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)

Outreach and Education

Welcome to the Mauna Loa Observatory Education Center! This area of our website is devoted to educating kids and students of all ages, providing teachers with assistance in developing lesson plans, and describing community outreach programs we are involved in.

Science Fair Awards

Earth Day Fairs

All Earth Day reports are in Adobe Reader (.pdf) format.

Kids Of All Ages

  • Printable Games
    These educational games for kids and young adults may be downloaded and printed.
  • Kids' Links
    These links take you outside the MLO website to some of our favorite educational sites for kids.

Students Of All Ages

  • Video Demonstrations
    Watch and learn about MLO and what we do through our ever-expanding video library.
  • MLO Brochures
    Download brochures from Mauna Loa Observatory, NOAA, and the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) that highlite and summarize important discoveries and activities related to these organizations.
  • NOAA Publications
    Download safety information and resources from various NOAA organizations. Safety information includes flood advisories, tsunami awareness brochures, El Nino information, and storm and drought safety preparations.
  • Student Links

Teachers

  • Lesson Plans
    Our Lesson Plans are fun and educational activites teachers may setup for their students. The activities relate to the Earth, environment, weather, and atmosphere. We provide instructions for setting up the lesson plans, lists of materials you will need, and more. All lesson plans are printable.
  • MLO Activites
    These activities are great for groups of student groups and classes that visit the MLO office for a field trip. There are dozens of examples of educational, interesting, fun activities that we can provide for our visitors. All MLO Activities are printable.
  • Teacher Links
    Here we have selected a few of our favorite external links that may be useful resources for teachers.