More than two years after road access and electrical power to the Mauna Loa Observatory was cut off by lava flows, NOAA staff continue to make critical measurements of the atmosphere and other environmental variables at the remote site.
In 2023, observatory staff installed solar panels at the site and resumed some measurements, including the independent carbon dioxide monitoring programs run by the Global Monitoring Laboratory and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, as well as other atmospheric measurements.
Construction of a temporary road to access the observatory site is anticipated to begin in summer 2025.
Media can contact: Theo Stein (303) 819-7409 (theo.stein@noaa.gov)
Mauna Loa Baseline Observatory
Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) is located on the north flank of Mauna Loa Volcano, on the Big Island of Hawaii, at an elevation of 3397 meters, or 11,135 feet above sea level. The observatory is a premier atmospheric research facility that has been continuously monitoring and collecting data related to atmospheric change since the 1950's.
The observatory protrudes through the strong marine temperature inversion layer present in the region, which separates the more polluted lower portions of the atmosphere from the much cleaner free troposphere. The undisturbed air, remote location, and minimal influences of vegetation and human activity at MLO are ideal for monitoring constituents in the atmosphere that can cause climate change.
MLO has supported hundreds of cooperative research programs with national and international universities and government organizations. A staff of 8 operates and maintains the observatory, with offices in Hilo, Hawaii.
Movies showing the lava flow crossing the road to the observatory: Lava Flow Movies
If you are interested in conducting research at one of the NOAA Baseline Observatories:
Request a New Baseline Observatory
Cooperative Agreement
Location
- Country: United States
- Latitude: 19.5362° North
- Longitude: 155.5763° West
- Elevation: 3397.00 masl
- Time Zone: Local Time + 10 hour(s) = UTC
Contact
- Contact Name: Darryl Kuniyuki
- Address: NOAA - Mauna Loa Observatory
1437 Kilauea Ave. #102
Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, United States - Phone: (808) 933-6965
- Fax: (808) 933-6967
