Aridification of the Namib Desert: Evidence from oceanic cores

Research indicates that the aridification of the Namib Desert, one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, was primarily initiated or significantly intensified during the early Late Miocene period due to the strengthening of upwelling in the Benguela Current System. This finding is supported by sedimentological, paleontological, and geochemical analyses of oceanic cores from the Walvis Ridge Abutment, which span from the Middle Eocene to the Late Pleistocene. The study suggests that while weak, sporadic upwelling occurred earlier (from Middle or Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene), it was not sufficient to cause significant aridification. Instead, the marked intensification of cold, nutrient-rich water upwelling in the early Late Miocene led to the transformation of the Namib from wooded-grasslands to the arid desert it is today.

Siesser, W. G. (2020). Aridification of the Namib Desert: Evidence from oceanic cores. Antarctic Glacial History and World Palaeoenvironments, 105–113. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003078906-10