Izaña Observatory is visited by 44 students from the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences of the University of Manchester

On 12 April, a group of 44 students from the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences of the University of Manchester, guided by members of the school’s staff, visited the facilities of the Izaña Atmospheric Observatory for the second consecutive year. The visit was carried out as part of their yearly field trip to the island of Tenerife, during which the students not only study the different aspects of Tenerife’s impressive geology but also try to get a better understanding of its meteorology, botany and the human impact on the island’s ecosystem and, most importantly, how these different aspects of the system are linked together. The visit to the observatory, guided by its director, Dr. Emilio Cuevas, started with a presentation at the observatory’s lecture hall, where the history as well as the different activities carried out at the observatory, were explained

This was followed by a visit to the observatory’s terrace, where the student had a chance to see first hand the array of instruments used to make atmospheric measurements and ask questions about their operation. This visit enabled to students to get a more comprehensive view of the role played by the atmosphere in the Canary archipelago and specifically on its effects and links with other environmental variables.
Atmospheric physics is an important area of research and undergraduate study at the University of Manchester and therefore the opportunity to visit the Izaña Atmospheric Observatory provided an important glimpse into exactly how atmospheric monitoring stations fit into the global network of atmospheric and environmental research.