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Here, at a height of 3,580 meters scientists from a variety of disciplines come together to conduct research in fields as diverse as environmental research and medicine, from meteorology to astronomy. Some of them come from the Paul Scherrer Institute, a Swiss research center for natural and engineering sciences. They use the clear air and special location of the station to learn more about dust particles at high altitudes. The particles – in the form of aerosols – are mainly mineral dusts and pollen, but also anthropogenic soot particles from cars and industrial exhausts. They affect cloud formation and the climate. Very little is known about their precise physical effects, but it is clear that they have a cooling effect; in other words, they counteract the greenhouse effect. The scientists believe that aspect has been neglected in climate models. Life at the High Altitude Research Station is not for everyone. The air on the Jungfraujoch can dip to temperatures of minus 35 degrees in the wintertime and it has one third less oxygen than down lowlands. The nearby Aletsch Glacier, the largest accumulation of ice in the Alps, ensures very special research conditions. TOMORROW TODAY presents the Alpine research station.

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Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  These are the high peaks of the Bernese Alps. Altitude: 3500 meters, temperatures that plummet to minus 35 degrees Celsius in the winter, biting winds, clouds, fog – and very thin air. Thirty percent less oxygen than in the cities, and the largest accumulation of ice in the Alps – the Aletsch Glacier. This isn't a a place you could call user-friendly.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  But despite the raw conditions, the Jungfraujoch is a popular tourist attraction. A record 700 thousand people came up here last year. And that number looks set to rise. Getting here and back is a day’s outing. The train from Interlaken sets out to the "Kleine Scheidegg" station at the foot of the towering Eiger massif, and from there it’s another 50 minutes with the Jungfrau railway up to the Jungfraujoch. Visitors from around the world gather at this high-altitude the train station, thronging the platforms, ice caves and restaurants.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  What most of them don’t get to see is the other face of the Jungfraujoch. The Sphinx Observatory – a prestigious scientific center – is supported by Switzerland, Germany, Britain, Belgium, Austria and Italy. Its research station is perched on the cliff below.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  We've come up here to find out what high-altitude environmental research looks like. Prof. Urs Baltensperger heads the Paul Scherrer Institute: "We suck up the air here and it's distributed to the various measuring devices. Here we have a beta-meter, and a condensation nucleus counter, this is where we collect the dust particles to do chemical analysis on. Here's a nephelometer and at the back we have two more beta-meters." It’s not as complicated as it sounds. The research is about aerosols. They are tiny particles suspended in the air, and they’ve been monitored here since 1995. Mineral dusts and pollen are detected, but so are soot particles from automobile and industrial emissions. These particles have major effects on cloud formation.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Exactly how aerosols influence weather systems is not yet fully understood, but the particles are known to have a cooling effect. The scientists say that effect has not been fully incorporated into climate models. Prof. Urs Baltensperger explains: "The overwhelming majority of researchers agree that we do have warming. But how great the warming will be depends to a large extent on this aerosol-cooling effect. That means the research being done here is absolutely central for future determinations of the greenhouse effect."

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Other teams are also looking for enlightenment up here. Some work at night – with laser beams reaching 80 kilometers up into the sky. Others are taking control measurements. It’s part of an international research network that can be used to monitor compliance with climate conventions. Conducting this kind of science on the summit is a demanding enterprise – one that's only been made possible by the success of the Jungfrau Railway. All the tourists mean profits – that benefit the scientists. Tourism is what keeps the research station going. It has its disadvantages, too. The measuring instruments register smoke particles from every single cigarette. Prof. Urs Baltensperger: "It's a bit of a dilemma. Above all, we want to prevent helicopters from flying tourists around here, because that produces very discernible emissions. And the tourists also come from far away, and so they’re contributing to climate effects – that makes the whole situation here somewhat ambivalent."

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  This is one person who doesn’t travel back and forth. Martin Fischer and his wife have been living here at cloud level for the past six years. He takes care of the instruments, reports on the weather, takes care of the researchers and whatever else needs doing.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  He hopes to spend many more years at Europe’s highest place of residence. On a clear day, the view of the Aletsch glacier is breathtaking. But the World Heritage Site is melting. Changes are taking place up here, too, amid all the Alpine beauty.