“The platform with the most beautiful view over the campus,” smiled Ralph Zettl, Director of Resources and Planning, at the opening on 14 October 2026. The measurements taken by the station near Heinrichstraße 31 and those from the building at Heinrichstraße 28 provide data for geophysical research at the University of Graz as well as for nationwide weather monitoring in Austria: including GeoSphere Austria, ARAD (Austrian Radiation Monitoring and Measurement Network) and ANIP for isotopes in precipitation and surface waters. Furthermore, with the new platform, the University of Graz is ideally equipped for the Graz Centre of Physics as well as for further collaborations. “We can now carry out measurements even more accurately and under better conditions,” explained meteorologist Ulrich Foelsche, scientific director of the weather station. This is because, alongside automated data collection, some observations are still carried out by people, such as those relating to visibility or cloud cover.
The expansion will reorganise the number of instruments, which has grown over time. Christoph Resch-Anzengruber, supervisor of the meteorological station, explains: “The individual sensors need to be spaced at appropriate distances from one another so that they are not exposed to factors such as shading.” In addition, the enlarged platform makes it easier for students and members of the public to visit.
