@SaintNjuguna]

Depends on wind circulation but it may fail since Iran is in the Subtropical High pressure zone, otherwise ask yourselves how comes Iran is dry yet with a very long coastline?

[@A.Meymandi]

​@@SaintNjuguna Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. The Zogros mountains stretch from northwestern Iran to southern Iran and it receives winds from the south west (North Africa, Central Middle East and Persian Gulf) during the majority of the year, which results in the formation of large rivers on the south-west bank of this mountains. On the north-east side of this mountain, deserts with dry weather can be found. The direction of the winds on the other side of this mountain is from the northeast (Central Asia) towards this mountain, which doesn't have much humidity except in winter. Also consider that along the coastal area of Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, there are mountains that block humid air from coming in the middle of this plateau and causing rain on the mountains.

[@A.Meymandi]

Until 10,000 years ago, there was a huge lake in the deserts in the middle of this plateau. But when the earth cooled down and the humid winds from the south-west went away, the lake disappeared. The problem is the point you mentioned, how much of the water evaporation turns into rain and fresh water in the mountains. But in order to make the project cost effective, the creation of the lake must lead to a situation where a good percentage of the evaporated water becomes precipitation in the mountains surrounding this plateau ?!

[@AironSmieciowy-di3qy]

Great video!

[@thanhavictus]

This is an incredible and well explained amount of information. Hope your channel does well. It would be nice to have a slower pace of information so that the density is more easily digested.

[@dziusznik]

looks like I found a new channel to binge. I love the content, I love your rhetoric skills aaand you look cute.

[@nganganjoroge6357]

I think what needs to done to reverse the dry turkana codation is to slow the the low lever turkana jet. This is by planting tress and shrubs especially the fast growing mathenge shurb which does well in this dry areas.once substancial area is covered by this shrub this will definitely slow the turkan jet and subsequently increase the rainfall in this area.

[@solomon4554]

My takeaway from this: Arabia north of the Tropic of Cancer is within the normal latitude of atmospheric subsidence within the Hadley Cell, but southern Arabia, at a latitude of 12° north, is within the normal latitude of Tropical Savanna climates and is a desert for entirely different reasons, and would have had a monsoon were it not for India.

[@zakariyaabdullahi5669]

The fact that Florida, southern China, northern India share the same latitude as Arabia and the Sahara shows it's not just the Hadley cell that causes the dryness, the placement of land in comparison to oceans arguably has just as large of an effect on the level of precipitation the region receives

[@raphaelwiedey3483]

I actually had this question for a while. Thank you!