Photo: Empa

The research station on the Jungfraujoch is the highest in Europe. The air at this altitude is a veritable treasure trove of information on the development of pollutants and emissions across the continent. But the station is not only used by Empa researchers for their work -- its viewing platform also attracts thousands of tourists every day. There are also numerous local emissions on the Jungfraujoch that can distort the air samples analyzed by the researchers.

A team led by Martin Vollmer from the Empa's Air Pollution / Environmental Technology lab decided as early as 2012 to draw in air 50 meters away in order to have even cleaner air available for analysis in the future. Tests lasted several years and the project plan has now been implemented.