100 years ago, the Swiss Federal Council gave the go-ahead for the construction of a research station on the Jungfraujoch glacier saddle in the Alps. The special stamp issued to mark this occasion visualizes one of the many research projects currently under way there. After the opening of the Jungfrau Railway in 1912, little time was lost in developing ideas for conducting research at this remarkable location. For example, it clearly lent itself to the study of cosmic rays, which had only just been discovered. The station was opened in 1931, focusing initially on questions of glaciology and medicine, but later turning to the field of astronomy. In recent years, the primary focus has shifted to the environmental sciences. At present, more than half of the projects under way involve environmental and climate issues. The “High Altitude Research Stations Jungfraujoch and Gornergrat International Foundation” (HFSJG) provides researchers from all over the world with scientific infrastructure high up in the Alps. Of the approximately 50 research projects currently in place, one is concerned with the air flows from all over Europe that pass over the station. The process of visualizing these air flows is depicted on the special stamp.
