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)
Organization(s):
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL)
What does this program measure?
The Pollak CNC was a manual unit which used water vapor to produce counts in a Condensation Nuclei Counter (CNC). When the Pollak CNC was in operation at MLO, the TSI instrument (Thermo Systems Incorporated) was compared to the Pollak CNC once a day. The TSI unit is a continuous-expansion CNC (see CMDL Aerosols) by which particle number concentration is determined when particles are exposed the to a high super saturation of butanol vapor. This causes the particles to grow to a size where they can be detected optically and counted. The instruments in use have lower particle-size detection limits of 10-20 nm diameter.
How does this program work?
CMDL's General Operations Manual for our Aerosol Systems will describe precisely how these measurements took place. The project involved the Pollak Condensation Nuclei Counter, which measured daily at Mauna Loa Observatory.
Why is this research important?
Are there any trends in the data?
How does this program fit into the big picture?
What is it's role in global climate change?
Comments and References
This project is no longer active.
Lead Investigator(s):
none
MLO Contact(s):
Dr. John E Barnes
808-933-6965 (x222)
Web Site(s)
not applicable
Date Started
RETIRED
Related Programs
Air Quality Control
NOAA ESRL
Retired
Photographs:
