Welcome to the Col Margherita Observatory Server

The Col Margherita Observatory is run by the ISP-CNR with the support of the Val di Fassa cable cars

The mission of the ISP is to contribute to increasing the quality of Italian scientific and technological research in the polar and alpine regions, and to provide knowledge on global changes in support of Italian and European environmental policies by the development of new technologies and survey methodologies.

The Col Margherita High Altitude Observatory (MRG) is located on the southern slope of the Eastern Alps (46.37 N, 11.79 E), at an altitude of 2543 meters above sea level. The site is located within the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is considered strategic, because despite not being at a particularly high altitude, it is representative of the synoptic conditions of the south-facing Eastern Alps, where there is no similar station. The main characteristics of the site are that it represents the synoptic conditions of the free troposphere at that height and pressure (700 hpa), as there are few the orographic barriers in the surrounding area and there is an absence of local pollution sources.