Flasksampler on the Top
At half past six on November 22, 2024 custodian Thomas Furter takes the first regular air sample with the new ICOS-flasksampler. Even earlier, he had freed the Sphinx-terrace from snow, and afterwards he will continue his daily chores in the labs – the custodians of the foundation HFSJG (https://www.hfsjg.ch/en/) on Jungfraujoch have a busy schedule.
On the track of the atmosphere
The new device periodically collects air from the surroundings of Jungfraujoch. Later, the concentrations of trace gases (CO2, CH4, N2O, among others) in these samples will be measured. These data provide a record over time of the composition of our atmosphere, and in particular the changes thereof. The proportion of radioactive and stable carbon dioxide (CO2) in the alpine air is also of strong interest. The radioactive isotope 14C, with its half-life period of less than 6000 years, has long ago decayed in fossil compounds. The ratio of this isotope in the CO2 in our environment can reveal information on its origin, e.g. the combustion of fossil fuel. The samples are analysed in the Central Analytical Laboratories (https://www.icos-cal.eu/) of ICOS in Jena (https://www.icos-cal.eu/fcl) and Heidelberg (https://www.icos-cal.eu/crl) (DE).
Extreme conditions on Jungfraujoch
Around the world, 40 such flasksamplers are in use. The stations are mostly located in sparsely populated regions. Some of the most extreme conditions are found in stations on the ocean or in the rain forest. Jungfraujoch is the most elevated site in the ICOS-network: The air pressure ist around 650 millibars. The installation of the device is therefore supported by Richard Kneissl and Lars Borchardt from the Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (https://www.bgc-jena.mpg.de/) (MPG) in Jena.
An adventurous journey
Developed at MPG, the device gets to the University of Bern, to be tested in the labs of the division of Climate and Environmental Physics (https://www.climate.unibe.ch/) and made ready for dispatch. After a stop in Grindelwald Grund, it is finally carried to its destination by the Jungfrau Railways. In the Sphinx-Observatory, constructed in 1937, no goods lift is available. Like other instruments, the flasksampler ist raised from the tourist terrace to the first floor using a winch. This delicate procedure is supervised by custodian Erich Furrer. Such an action can only take place in good weather, outside the opening times for visitors. All the greater was the joy when the flasksampler was connected to the air inlet on November 13, as scheduled. The air is drawn from the adjacent Mönchsgrat, a site accessible only by people with climbing skills.
Periodical samples for ICOS
Automated samplings for the Integrated Carbon Observation System are now taking place every three days. The foundation HFSJG is proud to contribute to climate research with its class 1 atmosphere station on Jungfraujoch.