Rain in the Namib Desert
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Rain in the Namib Desert

by Christoph Schmidt, University of Bayreuth

The Namib is known as the world’s oldest desert and owes its dry climate to the cold Benguela current. As one of the sunniest places on Earth, the low amount of precipitation is confined to only a few days per year. The more surreal is the experience of rain and strong winds in the Deadvlei: What usually shines in bright orange (sand), blue (sky) and white (clay pan) turns into a very dismal and doleful picture.