INTRODUCTION

American Samoa is located in the middle of the South Pacific, about midway between Hawaii and New Zealand. It is characterized by year-round warmth and humidity, lush green mountains, and the strong Samoan culture. The observatory is situated on the eastern most point of Tutuila Island at Cape Matatula.

OBSERVATIONS

In 2005 an aerosol lidar was installed at the NWS facility at Pago Pago Airport. The lidar is operated by observatory personnel. The new building is designated for lidar operations and for the ozonesonde preparation. The lidar was built and tested at Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, and was due to be installed in 2004 but delayed by damage to the baseline observatory from Cyclone Heta in January of 2004. Including the SMO lidar, there are now active monitoring lidars at 40°N (THD), 19°N (MLO), 14°S (SMO), and 45°S (Lauder, New Zealand) that bracket the important tropical region.