The Mauna Loa High-Altitude Observatory

Price, Saul; Pales, Jack C.

doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1959)087<0001:tmlho>2.0.co;2

“…These external sources, taken more than 20 years prior, show excellent agreement with our own Mauna Kea extinction curve. For further comparison we turn to atmospheric sciences data from Mauna Loa Observatory 9 (MLO, Price & Pales 1959, 1963, operated by the US network Earth System Research Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). MLO is situated on the side of Mauna Loa mountain, 41 km south of Mauna Kea, at an altitude of 3400 m and 770 m below the summit.…”

Section: Comparison To External Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric extinction properties above Mauna Kea from the Nearby SuperNova Factory spectro-photometric data set

Buton

¹

,

Copin

²

,

Aldering

³

et al. 2012

A&A

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We present a new atmospheric extinction curve for Mauna Kea spanning 3200-9700 Å. It is the most comprehensive to date, being based on some 4285 standard star spectra obtained on 478 nights spread over a period of 7 years obtained by the Nearby SuperNova Factory using the SuperNova Integral Field Spectrograph. This mean curve and its dispersion can be used as an aid in calibrating spectroscopic or imaging data from Mauna Kea, and in estimating the calibration uncertainty associated with the use of a mean extinction curve. Our method for decomposing the extinction curve into physical components, and the ability to determine the chromatic portion of the extinction even on cloudy nights, is described and verified over the wide range of conditions sampled by our large dataset. We demonstrate good agreement with atmospheric science data obtain at nearby Mauna Loa Observatory, and with previously published measurements of the extinction above Mauna Kea.

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“…The International Geophysical Year (1957) brought an opportunity to consolidate ARL's climate research by inaugurating a new global observing system (Price and Pales 1959). A first Geophysical Monitoring for Climate Change (GMCC) site was established on the upper slopes of Mauna Loa, in Hawaii, as an ARL entity (White 1982).…”

Section: Atmospheric Chemistry: Acid Rain and Air Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory—75 Years of Research Linking Earth and Sky: A Historical Perspective

Stein,

Hicks,

Myles

et al. 2023

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

0

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For over 75 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Air Resources Laboratory (NOAA ARL) has been at the forefront of federal meteorological and climate research. As the Special Projects Section (SPS) of the U. S. Weather Bureau (USWB), the laboratory pioneered the development of atmospheric trajectory modeling, initially used in studies related to nuclear weapons following World War II. Model development was guided by observations following weapons tests, assisted by later experiments using a wide variety of atmospheric tracers. Today’s familiar Gaussian plume dispersion model, previously in nascent form, was developed and promoted with ARL research, as was the much later and widely-used HYSPLIT model. Much of ARL’s early research was focused on the challenges presented by the complex terrain surrounding nuclear installations, often addressed with high spatial resolution meteorological measurements, atmospheric tracers, and site-specific models. ARL has since extended boundary layer research to increasingly complex landscapes, such as forests, agricultural lands, and urban areas, and has expanded its research scope to air quality, weather, and climate applications based on the knowledge and experience developed throughout its long history. Examples of these research endeavors include the establishment of the US Climate Reference Network, fundamental contributions to the development of the National Air Quality Forecast Capability, and foundational participation in the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. ARL looks forward to continuing to refine scientific understanding from field experiments, including coupling ground-based experimentation with modeling, and sustained observations, in order to facilitate the transfer of knowledge into practical applications of societal relevance.

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“…For further comparison we turn to atmospheric sciences data from Mauna Loa Observatory 9 (MLO, Price & Pales 1959, 1963, operated by the U.S. network Earth System Research Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). MLO is situated on the side of Mauna Loa mountain, 41 km south of Mauna Kea, at an altitude of 9 http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/mlo/ 3400 m and 770 m below the summit.…”

Section: Comparison To External Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric extinction properties above Mauna Kea from the Nearby Supernova Factory spectro-photometric data set

Buton,

Copin,

Aldering

et al. 2012

Preprint

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We present a new atmospheric extinction curve for Mauna Kea spanning 3200-9700 Å. It is the most comprehensive to date, being based on some 4285 standard star spectra obtained on 478 nights spread over a period of 7 years obtained by the Nearby SuperNova Factory using the SuperNova Integral Field Spectrograph. This mean curve and its dispersion can be used as an aid in calibrating spectroscopic or imaging data from Mauna Kea, and in estimating the calibration uncertainty associated with the use of a mean extinction curve. Our method for decomposing the extinction curve into physical components, and the ability to determine the chromatic portion of the extinction even on cloudy nights, is described and verified over the wide range of conditions sampled by our large dataset. We demonstrate good agreement with atmospheric science data obtain at nearby Mauna Loa Observatory, and with previously published measurements of the extinction above Mauna Kea.

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The Mauna Loa High-Altitude Observatory

Abstract: A description is given of the physical setting, facilit,ies, and current program of Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, with emphasis on its suitability as a site for field studies on a wide variety of phenomena.

Cited by 19 publications

References 4 publications

Atmospheric extinction properties above Mauna Kea from the Nearby SuperNova Factory spectro-photometric data set

Atmospheric extinction properties above Mauna Kea from the Nearby SuperNova Factory spectro-photometric data set

NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory—75 Years of Research Linking Earth and Sky: A Historical Perspective

Atmospheric extinction properties above Mauna Kea from the Nearby Supernova Factory spectro-photometric data set

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