WeatherImpact Earth

Actions

WATCH: 'Millenium cameras' will photograph Tucson desert changes through 3023

Researchers will use very long exposure images to see how the landscape evolves
Sunset pretty desert weather
Posted at 6:50 PM, Jan 16, 2024
and last updated 2024-01-16 20:50:44-05

TUCSON, AZ — A primitive photography method will help experts learn about the desert a thousand years from now.

University of Arizona researchers have installed “millennium cameras” in the Tucson area that will photograph the area from 2023 to 3023.

The project “enlists a new approach to photography based on the traditional pinhole camera,” UArizona says. “The thousand-year-long photographic exposure not only shows the view in front of the camera but also records how the viewshed shifts over time, revealing dynamics ranging from urban development to climate change.”

Learn more about the project in the video player above.