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)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech)
Isotopes of Helium; Helium 3 and 4. Units of measure: mol/gramme
Noble gas Mass spectrometry Analysis of Magnetically separated cosmic dust particles.
To measure Temporal Variability of Inter-Planetary Dust Particles (IDPs) influx.
Yes, Periodic enrichment and depletion of helium 3 isotope.
Understanding the IDP influx allows us to quantify time scales of major climatic events in Earth's history
This project is no longer active.
Prof. Kenneth A. Farley
626-395-6005
Dr. John E Barnes
808-933-6965 (x222)
not applicable
1998
RETIRED