Results from simulations with the coarse-resolution version of MPI-ESM performed by the RETRO team at DKRZ. The left side shows a normal (prograde) rotating earth. The right side shows a backwards (retrograde) rotating earth. The simulations are forced with pre-industrial boundary conditions. For the full description see the Earth System Dynamics manuscript "The climate of a retrograde rotating earth". The simulation shows the seasonal cycle of the leaf area index and the transition from northern hemispheric winter to summer. Significant greening occurs over Europe and North America in both experiments during this transition. While the Sahara is a desert in the control simulation (left), it shows a strong seasonal cycle in the retrograde simulation (right).