Beneath the surface of the usually very dry soil in the Atacama Desert, which stretches for about 1,600 kilometers along the northern coast of Chile between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, lie millions of seeds and bulbs representing about 200 species of plants and flowers that vary in color, shape, and form, waiting for enough water to begin a new cycle of growth and flowering.
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With the recent heavy rains in northern Chile, this abundant group of organisms has emerged from its hiding places, after lying dormant in the soil for decades in the driest non-polar desert on Earth.
Locally known as the "flowering desert," this phenomenon is one of the most astonishing natural transformations, as vast areas of flowers and plants spread like a carpet covering the brown rocky dunes that characterize the region's traditional landscape, while delicate white buds peer out from among the cracked soil on the slopes of hills and plains that, for most of the year, appear almost devoid of life.
Dr. Roberto Contreras-Diaz, an associate professor at the University of Atacama in Chile and a researcher at the university’s Regional Center for Research and Sustainable Development, explains that this phenomenon begins when the amount of winter rainfall exceeds about 15 millimeters, and it recurs every few years.
Roberto attributes these heavy rains to the exceptionally strong El Niño climate phenomenon that the world is witnessing this year, which forecasts indicate may reach exceptionally strong levels during this year, and international forecasts suggest that it may be the strongest since the phenomenon began to be recorded regularly in 1950.
This phenomenon leads to a significant rise in water surface temperatures in the central and eastern parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean, and causes changes in wind patterns and rainfall in different parts of the world, as well as disturbances in weather conditions. Its repercussions affect the agriculture, water, fishing, energy and transportation sectors, and some of its effects may continue into 2027 and beyond, even after it has subsided.
As a result of this phenomenon, record amounts of rain, the likes of which some areas in Chile have not seen since measurements began in the 1950s, seeped deeper than usual into the sand, contributing to the flourishing of hills and mountain ranges where no green spaces or flowers have been seen for more than 30 years. The flowering cover extended over an area estimated at about 17,000 square kilometers, in one of the driest regions on Earth.
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