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Chacaltaya observatory is located in the Andes, at an altitude of 5220 m a.s.l. The observatory has gained worldwide recognition for the observations of cosmic rays since the 1940s.

Since 2012, Chacaltaya is also a station in the [http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/gaw/gaw_home_en.html Global Atmosphere Watch] (GAW) network.

The extreme altitude make the observatory predestined to measure atmospheric composition as representative for the south hemispheric background.

Chacaltaya observatory is operated by the [http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~mandrade/resume/resume.html Universidad Mayor San Andrés (UMSA), La Paz, Bolivia]

However, there is considerable international cooperation with researchers from France, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the USA.

== Latin American and Caribbean Aerosol Measurements School (June 22-27, 2015) ==

Latin America and Caribbean young scientists and graduate students who are close to finishing their MS or PhDs are invited to apply for the [http://www.chacaltaya.edu.bo/news/latin-american-and-caribbean-aerosol-measurements-schoolfrom-measurements-technologies-to-applications '''LACAM School 2015''']. The main goal of the course is to improve the knowledge and skills in issues related to atmospheric measurements focusing on aerosols and black carbon.

== Impressions of Chacaltaya observatory ==

<gallery widths="200px" heights="140px" perrow="4">
File: Chac2014-0.JPG | Steering Committee Meeting at UMSA, June 2014
File: Chac2014-1.JPG | The plaque commemorating Chacaltaya as a Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) station
File: Chac2014-2.JPG | Main building for atmospheric measurements
File: Chac2014-3.JPG | View towards Huayna Potosi
File: Chac2014-4.JPG | View towards La Paz and El Alto
File: Chac2014-5.JPG | Aerosol instrumentation
File: Chac2014-6.JPG | Hut at the summit (5360 m). This is probably the highest point on earth where atmospheric aerosols are collected on a regular basis.
File: Chac2014-8.JPG | International researcher group in June 2014
</gallery>

== Partners ==
* [http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~mandrade/resume/resume.html Universidad Mayor San Andrés (UMSA), La Paz, Bolivia]
* [http://lgge.osug.fr/article166.html?lang=fr Grenoble University/LGGE, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement/LSCE und Laboratoire de Météorologie Physique/LaMP, France]
* [http://www.itm.su.se/page.php?pid=536&id=147 Stockholm University, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Sweden.]
* [http://www.tropos.de/en/institute/departments/experimental-aerosol-and-cloud-microphysics/tropospheric-aerosols/ Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS)] 
* Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate / ISAC - CNR and EvK2CNR, Italy
* Goddard Space Flight Center/NASA, USA
* Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Switzerland

== Continuous measurements ==

* Trace gases (CO2, CO, O3)
* Aerosol particles (light scattering and absorption, particle number size distribution, chemical composition, hygroscopicity)
* Solar radiation
* Local meteorology

== Links ==

[http://www.chacaltaya.edu.bo/ Chacaltaya GAW Station], Website by the Universidad Mayor San Andrés (UMSA). 

[http://www.tropos.de/en/current-issues/press-releases/details/chacaltaya-5240-m-in-bolivia/ Chacaltaya (5240 m) in Bolivia, TROPOS press release].

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chacaltaya Wikipedia information on Chacaltaya].

== Navigation ==

Click here to return to [[Aerosols_and_air_quality|Aerosols and air quality]].