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Identification
Hosting Legal Entity
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Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics
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Location
Rauris, PO: 5661 (Austria)
Structure
Type Of RI
Distributed
Coordinating Country
Austria
Status
Status
Current Status:
Operational
Scientific Description
The Sonnblick Observatory is located in the Austrian Central Alps at an elevation of 3100m. It is situated at the alpine main divide, which is a clear climatological border. It also lies in the “Nationalpark Hohe Tauern” which covers 1856 sq.km of the Austrian Alps. Research at Sonnblick is currently formulated in the research programme ENVISON. It covers three main topics: the atmosphere, the cryosphere, and the biosphere, in an extensive monitoring programme, and with many research projects. Sonnblick is outstanding with respect to its long-term climate observations and studies on glacier changes. Thus, the impact of Climate Change on the cryosphere is a major research topic at Sonnblick. Since 1886, Sonnblick is also involved in many international projects on atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics. Sonnblick Observatory cooperates with several Austrian and international universities/research institutions. Within the frame of the GAW-DACH (Global Atmosphere Watch Programme-cooperation Germany, Austria, Switzerland) cooperation, Sonnblick has a special partnership with the observatories Jungfraujoch (in Switzerland), Zugspitze and Hohenpeissenberg (both in Germany) for common research on atmospheric processes and climate change.
RI Keywords
Climatology, Isotopic chemistry, Pollution, Limnology, Geophysics, Environmental sciences, Hydrology, Climate change, Glaciology, Atmospheric chemistry and physics, Alps, Paleolimnology, Geomorphology, Geology, Alpine meteorology
Classifications
RI Category
Polar and Cryospheric Research Infrastructures
Solid Earth Observatories, including Seismological Monitoring Stations
Atmospheric Measurement Facilities
In situ Earth Observatories
Earth, Ocean, Marine, Freshwater, and Atmosphere Data Centres
Environmental Management Infrastructures
Solid Earth Observatories, including Seismological Monitoring Stations
Atmospheric Measurement Facilities
In situ Earth Observatories
Earth, Ocean, Marine, Freshwater, and Atmosphere Data Centres
Environmental Management Infrastructures
Scientific Domain
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Services
Full IT-support
High level database and internet.
User support
Permanent available staff available to assist with construction.
Accommodation and Space
Sonnblick Observatory is built together with an alpine hut “Zittelhaus” which offers additional accommodation and space.
Access
Access possible throughout the year either by cable car or by hiking. Because of its remote location in the Alps potential mountain hazards have to be considered during field work.
Equipment
Atmospheric, cryospheric, and biospheric research systems
Meteorological sensors, high level radiation sensors, isotopic measurements, aerololes and air pollution measurements, glaciological test fields, permafrost boreholes and permafrost monitoring.
Collaborations
Networks
Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN)
Global Atmosphere Watch Programme-cooperation Germany, Austria, Switzerland (GAW-DACH)
Date of last update: 08/08/2017
