The driest desert on Earth has turned purple: this happens every few years. Photo

The Chilean Atacama Desert, considered one of the driest areas on planet Earth, has turned purple. The sandy surface is covered with stripes of purple flowers.

A rare phenomenon known as "desierto florido" can be observed only once every few years, IFLScience writes. During this period, more than 200 species of pink, purple and yellow plants bloom along several hundred kilometers of desert.

Usually, this unique event takes place between September and November, when several favorable climatic factors combine: sufficient rainfall, moderate temperatures, and sunshine. However, this year's "desierto florido" began during the southern hemisphere's winter season, which begins on June 20.

This is due to the El Niño phenomenon, which dramatically increases the temperature of the surface water layer of the Pacific Ocean. As a result, the amount of precipitation in the Atacama Desert has increased, which has led to the appearance of flowers.

Cesar Pizarro, head of biodiversity conservation at the National Forest Corporation, said that more rain is expected to fall on the sandy surface. This can lead to an increase in plant diversity in winter.

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