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)
MLO can host school groups and field trips on selected weekdays by creating interactive displays throughout the Hilo office. The displays are designed to inform, entertain, and involve the children. Many of the displays are flexible enough to be fitted to the education level of the incoming group. The following special reports are in Adobe Reader (.pdf) format, are suitable for printing, and are excellent resources for teachers interested in finding out what a visit to the MLO office entials. Please note that the Teacher section of our Education Center offers much more information on the activities we can provide, such as reports of each specific display. For more information on scheduling a school visit to MLO, see the General Visitors page.