A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Made Climate History, But Trump Wants It Gone – CleanTechnica

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The greenhouse effect was discovered more than 150 years ago, and the first scientific paper linking carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere with climate change was published in 1896. By the mid-20th century, scientists definitively connected the effect of human activities to the Earth’s atmosphere, and consensus built that our planet’s ongoing carbon dioxide rise was mainly driven by burning fossil fuels and land use change. In 1956, Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Volcano became the site of a new atmospheric measuring observatory. It was ideally located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and at a high altitude so that population centers wouldn’t influence any data collected there.

For decades, scientists at the Mauna Loa Observatory plotted points on a graph that showed how carbon dioxide levels were increasing year after year. Now the Trump administration wants to cut funding for the Observatory, in effect suffocating the 60+ year longitudinal study that has been critical in illuminating the role in greenhouse gases in climate change.

The Observatory’s importance cannot be overstated. Let’s refresh our memories about the Mauna Loa Observatory and the important data collected there.

How high is the Mauna Loa Observatory? Mauna Loa Observatory is located on the north flank of Mauna Loa Volcano, on the Big Island of Hawaii, at an elevation of 3397 meters, or 11,135 feet above sea level. A bird’s eye view offers only volcanic rocks, a blue sky, and white clouds.

How did the Mauna Loa Observatory get established? In 1958, the site was designated to collect measurements that became known as the Keeling Curve. The “Curve” was named after Charles David Keeling, who was the original researcher who painstakingly collected the data. His son, Ralph Keeling, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, now oversees collecting and updating that data.

What is the Keeling Curve? The Keeling Curve is an upward-swooping line that charts the steady rise of carbon dioxide over the past seven decades — the result of nations burning oil, gas, and coal. The data paint a clear picture of how CO2 has been changing over the seasons, years, and decades.

Why is this site’s height so important? The Observatory protrudes through the strong marine temperature inversion layer present in the region, according to its website. It separates the more polluted lower portions of the atmosphere from the much cleaner free troposphere. The undisturbed air, remote location, and minimal influences of vegetation and human activity at the Observatory offer the right conditions for monitoring elements in the atmosphere that can cause climate change.

Why is it important to collect carbon dioxide readings? Atmospheric carbon dioxide is part of a mixture of planet-warming pollution that changed our climate, made the sea levels rise, disrupted weather and wind patterns, and destroyed food systems. Consistency in collecting these climate records is key.

Why does the Northern Hemisphere make sense as a place to test for greenhouse gases? Mauna Loa is situated amidst a collection of air currents from all over the Northern Hemisphere, and that confluence makes it well-suited for measuring greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Most land on Earth is in the Northern Hemisphere, so the clear annual cycle in atmospheric CO₂ is visible. As plants grow in summer, they absorb CO₂ and draw it out of the atmosphere. As they die and decay in winter, the CO₂ returns to the atmosphere. It’s like Earth is breathing — a cycle that is largely influenced by the northern summer and winter.

What organizations are responsible today for the Observatory? Keeling Curve measurements are made possible by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Scripps CO2 measurements at Mauna Loa are currently supported by Schmidt Sciences with supplemental support from Earth Networks, a technology company collaborating with Scripps to expand the global GHG monitoring network. Support for website development was provided in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Observatory has supported hundreds of cooperative research programs with national and international universities and government organizations. A staff of eight operates and maintains the observatory, with offices in Hilo, Hawaii.

How has data collection on Mauna Loa informed scientists? In the early 1970s, many scientists were skeptical about whether humans were changing the Earth’s climate. Anthropogenic climate change is the human impact on Earth’s climate, while natural climate change is the climate cycles that have been and continue to occur throughout Earth’s history. The data from Mauna Loa helped scientists to distinguish between the two and understand that burning fossil fuels changes the climate more than any other human activity.

What insights have been gathered at Mauna Loa over the years? Mauna Loa’s records point to a rising average concentration of carbon dioxide, which has caused the planet’s natural systems to become imbalanced — the level has climbed from 316 parts per million to more than 430 parts per million. The research performed at the Observatory has produced data about climate changes that are leading to extreme weather like heat waves, droughts, and floods, among others.

What else do scientists at the Observatory monitor? They also track potent but short-lived methane, nitrous oxide, aerosols, and ozone-depleting substances. They monitor for soot and other particulate pollution in the air and observe changes in solar radiation.

Why is the Mauna Loa Observatory under threat of closure? President Trump’s proposed 2026 budget ends funding for Mauna Loa, three other key observatories, and almost all the climate research being done by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Trump administration has a goal to eliminate all climate-related research work at NOAA — it is part of the doomsday Project 2025. (As a reminder, candidate Trump insisted he knew nothing about Project 2025 when he was running for the executive office.)

Is Mauna Loa the only place where such readings are taken? No. The Observatory is part of a global network of stations that monitor the atmosphere as a kind of planetary checkup. NOAA operates three other monitoring stations — one in Alaska, one in American Samoa, and one at the geographic South Pole. Together they compile a global average carbon dioxide trend. All four stations are scheduled for closure, which means that pole-to-pole data collection of greenhouse gases would end.

What does Dr. Ralph Keeling say about the announced Observatory closure? “The NOAA effort is really the backbone of the global effort to track greenhouse gases,” he said, noting that scientists who build other long-term records rely on the Keeling Curve to interpret their own. “We need to do everything we can do make sure these stations don’t close.”

How are climate activists responding to the Observatory closure threat? As 350.org founder, Bill McKibben, says, “It was installed at the peak of America’s scientific power in 1959, a testament to our desire for knowledge. Now it’s the equivalent of a security camera recording the crimes of the Trump era in real time, and so, like the good burglars that they are, they’re trying to spray paint over the lens.”

What will happen if the Trump administration follows through on its threat to close the Observatory? Should the lab be shuttered, alternate sources of funding to host the instruments atop the same peak might be sought. Or the instruments could be relocated, but discontinuity in the Keeling Curve record would occur.