Access to NOAA’s world-renowned Mauna Loa Observatory restored Science activities to resume and site renovations planned May 18, 2026 More than three years after lava from Hawaii’s erupting Mauna Loa volcano buried a mile of the road leading to NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory (MLO), road crews have carved a temporary road restoring access to the site. NOAA technicians, who had to be ferried by helicopter to the facility since 2023 to maintain limited operations, have begun restarting many of the science activities that were suspended on November 27, 2022.“The reopening of the road to MLO on March 26, 2026, is a monumental win for NOAA and our long-term environmental observations,” said Vanda Grubišić, director of NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML), which operates the site. “After more than three years since being cut off by the 2022 volcanic eruption, the restoration of land access allows us to focus on the future of this pristine observational site and the planned site upgrades.” Located at an elevation of 3,397 meters (11,135 feet) above sea level on Hawaii’s Big Island, MLO is an internationally renowned atmospheric research facility. Since the 1950s, it has continuously monitored and collected data related to atmospheric composition and…
Industrial
Access to NOAA’s world-renowned Mauna Loa Observatory restored
Source: NOAA — US Government, Public Domain