The high alpine research station Jungfraujoch is situated on a mountain saddle between the two mountains Jungfrau (4158 m asl) and Mönch (4099 m asl). The local wind is channeled due to the topography. Surrounding surfaces are mostly covered by snow or ice apart from some steep slopes of bare rock. No vegetation or soil is present in the vicinity. The Jungfraujoch is also accessible for tourists with a public terrace approximately 10 m below the inlet. The upper part of the so-called Sphinx observatory is restricted to scientists. The closest settlements are the tourist villages Wengen (1200 inhabitants) and Grindelwald (3800 inhabitants), approximately 8km to the NW and 10 km to the NE, respectively. Both are located about 2500m below Jungfraujoch. Interlaken (5700 inhabitants) is located approx. 3 km below Jungfraujoch and 20 km to the North. Thun (42'600 inhabitants) and Bern (140'000 inhabitants) are located approximately 35 and 60 km to the NW. The highly industrialized Po Basin in Northern Italy is located approx. 150 km to the SE.