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):
Meteorological Research
Institute (MRI)
What does this program measure?
The solar direct irradiance , sky brightness (relative value), and optical thickness.
How does this program work?
We estimate the amount of aerosol in the atmosphere from the attenuation of the solar direct irradiance and sky brightness.
Why is this research important?
We would like to know the aerosol amount in the atmosphere (aerosols are small particles in the air).
Are there any trends in the data?
We don’t check trends of our data.
How does this program fit into the big picture?
What is it's role in global climate change?
Aerosols in the atmosphere directly and indirectly change the earth's radiation budget. Therefore, they change climate.
Comments and References
We have a network to measure aerosol amount in the area of Japan and China. We must regularly calibrate the instruments to measure the solar radiation. The MLO is one of the best place to get the data for the calibration in the world.
Lead Investigator(s):
Akihiro Uchiyama
+81-29-853-8605
MLO Contact(s):
Dr. John E Barnes
808-933-6965
Web Site(s)
http://www.aeoliandust.com/users/uchiyama/index-e.html
http://www.mri-jma.jp/Dep/cl/cl3.html
Date Started
1994
Related Programs
Photographs:
see inset photos