That is fascinating. I didn't realize the Sahara desert was ever a lush place.
I was listening to NPR yesterday on my way out to the farm, and a geological scientist was talking about palm trees fossilized in the rocks up around Bellingham (that's right across the border from Canada, eh?) --it gets cold there, a lot, so palm tree fossils are different. Apparently, this part of the country used to be tropical, some millions of years ago. Chemical analysis of the rocks shows that carbon dioxide levels were at about 1,000 ppm (parts per million.) As a comparison, today's CO2 levels are about 380 ppm, rising by about 2 ppm per year.
The scientist was addressing the possible effects of climate change, of course, but I thought it was fascinating that there used to be palm trees in Bellingham. Maybe I *can* grow peach trees up here. =D
curious
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I was listening to NPR yesterday on my way out to the farm, and a geological scientist was talking about palm trees fossilized in the rocks up around Bellingham (that's right across the border from Canada, eh?) --it gets cold there, a lot, so palm tree fossils are different. Apparently, this part of the country used to be tropical, some millions of years ago. Chemical analysis of the rocks shows that carbon dioxide levels were at about 1,000 ppm (parts per million.) As a comparison, today's CO2 levels are about 380 ppm, rising by about 2 ppm per year.
The scientist was addressing the possible effects of climate change, of course, but I thought it was fascinating that there used to be palm trees in Bellingham. Maybe I *can* grow peach trees up here. =D
Thanks for sharing.