Arabian Desert’s Green Past Revealed in 8 Million-Year Climate Record

New research highlights Arabia’s cycles of humid phases, transforming it into a migration corridor for mammals and early humans.

Speleothem analysis from Saudi Arabian caves documents eight distinct humid phases over the past 8 million years.
These wetter periods turned the arid landscape into a green corridor, enabling animal and human migration between Africa and Eurasia.
The study reveals a gradual shift in rainfall sources, from southern monsoons to Mediterranean winter storms over time.
Progressive aridification of Arabia is linked to Northern Hemisphere cooling and expanding polar ice during the Pleistocene.
Fossil evidence, including water-dependent species and human tools, supports the region's role as a key biogeographic crossroads.