30 Years of Hamburg Weather Mast

28 March 2025

Photo: UHH/Lange

30 Years of Hamburg Weather Mast –  on March 28, 1995, the ongoing digital recording of weather data from heights of up to 280 meters above Hamburg began! Prior to that, since the 1960s, there had been sporadic meteorological measurements at the prominent NDR transmission mast in Hamburg-Billwerder, but these were still conducted using analog methods, such as paper recorders. It was only after a complete refurbishment of the tall mast at heights of 50, 70, 110, 175, and 250 meters (later also 280 meters), as well as the construction of a new 10-meter mast in a nearby field, that continuous second-by-second readings of the wind, temperature, and humidity sensors became possible, with data archived as 1-minute averages. The technology has been updated as needed, but the database has continued to grow ever since. Meanwhile, ultrasonic anemometers have replaced the old cup anemometers and wind vanes, more complex instruments such as a ceilometer and a micro rain radar have been added, and we have also conducted various focus measurements with special instruments at and around the Weather Mast.

The Hamburg Weather Mast provides valuable data for research in the fields of boundary layer meteorology, urban climate, renewable energy, process studies, model evaluation, and much more. The data has been analyzed many times in degree theses (diplomas, bachelor's, and master's) by our students and external researchers, and it has been included in doctoral works and research projects. And, nevertheless, the data also offers a unique view of the current weather directly above us on wettermast.uni-hamburg.de.

The Weather Mast Hamburg is maintained by the Atmospheric Measurements/Process Modeling group led by Prof. Dr. Felix Ament at the Meteorological Institute of the University of Hamburg.

(This news article was translated from German to English by UHHGPT.)