by William K. Stevens

About the author: William K. Stevens is a contributor to the New York Times.

Common wisdom has it that the deserts of the world are on the march, steadily expanding, permanently converting pastures and croplands to sand dunes, and
that human mistreatment of the drylands that flank the deserts is responsible.

But scientists using the most up-to-date investigative techniques have found no evidence that this is true, at least in the case of the Sahara and its immediate
environs, everyone’s favorite and most serious example of what is called “desertification.” In view of the lack of evidence, many experts suspect that the
threatening image of encroaching deserts may be more myth than fact.

The findings, based largely on satellite measurements, are forcing a reassessment of just what is happening...