Spectrometer University of Liège
The University of Liège has been recording solar absorption spectra with various instruments on the Jungfraujoch since 1950. This allows gas concentrations in the atmosphere to be determined and recorded, which in turn documents the steady increase in various greenhouse gases. Since 1990, the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer “Commercial Bruker IFS-120HR”, known as FTIR for short, has been used and has delivered more than 30,000 average infrared spectra.
After more than 30 years, the last measurement with the FTIR spectrometer from the University of Liège took place on July 21, 2024. On July 22, 2024, it was dismantled at the Sphinx Observatory on Jungfraujoch and made ready for transport.
In August, the device was transported to Naters, where it will soon be on display at the UNESCO World Nature Forum (WNF) visitor center. The project “Communicating climate research in the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site” envisages an interactive exhibit in the WNF, which could be implemented in 2025.
More information can be found here: https://wnf.ch/ftir/
After dismantling the FTIR spectrometer on Jungfraujoch, the entire laboratory on the 1st floor was renovated (electrical installations, flooring, etc.).
At the beginning of September, a new FTIR spectrometer from Bruker was transported to the Jungfraujoch and the laboratory. It was installed by Bruker and the University of Liège so that the continuous long-term measurements can continue.
