This presentation will give an overview about the 100 years measuring programme and will also give additional information of future aspects. Starting in April 1905, first kites and balloons were launched at the Lindenberg site, where in the first twenty years approximately 3 launches per day could be realised. Since these days, vertical temperature and humidity profiles are available. This unique, homogeneous data set gives some indications about long-term trends and temporal variabilities for the Lindenberg column.

Nowadays a weekly launched, calibrated research sonde allows the detailed intercomparison and cross-calibration to the routine RS92 sonde, both manufactured by Vaisala. The RS92 sonde will be launched four times a day. To enhance the temporal resolution, additional instruments could be installed at the observatory site. These instruments (cloud radar, water vapour Raman-lidar, Fourier-Transform Interferometer, microwave-profiler, micro-waveradiometer, windprofiler / RASS) allow the measurements of vertical profiles of temperature, humidity and wind with a vertical resolution of 500 meters and a temporal resolution of 30 minutes. These date are worldwide available within the GCOS / GUAN program, where the observatory is a nominated GUAN reference site. Additional measurements were carried out to measure radiation at surface and energy fluxes within the limited Lindenberg area.

All the measured data were finally merged to a quality-checked data set, the so-called Lindenberg Column. This specific data set will currently be used for the evaluation of processes, parameterized in numerical weather prediction and regional climate models, and for the descriptive, statistical analysis of climate variabilities. The presentation will be closed with an outlook for the monitoring program until 2020, and with links to future satellite observations to realise a three-dimensional observation of the atmosphere.