Article ID: CBB001320433

Science in the Sahara: Man of the Desert (2012)

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Stefan Kröpelin's first research trip to the eastern Sahara was nearly his last. As a graduate student in January 1982, he travelled alone to Gilf Kebir --- a remote plateau in the southwest corner of Egypt --- to study sediment deposition in the steep canyons. Things didn't start well. On the first night, he found that his thin clothes and sleeping bag were no match for the freezing conditions. During the day, fierce sandstorms forced him to dig a pit for shelter and keep his eyes and mouth shut for most of the time. After a week, the driver who was scheduled to pick him up was nowhere in sight. Three days later, and running out of water, Kröpelin was just about to embark on a desperate 150-kilometre march to the nearest oasis when the jeep finally arrived. Kröpelin, now a geologist and climate researcher at the University of Cologne in Germany, not only survived the ordeal but went on to become one of the most devoted Sahara explorers of our time. In dozens of expeditions to some of the farthest corners of the desert (see 'A career in the sand'), he has endured week-long sandstorms, suffered bouts of serious disease, including schistosomiasis, and faced heavily armed groups that roam the eastern Sahara.

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Description On the German explorer and researcher Stefan Kröpelin's work in the Sahara Desert.


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Authors & Contributors
Robin, Libby
Jayne C. Aubele
McDonald, Jo
Larry Steven Crumpler
Martin, Max
Yuriko Furuhata
Concepts
Science and society
Environmental sciences
Climate and climatology
Deserts
Earth sciences
Science and politics
Time Periods
20th century, late
21st century
20th century
19th century
Early modern
20th century, early
Places
Africa
United States
Australia
South America
Europe
Japan
Institutions
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
University of Melbourne
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