The Gruvebadet atmospheric laboratory is located about one kilometre south of Ny-Ålesund and is dedicated to the study of the atmospheric composition and more particularly that of the aerosol. The laboratory was opened in 2010 by the CNR in the building that once housed the Ny-Ålesund miners' showers (Gruve = mine, badet = bathroom in Norwegian).
The laboratory is equipped to house a large number of instruments dedicated to the study of aerosol. There is an accessible roof for the installation of both sampling heads and actual samplers, as well as a series of "passages" for the sampling tubes between the interior of the laboratory and the roof.
The laboratory is managed by the CNR in collaboration with numerous Italian universities: Florence, Perugia, Venice, Turin etc.
The main measurements made in the laboratory are:
   - the chemical characterization (organic component and metals) of size segregated atmospheric particulate ;
   - measurement of the size distribution of aerosols and their diffusion and radiation absorption properties ;
   - the measurement of the carbon component of particulate matter (EC / OC);
   - study of new particle formation processes and their ability to form clouds.
In recent years, atmospheric activities have been accompanied by studies of the surface snowpack. The interaction between the atmosphere and snow is one of the topics that most needs to be explored as, for example, the deposition of particulate matter on the snow can accelerate its melting.
The laboratory has attracted more and more interest from foreign researchers; to date, there are numerous active international collaborations on these topics with KOPRI, NPI, the University of Helsinki etc and others.

  Gruvebadet - Aerosol laboratory on the website: artico.cnr.it