A new study to rebuild extreme rainfall in Arabia found that the region had rainfall as much as the extreme just 400 years ago, highlighting the need to prepare for a growing urbanization.
The discovery of research led by the Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Sciences at Rosensteel University in Miami shows that the past 2000 years have become wetter, and the climate in the region once roamed with lions, leopards and wolves, which is with it The climate is the same as today’s super arid desert. The study was published in the Journal on February 21 Science Advances.
“As major developments such as Neom in Saudi Arabia continue to reshape the landscape, these findings highlight the key needs of enhancing climate resilience and disaster preparedness,” said Sam Purkis, author of the study. to respond to the growing threat of extreme weather events in the region.”, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Marine Geosciences at Rosenest University in Miami.
The team used a remote operating vehicle (ROV) at a mile depth deployed from the research vessel’s marine grocery store to extract the sediment core from the deep-sea saltwater pool in the Aqaba Bay, an extension of the Northern Red Sea. The chemistry of brine retains an undisturbed sediment layer, providing a unique and highly accurate record of late rainfall trends.
They found that the last 2,000 years of Arabia were even more wet, the area was once the vegetation of Savannah, and about 200 years ago, rainfall was twice as high as current volumes.
“This is a key record of filling the Middle East’s climate history. What it tells us is that climate, average and extremes can change dramatically in the region, and that the assumption of long-term climate stability in the future is not a good climate. ” said Amy Clement, a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Rosenest University in Miami.
The Middle East is considered a climate hotspot, adding flash torrents to the rumbling winter rainfall in Arabia, causing widespread chaos and humanitarian disasters in Arabia. The variability of late Holocene rainfall highlights the need for better preparations for mountain torrents and floods and droughts, and understand future hydrogen climate trends as the Middle East is rapidly urbanized. In the winter of 2024, the catastrophic flooding of the Arabian Peninsula underscores the urgency of studying the frequency and triggering of such extreme weather events.
“Using the technology of marine grocers in combination with multidisciplinary experts in the field of marine and climate science, we can further understand the link between marine systems and long-term weather and climate trends to help dangerous areas prepare for the future.” Mattie Rodrigue, Director of Science Programs at Oceanx, said.
Titled “1,600 Years of Extreme Rain Records in Northern Arabia”, the study was published in the Journal Science Advances. This study was supported by the NEOM protocol (NO:SRA-ENV-2023-001/AWD-008854) and the National Science Foundation Climate and Large-scale Dynamic Grant (#2241752).
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