Canadian high-altitude station at Sulphur Mountain

Abstract

A recent and a most welcome addition to the roster of high-altitude research facilities is the new Canadian station on Sulphur Mountain near Banff, Alberta, in the Canadian Rockies. This station is of particular importance because, in addition to being well supplied and equipped, it is also the only high-altitude research facility in this area, and therefore is of so much importance in completing the world network of stations. The importance of the location was underscored at the 1954 Rome meeting of the Special Committee for the International Geophysical Year (CSAGI), by the Geographical Coordination Committee of which the present author was fortunate to be a member. This Committee considered what should be the optimum distribution of stations all over the world in order best to intercept cosmic-ray impact zones and favorably to locate many other important IGY research activities such as auroral studies and ionospheric physics. The establishment of a station in the Rockies was recommended at that meeting.