Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Competition announced this year's award winners, who were chosen from among the works of authors from 84 countries.
The award was introduced to document the relationship between weather patterns and the broad effects of climate change, reported the Popular Science.
This year's first prize went to photographer Wang Xin from China. In his image, you can see a unique red lightning sprite. The elusive phenomenon is difficult to see or photograph because it lasts only a few milliseconds.
Sprites are caused by electrical discharges, but unlike ordinary lightning, they occur at an altitude of 80 km above the earth - in the mesosphere. Until now, this phenomenon has not been sufficiently studied due to its short duration.
In the "Viewers' Choice" category, photographer Gerson Turelli won first place for his photo of a kayaker floating through the streets of Porto Alegre (Brazil) after a devastating flood.
Austrian Angelina Widmann became the best in the "Young Photographer" category. The photo of the girl shows a frame during an outdoor performance near Lake Constance (Austria), known for its wet weather.
"The rain made the plot even more dramatic", - notes the photographer.
The jury recognized Nur Sairin Natasi Bini Azaharin from Malaysia as the best photo taken on a phone. A man hoped to "catch" the sunrise, but took a picture of a beautiful view of smoking volcanoes in East Java, Indonesia.
The organizers of the photo award also recognized the work of the American Lincoln Wheelwright, who took a picture of his house in the state of Texas (USA) during a thunderstorm.
“The clouds were low enough to block the light from the other side. It created the effect of a fiery sunset against the cold sky.", - said Lincoln.
The jury of the competition awarded Jamie Raceel, who photographed the rainbow and two British symbols - the chalk pillars of the Needle on the Isle of Wight and the downpour.
The frames in Leslie Geldet's photo can be mistaken for a picture of the surface of Mars. However, the photo shows Greece covered by African sand from the Sahara in April 2023.
In the work of one of the finalists of the competition, Shafiul Islam, you can see the effects of drought and human intervention in the course of the Teesta River, which flows through India in Bangladesh.
While hiking to the top of Pico Ruivo (Portugal), photographer Dominika Koszowska from Poland came across a lone dead tree, the result of fires that swept through the area in 2010.
The woman took a picture on her phone camera and was able to record the formation of mountain fog.
The judges of the competition did not ignore the image of Andrew Gray, whose work is frosted over the Derwent Valley (Great Britain).
"The more you look at it, the more you see", - evaluated the work of the jury members.
The photo shows frost, which is different from ground frost, because it occurs when the temperature of the earth's surface is below the freezing point.
The works of the participants of the photo award were evaluated by a jury, which included experts in the field of meteorology, photography and journalism.
"I am delighted with the diversity and quality of this year's winning photographs, which show the real weather and climate of the world, both in its regional differences and interconnectedness. Мand remind us that climate change is affecting weather patterns everywhere and that the global community must come together to act now to curb further temperature increases.", said judge and chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society Liz Bentley.
The Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year photo award is an annual competition, which in 2024 was held for the ninth time since its inception. The goal of the event is to raise awareness of environmental problems that threaten our planet.
The annual photo award is organized by the Royal Meteorological Society.
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