Zeppelin Observatory, Ny-Ålesund

A science town at 79 degrees north

Ny-Ålesund on Spitsbergen, Svalbard, was a coal-mining town until the 1960s and then became a research village; the Norwegian Polar Institute began a year-round presence in 1968. The Zeppelin Observatory, on Zeppelinfjellet at about 475 metres above the town, was established in 1989 and officially opened in 1990. The height places it above the shallow, stable layer of air that often traps local pollution near the ground, so that the instruments sample the air of the wider Arctic.

The Norwegian Polar Institute, NILU and Stockholm University operate the observatory. The original building was demolished in 1999 as unsuitable for advanced instruments, and a new building reopened on the same site in May 2000.

Thirty years of Arctic air

The programme measures greenhouse gases, ozone, aerosols, mercury and a long list of persistent organic pollutants and halocarbons. Its record documents Arctic haze, the winter and spring layer of pollution from mid-latitude sources, the long-range transport of pollutants, and the response of ozone-depleting substances to the Montreal Protocol. A review in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics in 2022 set out thirty years of the observatory's results.

The observatory contributes to the Global Atmosphere Watch, the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme.

Working in a shared Arctic village

Ny-Ålesund hosts research stations from about ten countries that share logistics and agree rules on noise, radio and pollution in the village. A committee coordinates the work. The station's arrangements show how an observatory can operate within a community of observers, at the edge of the world, with a common set of rules.

A station among stations

Ny-Ålesund is a rare case in which stations of many countries share a site and a rule book. The research community there runs a committee of managers, publishes a calendar and shares logistics such as the supply ship and the airport. Each country decides on its own instruments, and common rules protect against radio and light interference. The Zeppelin Observatory benefits from the others' meteorology, radiation and aerosol work. Its record of Arctic air composition is stronger for the context that its neighbours provide, which shows the value of siting an observatory in a scientific cluster.

Instruments and technologies

• Greenhouse-gas analysers Cavity ring-down and other optical analysers measure carbon dioxide and methane in air drawn through an inlet on the roof.
• Aerosol instruments Particle counters, sizers and filter samplers measure the number and composition of aerosol particles.
• Persistent-pollutant samplers High-volume air samplers collect pesticides and industrial compounds for analysis in the laboratory.

Timeline

• 1968 Norwegian Polar Institute begins a year-round presence in Ny-Ålesund.
• 1989 Zeppelin Observatory established.
• 1990 Official opening.
• 1999 Original building demolished as unsuitable for advanced instruments.
• 2000 New building reopens on the same site in May.

Key lessons for observation today

• Put the sensor above the local layer The height of the station lifts it above local pollution. Siting in height is a cheap way to improve representativeness.
• Shared sites need shared rules Ny-Ålesund's stations agree on radio, noise and pollution. A shared field site needs a governance agreement.
• Rebuild when the science demands The first building was replaced after ten years because it could not host modern instruments. Infrastructure planning must allow for it.

Sources

• NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Ny-Ålesund (ZEP) site information
• Platt et al. (2022), Atmospheric composition in the European Arctic and 30 years of the Zeppelin Observatory, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
• Wikipedia, Ny-Ålesund