A study published in Nature magazine, on October 14th, recorded 1.8 billion trees in the west of the Sahara desert and in the Sahel (the strip that separates the Sahara desert from the savannah in Sudan) in Africa. Most of the trees were found in the Sahel, but there are hundreds of millions of trees in the Sahara, which is the largest non-polar (not covered by ice) desert in the world according to the study.

The trees were identified using 11 thousand high-resolution satellite images. The researchers themselves were surprised by the number of trees, which may be even higher, since only 20% of the Sahara and Sahel territory has been analyzed. Scientists from several countries including Germany, Denmark, France, and Senegal participated in the study.

Researchers realized that unlike how it is in a large forest, in the desert, trees stand apart, distant from each other. Thus, they used a system that counted each one of them in an area of 1.3 million square kilometers in northwest Africa – an area equivalent to the one occupied by the state of Amazonas – which included countries like Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal.

According to the study, although they have not been studied much, trees that are not located in forests are important for storing carbon dioxide, providing food and shelter for humans and animals, and ensuring biodiversity in several places.

Experts believe that the system they developed can locate trees in other parts of the world. This should allow for the study of trees and their role in reducing climate change, for example.

Sources: BBC, Hypeness, Nature, and Science Daily

Questions

1) What did the study find?

a) 1.8 billion trees in the western Sahara desert
b) Hundreds of millions of trees in the Sahara}
c) 1.8 billion trees in the western Sahel and in the savannah
d) That most trees that are not in forests are located in the Sahara.

2) What would you do if you found a tree in the middle of the desert?

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