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)
Julie Elbert (University of Trier, Germany)
Julie came to MLO to do an internship in the summer of 2007 and prepare her diploma thesis for the University of Trier in Germany. The thesis will contain a comparison of the NASA AURA Satellite's Microwave Limb Sounder instrument ozone data with the Global Monitoring Laboratory Measurements of ozone. She also checked the effects on ozone distribution during Asian Dust Seasons at MLO and Trinidad Head, California.
Julie grew up with her family in Goeppingen, Germany. After finishing school at Freihof Gymnasium she studied applied environmental sciences at the University of Trier. She completes her internship with MLO at the end of August and will return to Germany and finish the diploma thesis in December, 2007. After graduation she hopes to continue a career in climate research and remote sensing.
Becki Legatt (University of North Dakota)
Becki Legatt interned at the Mauna Loa Observatory for 9 weeks during the summer of 2007 as a part of the NOAA Holling�s Scholar Program. During her internship she worked on a research project comparing Lidar data from the Mauna Loa Observatory with Lidar data from NASA�s CALIPSO satellite for validation purposes. Her final results were to be presented at a NOAA scholar�s conference the first week of August 2007 at the NOAA offices in Silver Spring, MD. Becki also assisted with the development of materials for Mauna Loa Observatory�s 50th Anniversary celebration to be held in November of 2007.
Becki grew up in Annandale, Minnesota with her dad (August), her mom (Shirley), and her brother (Luke). She attends the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND where she is working on her undergraduate degree in Atmospheric Science. She will graduate in May of 2008 with her Bachelor of Science degree in Atmospheric Science. After graduation she hopes to continue on with a graduate degree in Atmospheric Science or pursue a career in broadcast meteorology in the Midwest.