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Station Characteristics | 12/9/2002 11:12:29 AM/65

GAW ID | | Cape Point (South Africa)
station status | established 1978 / full operation | Global fixed station in WMO RA I - Africa
time zone | UTC+2 | 34.360°S 18.498°E (230 m a.s.l.)
climate zone | Cs (Warmer Humid - Mediterranean) | www.weathersa.co.za/gaw/

description
The Cape Point station is located in a nature reserve at the southern end of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, (coordinates: 34°21' S, 18°29' E). The monitoring station is exposed to the sea on top of a cliff 230 m a.s.l., about 60 km south from the city of Cape Town. Since the dominant wind direction is SE - S - SW, the station is subjected to maritime air from the South Atlantic most of the time. The Cape Peninsula has a Mediterranean-type climate where the summers are generally dry and windy, whilst the winters are cold and wet. In 1995, the station moved to a newly built one story measurement location. The new location provides excellent space for present and future measurement activities and underlines the importance given to the site by the Government. It is situated adjoining the old station beneath the 30 m sampling tower and is built partially into the rock. The air inlet and several pieces of meteorological equipment are mounted on a platform at the top of the flat roof. Cape Point, which is also a popular tourist destination, can easily be reached by road from Cape Town, which is situated 60 km to the north. From the tourist parking area an electrical funicular railway leads up the hill. Tourists are only permitted to visit Cape Point during daylight hours. |

Measurement Program

type | parameter | method | start | end | details

Greenhouse Gas

CFCs

Gas Chromatography (GC) [general]

07.1979

CH4

GC-FID

01.1982

ongoing

CO2

Non-dispersive IR (NDIR)

08.1992

ongoing

N2O

GC-ECD

02.1983

ongoing

Meteo

Pressure

Barometer/Pressure sensor

03.1988

Temperature

03.1988

Wind direction

Wind vane

03.1988

Wind speed

Anemometer

03.1988

Ozone

Surface ozone

UV photometry [general]

02.1982

ongoing

Surface ozone

Passive Samplers [general]

10.1995

Radio Nuclide

Beryllium [Be-7]

Filter sampling + gamma spectrometry

02.1992

Krypton [Kr-85]

Adsorption - scintillation counting

07.1985

1998

Lead [Pb-210]

Filter sampling + gamma spectrometry

02.1992

Radon [Rn-222]

Alpha counting

03.1999

Reactive Gas

CO

HgO reduction/UV absorption

05.1978

ongoing

NO2

Passive Samplers [general]

10.1995

SO2

Passive Samplers [general]

10.1995

Solar Radiation

Diffuse irradiance

02.2000

Global irradiance

02.2000

UV Broadband

02.1994

Contact Person(s)

name | Mr. Gerrie J. R. Coetzee

address

South African Weather Service
Private Bag X097
0001 Pretoria
South Africa

| 08.07.2002 13:52:05/66
phone | +27 12 367 6048
fax | +27 12 367 6175
mailto | [email-masked]
url | http://www.weathersa.co.za/

GAW function | Country contact
station function | Station manager

name | Mr. Ernst-Günther Brunke

address

South African Weather Service
SAWB c/o CSIR PO Box 320
7599 Stellenbosch
South Africa

| 23.05.2001
phone | +27-21-888-2636
fax | +27-21-888-2688
mailto | [email-masked]
url |

GAW function |
station function | Primary station contact

QA/SAC Switzerland is hosted by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA), Dübendorf, Switzerland.
Funding provided by MeteoSwiss is greatfully acknowledged.