Chacaltaya GAW Station (LFA - IIF - UMSA )
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Instruments & Data
    • Data & metadata
    • Instruments timelines
    • Aethalometer
    • Automatic Weather Station
    • Carbon Monoxide Analyzer
    • Carbon Dioxide Analyzer
    • High Volume Air Sampler
    • Hygroscopic Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer
    • Integrating Nephelometer
    • LIDAR
    • Mobility Particle Sizer Spectrometer
    • Multi-Angle Absorption Photometer
    • Neutral Cluster & Air Ion Spectrometer
    • Ozone Analyzer
    • Passive Atmospheric Sampling
    • Quadrupole Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor
    • Water vapor isotopic composition analyzer
  • Staff
    • LFA (Bolivia)
    • International Consortium
    • Students
  • News
  • Publications
  • Visit us
  • Contact
  • Links
  • GCOS-GRUAN Project
  • Latin American and Caribbean Aerosol Measurements School 2015
    • Motivation and Objective
    • Course description
    • Program
    • Lecturers
    • Bios Lecturers
    • Who should attend?
    • Parallel session for stakeholders
    • Application procedure and registration
    • Financial support
    • Calendar
About the station

The Chacaltaya GAW Station (CHC) is located in the Bolivian Andes. Chacaltaya is a mountain with a horizon open to the  south and west facing the Altiplano (high plateau of 3800 masl).  Behind CHC (towards the north and east), high peaks of the mountain range (Cordillera Real) separate it from the Amazon Basin.  The climate is semi-arid, but the summit of Chacaltaya is often in the clouds. The area surrounding the CHC is stony, partly covered by snow (especially in summer) and with little fauna and vegetation.

The station was equipped in november 2011 to measure gases concentrations, aerosols physical and chemical properties in a continuous basis. It is managed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric Physics  (LFA) as part of an  international scientific consortium.  The station depends of the Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas from the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés and shares facilities with the Cosmic Rays Group  (ORCC).

Most of the instruments  are deployed at 5240 masl, but some have been installed in the norwestern ridge of Mount Chacaltaya at 5380 masl.


Electric power is available at CHC station through transmission wires from La Paz, cell phones get a weak but continuous signal on site and the internet connection is stable. Permanent personnel (watchmen) work 7 days a week at the CHC station. Scientists and technicians travel to the station regularly during work days.

Chacaltaya climate
Average annual temperature
Thermal amplitude range
Barometric pressure
Annual precipitation
-1 ºC
3.8ºC (Dec) to 8.5 ºC (May)
540 mbar
680 mm (50% occurs during summer)

Observatory
5240 masl
16°21.014'S
68º07.886'W

Picture
Observatory (November 2011)
Northwestern ridge 
5380
16º20.817'S
68º07.698'W

Picture
AWS and High-Volume sampler in the nortwestern ridge of Chacaltaya. (April 2016)

Picture
A suprise during the rainy season.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.