Lance Cpl. Darien Garland, Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 weather observer and native of Albany, N.Y., fills a sonde, or weather balloon, with helium outside Station Meteorological Oceanographic Command Oct. 11. Station METOC doesn?t send up sondes often, and when they do, it is mostly for training purposes, but Marines keep in practice in case of deployment. The sonde collects information such as wind speed, direction, temperature and humidity at different heights and sends the information back to the Marines in order for them to more accurately forecast the weather. - Lance Cpl. Darien Garland, Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 weather observer and native of Albany, N.Y., fills a sonde, or weather balloon, with helium outside Station Meteorological Oceanographic Command Oct. 11. Station METOC doesn?t send up sondes often, and when they do, it is mostly for training purposes, but Marines keep in practice in case of deployment. The sonde collects information such as wind speed, direction, temperature and humidity at different heights and sends the information back to the Marines in order for them to more accurately forecast the weather.