A new GRUAN (GCOS Reference Upper Air Network, www.gruan.org) GNSS station was set up and successfully commissioned directly in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, at the end of May 2024. Main use of the station will be to measure precipitable water in the atmosphere. It is the first ever GRUAN GNSS station in South America.

GRUAN is a worldwide network of stations to precisely measure climate-relevant parameters within the framework of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) of the WMO (World Meteorological Organization). GNSS receivers to determine water vapor are part of the station equipment. GFZ is the central processing center for GNSS-derived water vapor within the framework of GRUAN.

Paramaribo is located at 5.8°N close to the equator in the tropics and experiences two rainy seasons each year, a short one from December to February and a long one from April to August. This highly dynamic system can now be observed continuously and precisely with the help of the new GNSS receiver. The station is located on top the building of the Suriname Meteorological Service, in the immediate vicinity of the balloon launch site for radiosonde measurements and ozone determinations.

The proximity to the geomagnetic equator also favours the use of the station for ionospheric studies, including the equatorial ionization anomaly and equatorial plasma depletions.