A research project involving Professor James Baldini, from our Department of Earth Sciences, features on the front cover of a globally-renowned magazine as it celebrates the best photographs of the last 12 months.
The groundbreaking research is captured on the front of the December issue of National Geographic Magazine’s 'Pictures of the Year’ edition.
The image by world-renowned cave photographer and project partner, Robbie Shone, graces the magazine’s cover and a two-page spread.
In the photograph, members of the research team are illuminated by a dramatic backlight as they explore a Grotte de Bongolo cave passage in Gabon, central Africa.
In a moment of perfect timing, a large Egyptian fruit bat is silhouetted in flight in front of them.
Professor Baldini said: “Similar research across the Atlantic in Central America has really clarified how the tropical rainfall belt responds to certain forcings, like volcanic eruptions or changing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. As these new records are developed, it will be fascinating to see whether the rainfall belt responds in the same way over Africa.
“Understanding these responses in the past will really help scientists predict how rainfall will change in the future in central Africa.”
This 2022 National Geographic Explorer funded project, led by Teesside University, aims to generate the first stalagmite-based record of seasonal rainfall variability for Western Africa.
The photo was taken while the research team was looking for stalagmite samples to clarify how Africa’s tropical rainfall belt has shifted over millennia, both before and after human-induced climate change began altering the atmosphere.
Professor Baldini, one of the project partners, has researched the same tropical rainfall belt in Belize, Central America, since 2011.
His research covers a variety of scientific problems, including reconstructing past climate using stalagmites, environmental monitoring of caves, and the application of modelling to better understand past atmospheres and climates.
Image caption: Courtesy of National Geographic. Photo by: Robbie Shone
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