Climate Tourists complicate measurements at the high alpine research station
Operations manager Thomas Furter at the meteorological dome on the Sphinx observatory at the Jungfraujoch high alpine research station.
Image: Keystone
Various measurements are carried out at the research station using a range of equipment.
Image: Keystone
Operations manager Thomas Furter at the meteorological dome on the Sphinx observatory at the Jungfraujoch high alpine research station.
Image: Keystone
Various measurements are carried out at the research station using a range of equipment.
Image: Keystone
Weather, climate, air pollution and radiation: research has been carried out at Europe's highest research station on the Jungfraujoch BE for almost a hundred years. According to the operators, scientific interest in the research station remains high.
21.03.2025, 17:45
SDA
50 research projects are currently underway on the Jungfraujoch, explained operations manager Thomas Furter to the Keystone-SDA news agency on Friday. Most of the projects are concerned with the climate.
The research station at 3454 meters above sea level was inaugurated in 1931 and was of particular interest to meteorologists, astronomers and physicians at the time. For example, the researchers were interested in how a stay at this altitude affected health. The station even had a stable for high-altitude experiments with animals.
According to the operators, the infrastructure also contributed to the Great Aletsch Glacier becoming one of the best-researched glaciers in the world.
Today, many air measurements are carried out on the Jungfraujoch - from pollen in the air to concentrations of CO2 and perpetual chemicals to measurements of radiation and radioactivity.
Tourists distort measurements
However, they obtain accurate data at night in particular. This is because the many tourists on the Jungfraujoch influence the measurements during the day.
Even people's breathing is noticeable in the CO2 measurements. There are also tourists who smoke without permission on the terrace beneath the measuring devices, explained Furter.
However, the researchers are traveling to the station less and less often, because thanks to the Internet, the data from the countless measuring devices can be sent directly to offices spread all over the world. Nevertheless, the research station has rooms where researchers can stay overnight.
In addition, it is manned all year round by operating staff. They are also responsible for communicating their perceptions of the weather to meteorologists. For example, what types of clouds they see, how high the clouds are and what the visibility is like.
