TREES BRING RAIN in DESERTS

Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists have found that trees in a dense forest of Oman have an unusual way to water themselves by extracting moisture from low-lying clouds. Professor Elfatih A.B. Eltahir of civil and environmental engineering have found that the trees have preserved an ecological niche in an area characterized mostly by desert. The plants exploit a wispy thin source of water that occurs seasonally. The forest could be driven to extinction if camel continue to graze frequently. As the forest disappears, the trees will lose the ability to pull water from the mist and recharge underground reservoirs.

By Pratanu Banerjee