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The "Desert bloom" phenomenon has returned in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, one of the driest regions in the world, to be enveloped in a carpet of flowers dominated by purple and yellow with the beginning of the southern spring in mid-October.

This natural laboratory, which has been studied by many scientists, is a complex and fragile ecosystem, and due to the scarcity of precipitation in Copiapó region, about 800 km north of the capital, Santiago, its color suddenly changes to sandy ocher.

Scientists are concerned that global warming could see an amazing natural phenomenon wiped out for good.

What causes the desert to bloom?

Andrea P. Loayza, a biology researcher at the University of La Serena, explains The secret behind the Desert bloom phenomenon is related to seeds lurking under the sand that can live for decades while waiting for minimal water to germinate and then bloom.

She says when there is a certain amount of rain, about 15 cubic millimeters, it leads to germination and coloring of this part of the Atacama, which is called "Desert bloom."

The mechanisms of flowering desert are still poorly understood, and it is known that the El Niño weather phenomenon that sweeps the Pacific coasts of South America brings the rain needed to germinate bulbs and roots, which can lie dormant for decades.

Andrea explains that the desert ecosystem may seem lifeless, but it is very fragile, warning that any disturbance can lead to its imbalance.

"these to the unique ecosystems, in the sense that plants must adopt a series of very special strategies to survive here. It's millions of years of evolution in extreme environments that provide the information to understand and teach us how to adapt". she added ​.

The Desert bloom is a natural phenomenon known as the Flowery Desert (Picture: Getty)

In this natural laboratory, a researcher in agricultural genetics at the Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) Andres Zurita-Silva studies  Techniques for the resilience of these flower species. To adapt to the climate crisis scenario, "we must understand the natural processes", he says.

The lack of water has led to studies in the region that seek to understand the impact of climate change on native plant species, as well as the plants' ability to survive and adapt to a drier environment.