• 47.190°N 8.175°E 797 m a.s.l.

Observational platform

Switzerland

• Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA)

https://www.actris.ch/facilities/beromunster/

• Stefan Reimann
  Facility PI (since 1 Jan 2018)
• Pascal Rubli
  PI deputy (since 1 Jan 2024)

The NABEL (The Swiss National Air Pollution Monitoring Network ) station near the former transmission tower with a height of 212 m in Beromünster is centrally located in the Swiss Plateau at an altitude of 797 meters above sea level. This monitoring station makes an important contribution because it is located far away from major sources of pollution and thus observes a mixture of emissions from all possible sources in the Swiss Plateau. Its location on an unforested hilltop allows unobstructed airflow from all directions. The measurements are located on the rooftop of a technical installation housing underneath the transmission tower.

In addition to the facilities of the NABEL monitoring network, the Beromünster transmission tower also houses facilities belonging to the University of Bern and Empa for research projects in the field of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. The intake pipes installed on the tower at five different measuring heights between 12 m and 212 m above ground offer unique opportunities, particularly for measuring greenhouse gases. The combination of continuous measurements at different heights with modelling of air mass transport makes it possible to determine the quantity and origin of greenhouse gases.