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)

Variablility in Accretion Rate of Interplanetary Dust Using 3He as Tracer

Organization(s):

NASA logo National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
CALTECH logo California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech)

What does this program measure?

Isotopes of Helium; Helium 3 and 4. Units of measure: mol/gramme

How does this program work?

Noble gas Mass spectrometry Analysis of Magnetically separated cosmic dust particles.

Why is this research important?

To measure Temporal Variability of Inter-Planetary Dust Particles (IDPs) influx.

Are there any trends in the data?

Yes, Periodic enrichment and depletion of helium 3 isotope.

How does this program fit into the big picture?

What is it's role in global climate change?

Understanding the IDP influx allows us to quantify time scales of major climatic events in Earth's history

Comments and References

This project is no longer active.

Lead Investigator(s):

Prof. Kenneth A. Farley
626-395-6005

MLO Contact(s):

Dr. John E Barnes
808-933-6965 (x222)

Web Site(s)

not applicable

Date Started

1998
RETIRED

Related Programs

Retired

Photographs:
Old Cosmic Dust Collector at MLO