An automated weather station (Typ Thies DL 16) has been operated year-round since 1995 at the GARS O’Higgins station. It provides measurements of air pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind direction. Such data is also required as auxiliary information for VLBI, GNSS and sea-level measurements, among other uses. Wind data are especially required during storms, primarily for safety reasons. Occasional sensor malfunction and data gaps are likely only during especially rough weather periods. Salt crusts on the sensor surfaces caused by sea water spray dramatically reduce their service life. Instead of conventional anemometers, which would not survive the extreme wind velocities, an ultrasound sensor with heated electrodes is used to measure wind speed and direction.
