The 2022 eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano cut off road access to the Mauna Loa Baseline Observatory. Construction on the temporary Mauna Loa Access road was completed on 26 March, 2026.
At this time, there is no site access for the general public to the Mauna Loa Observatory and NOAA has not yet established a public opening date. GML and scientific partners are working together to bring mission critical scientific projects back online. It is still unclear when utility infrastructure will be replaced and power re-established to the site.
We will provide another update as more information becomes available.
Media contact: Theo Stein at (303) 819-7409 or theo.stein@noaa.gov.
Organization(s):
National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL)
Network For the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change
(NDACC)
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)What does this program measure?
The program measures Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), including NO2 90° slant column density data, from Mauna Loa Observatory.
How does this program work?
The NO2 monitor uses a single grating monochromator to measure the zenith skylight between 450 nm and 490 nm, with a resolution of about 1 nm. Scans are made under computer control during early and late morning, and a difference method is used to retrieve NO2 concentration using known absorption lines of the gas. By using scans from various times during the morning it is possible to obtain a profile of NO2.
Why is this research important?
It is important to continuously monitor stratospheric NO2 at MLO.
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
Lead Investigator(s):
Paul V. Johnston (NIWA)
011-643-440-0429
MLO Contact(s):
Paul Fukumura
808-933-6965 (x223)
Dr. John E. Barnes
808-933-6965 (x222)
Web Site(s)
www.niwa.co.nz
gml.noaa.gov/grad/uv.html
Date Started
July 9, 1996
Related Programs
Photographs:
