![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/scientists-finally-solve-mystery-of-desert-fairy-circles-with-weird-explanation/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/0_SWNS_FAIRY_CIRCLES_01.jpg&description=Scientists have revealed the strange but real reason "fairy circles" have been appearing in the Namibia Desert, as the research proves useful for understanding similar ecosystemsNamibia's mysterious fairy circles go on for miles in the Namib coastal desertScientists have been left puzzling over the origin of Namibia's mysterious fairy circles for nearly half a century - but they may have now conjured up the answer regarding the strange spirals in the ground. About 80 to 140 kilometres from the coast, in the Namibia coastal desert, Southern Africa, there are millions of what have been described as "fairy circles". They are circular gaps in the grassland - each ranging a few metres in width - and together form a distinctive pattern across the whole landscape, making it visible for miles around. Previously, the reason for the phenomenon was put down to two main theories: either termites were responsible for nibbling away at the grass, or the plants themselves were somehow self-organising. In fact, termites - tiny insects that live in large colonies around the world - were often blamed for the death of the grasses. Now, researchers led by Göttingen University, Germany, have revealed the bizarre but real reason behind the occurrence. The circular gaps in the grassland each span around a few metres wide ( Dr. Stephan Getzin / SWNS) The team of researchers have disclosed that plant water stress causes the circles in the ground to die and the grass around to thrive. They went on to say that the study benefitted from two exceptionally good rainfall seasons in the Namibia Desert, which showed that the grasses within the fairy circles died immediately after rainfall - proving that termite activity did not cause the bare patches. Instead, it has been revealed that the continuous soil-moisture measurements the scientists took during the dry season 2020 to the end of the rainy season 2022 demonstrate that the grasses around the circles strongly depleted the water within the circl){kind=link}
Scientists have revealed the strange but real reason “fairy circles” have been appearing in the Namibia Desert, as the research proves useful for understanding similar ecosystems
Scientists have been left puzzling over the origin of Namibia’s mysterious fairy circles for nearly half a century – but they may have now conjured up the answer regarding the strange spirals in the ground.
About 80 to 140 kilometres from the coast, in the Namibia coastal desert, Southern Africa, there are millions of what have been described as “fairy circles”.
They are circular gaps in the grassland – each ranging a few metres in width – and together form a distinctive pattern across the whole landscape, making it visible for miles around.
Previously, the reason for the phenomenon was put down to two main theories: either termites were responsible for nibbling away at the grass, or the plants themselves were somehow self-organising.