Measurements at the Mauna Loa Observatory stopped after the 2022 eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano, when lava flow crossed the access road and took out power lines to the facility. The observatory remains inaccessible by vehicle and without power from the local utility company.

Observatory staff has established limited solar power in four observatory buildings and restored approximately 33 percent of the measurements onsite, including the Global Monitoring Laboratory and Scripps critical CO2 records and other atmospheric measurements.

Media can contact: Theo Stein (303) 819-7409 (theo.stein@noaa.gov) or Karin Vergoth 303-632-6413‬ (karin.vergoth@noaa.gov)

Lesson Plans

Welcome to the Teacher Lesson Plan section of the MLO Education Center. The lesson plans below are designed for teachers, educators, and parents that want to create their own fun and informative learning centers for young students. The lesson plans were created by MLO staff and contain basic education about the weather, the earth, the atmosphere, and our environment. If you would like more information on any of these activities, or have any other comments or questions, please contact Darryl Kuniyuki at 808-933-6965 (x237), or email the webmaster.

Each lesson plan contains a description of the purpose and relevance of the activity, as well as a list of materials required to create the activity center, suggested methods of running the lesson, and photographs of a completed activity whenever possible.
All lesson plans are in a printerable Adobe Reader (.pdf) format.