Aberdeenshire photographer shortlisted in international weather photography competition
A Whitehills photographer has had an image shortlisted in the Royal Meteorological Society's Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year competition.
Colin Heggie and his photograph of a nacreous cloud and contrail has been selected as a finalist in the contest.
In the photo, Colin captured the multicolours of a nacreous or polar stratospheric cloud, contrasted with a sunset-lit flight’s contrail cloud.
Nacreous clouds form in the stratosphere – some 10 kilometres above the Earth’s surface – where it is extremely dry compared to the lower troposphere.
This means clouds rarely form at these high altitudes, but when they do appear, their scattering of light can create these striking rainbow colours.
These clouds only form in extreme cold, when temperatures in the stratosphere drop below -78°C. This makes sightings outside the polar regions, such as this cloud that appeared in Whitehills, all the rarer.
It was an opportunity Colin was keen not to miss when he spotted the cloud from his home on Seafield Street.
He said: “I didn’t want to risk leaving the house for another location as I wasn’t sure how long the cloud would be visible.”
Colin framed the cloud with a plane flying by, leaving a condensation trail of cirrus cloud in its wake, providing a sense of scale in the photo.
Persistent contrail clouds can trap heat in the atmosphere, increasing airplanes' contribution to global warming beyond the greenhouse gases they emit.
The Royal Meteorological Society has opened the public vote for the 2023 competition.
Now in its eighth year, the contest is a window to the vastly different climates experienced across the world and provides an international platform to highlight global weather events.
The competition showcases some of the world’s most striking weather phenomena, alongside images that narrate compelling stories about the impacts of climate change.
Highlights include rare red sprite lightning, dramatic tornadoes and cloud formations, ice-covered landscapes, flood-filled streets, dry riverbeds and deadly forest fires.
The shortlisted images emphasise the beauty and fragility of weather and the urgency to limit further global warming while adapting to the changes already being experienced.
People have been invited to vote for their favourite photograph from a shortlist of the finest entries.
In July, a judging panel of photography experts and meteorologists selected the finalists from the competition’s main and smartphone categories and voted for their overall winners.
The public has until Sunday, September 24 to vote for their favourite finalist. The winners will be announced on Thursday, October 5.
People can see the shortlisted images and vote for their favourite at www.rmets.org/weather-photographer-of-the-year/photos
The competition sees talented amateur and professional photographers from 94 countries showcasing their best weather and climate photographs and sharing the stories that the images reveal.
Weather systems shape and impact the global economy, human health, environment and life choices.
Climate change is altering weather and triggering long-term changes to weather patterns, leading to increasingly frequent and unprecedented events, such as historic floods and droughts.
Raising awareness of these changes and their impact on society and the environment is critical to galvanising action to mitigate against and adapt to climate change globally.
Professor Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said: “In my eighth year of judging the Weather Photographer of the Year competition, the entrants never fail to astonish me.
"This year’s shortlist shows the world’s weather in all its variety, beauty, power and even its capacity to devastate.
"Images bear witness to the impact of flooding, wildfires and drought on both natural habitats and human life.
"We hope that this will bring attention to the increasing frequency of these events caused by climate change, and prompt swifter action.”
Marisa Drew, chief sustainability officer at Standard Chartered, said: "Congratulations to the finalists shortlisted for the Standard Chartered-sponsored Weather Photographer of the Year competition.
"Their images of beautiful and striking scenes from around the world so movingly depict the impacts of climate change on our planet.
"Thank you to all those who entered the competition for sharing your talent.”
ITV Weather, which was involved in judging the competition, said: “It was fascinating being part of the judging panel for this competition, and to see such awe-inspiring moments of weather from around the world.
"The competition shows how weather and climate impacts us differently, and how it can affect and influence daily life.
“The entrants showed so much passion for telling these stories and providing us with glimpses of the planet’s ever changing weather and climate.
"It was a strong shortlist, and congratulations to everyone who participated.”
The winners and runners-up of the main and mobile categories for Weather Photographer of the Year 2023, Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2023, supported by The Week Junior Science+Nature, and the result of the public vote will be revealed on Thursday, October 5.
The announcement will be made via RMetS Instagram stories (rmets_) at 6pm (BST) before being shared on the Royal Meteorological Society’s website and other channels.
