From paper to proof: revealing Congo Basin warming through rescued climate archives

19 October 2026

The Congo Basin is one of the least studied regions for climate change due to limited accessible data, despite large volumes of historical records stored on paper in archives. In this study, the authors digitised over 9000 sheets from 37 stations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, producing more than one million daily weather observations. The results show clear warming since the 1960s, with more hot days and fewer cold days, highlighting the importance of data rescue in data-sparse regions.

Please also read the press release by Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Contact: Derrick Muheki (derrick.muheki@vub.be)