Just 5,000 years ago the Sahara Desert was lush with wildlife

Many climate scientists contend that 5,000 years ago or so, as rainfall suddenly declined across North Africa, the verdant grasslands that supported vast herds of wildlife became "lifeless sand" in a mere century or two.

These scientists have recently analyzed thousands of ocean cores drilled off the northwest African coastline. They found that a large amount of dust and sand had blown off the continent over a relatively short period of time suggesting a rapid shift from grasslands to desert.

A 2013 study found significant evidence of a similar abrupt climate shift in northeast Africa. According to David McGee, a paleoclimatologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this study showed "some kind of tipping point," perhaps tied in with a change in the Earth's position in orbiting the sun, 'Chandler's Wobble,' or other factors.

Climate scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies state that approximately 8,000 years ago, the tilt of the Earth, which is currently 23.5 degrees, was around 24.1 degrees, which put the Sahara Desert closer to the equator, an area of higher rainfall. Also, the Earth may have had its closest approach to the sun in August during that time. Today, our orbit around the sun puts us closest to our star in January. It's the tilt toward and away from the sun that contributes to our seasons.

But, Dr. Stefan Kropelin, a geologist at the University of Cologne in Germany, one of the world's leading explorers of the Sahara Desert for more than 40 years, thinks otherwise.

Dr. Kropelin's analysis of various lake core samples in North Africa suggests that there was "no tipping point" and that "the climate change was gradual over hundreds of years or more." He says that his studies of the Sahara are likewise "supported by many archaeologists."

For example, recent digs in the Sahara have indicated that the people in the region migrated south over a millennia, not just in a few desperate decades devoid of water.

According to Dr. Kropelin, "humans are very sensitive to climate changes," especially severe mega-droughts. They can't live without water, so they migrate to find abundant supplies. He adds, "If the Sahara had turned to desert quickly, the human migration pattern would have been completely different."

But, despite these different opinions on just how long it took for North Africa to become a hot, parched desert, it certainly proves what I've been saying for the last 50 years or more.

The climate of the Earth has always been CYCLICAL. Over the centuries, there have been frequent major climate changes. These shifts in weather patterns have occurred 'like clockwork' long before there were coal-burning plants producing electricity, people driving automobiles or fluorescent light bulbs. Human beings only recently have reached the 7 billion mark in population. In the past, they were mere 'specks on the landscape.'

I agree with my good friend, Cecil Hathaway, that world renowned climatologists Barack Hussein Obama and John Forbes Kerry, who maintain that "97 percent of the world's climate scientists" call manmade (anthropogenic) global warming "a settled science," are DEAD WRONG!

Also, I wanted to mention that Randy Mann teaches Physical Geography at North Idaho College, a course that includes some of this material.

NORTH IDAHO WEATHER REVIEW AND LONG-RANGE OUTLOOKS

Following a record-breaking rain over a 36-hour stretch late Monday, Tuesday and early Wednesday of a whopping 1.42 inches, almost what we normally measure during the entire month of June (1.93 inches), the sun finally came out on Thursday and temperatures quickly warmed.

Another record was broken on Tuesday with 1.11 inches of rain, topping the previous record for June 17 of 1.04 inches in 1965, some 49 years ago.

It was the second new rainfall record set in Coeur d'Alene this June. On the 3rd, a strong thunderstorm dumped 1.08 inches of rain, which broke the record for the date of .95 inches in 1936.

Our monthly rainfall for June on Wednesday climbed to 3.34 inches, easily exceeding the normal June precipitation for an entire month since 1895 of 1.93 inches.

The first half of 2014 has been extremely damp across North Idaho. Our station on Player Drive had gauged 19.79 inches since Jan. 1, compared with the 119-year normal to date of just 13.10 inches and 2013's year to date total of 11.46 inches.

Not only has it been wet lately, but it's likewise been very chilly with afternoon highs since Sunday, Father's Day, averaging just 54 degrees compared with the normal of 75 degrees.

But that was then and this is now.

By the time one reads this column on Monday, June 23, two days after the official start of the summer season, we should be enjoying above normal temperatures in the mid 80s, again one wide 'extreme' weatherwise to the other in short order.

Looking farther down the meteorological roadway, following a couple of thunderstorms in late June, we should see temperatures soaring in the lower 90s sometime in late June as high pressure builds back into our part of the country.

As mentioned earlier, the summer of 2014, thanks to a stationary ridge of high pressure camped over the Pacific Northwest, should be both warmer and drier than normal, about 'perfect' for most outdoor activities, if one wears a hat and lots of sunscreen for protection from the hot sun.

The current long-range outlook for this year's edition of the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo in late August still calls for mostly sunny and warm conditions, but not extremely hot. If El Nino gets rolling, then the upcoming fall season may be mild and wet.

Cliff Harris is a climatologist who writes a weekly column for The Press. His opinions are his own. Email sfharris@roadrunner.com