= Karl Bergwitz
{c}
{tag=Physicist}
{title2=1875–1958}
<Karl Bergwitz> made early balloon measurements of atmospheric <ionization>, comparing the detector response at altitude with observations nearer the ground. These experiments tested expectations for radiation originating in the terrestrial environment.<100 Years of Cosmic Rays by DESY>[First panel: balloon electrometer measurements and detector limitations]{ref}
The experiment's value lies in changing the material between a proposed source and the detector. Interpretation also depends on instrumental behaviour under changing conditions, so altitude dependence must be separated from leakage, calibration changes and the detector's own background.
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