Capitol Words a project of the Sunlight Foundation

Sen. Daniel K. Akaka

Mr. President, today I wish to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, HVO, on the island of Hawaii on January 17, 1912. Currently situated on the northwest rim of the caldera of Kilauea, one of Earth's most active--and most studied--volcanoes, HVO has collaborated with top scientists from around the world to achieve its mission: to create a detailed account of Hawaii's volcanic activity. During its 100 years of operation, HVO's pursuit of this mission has not only led to great strides in the study of volcanology, it has made living near these volcanoes safer for island residents.

Established by the late visionary geologist Thomas A. Jaggar, Jr., the observatory has been continuously monitoring Kilauea and other Hawaiian volcanoes for the past century, collecting data critical to the understanding of volcanic activity. Jaggar's work built on the pioneering contributions of the world-renowned American volcanologist, Frank A. Perret, who made his first observations on the volcanic activity at Kilauea in 1911. Jaggar used Perret's work to successfully solicit initial support and funding for the project from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Hawaii, and the Carnegie Geophysical Laboratory. Jaggar also received essential contributions from several local businessmen, who pledged significant sums to establish the observatory at Kilauea.

Over time, the sponsorship and operation of HVO has been administered through various Federal agencies, including the United States Weather Bureau from 1919 to 1924; the United States Geological Survey, USGS, from 1924 to 1935; the National Park Service, NPS, from 1935 to 1947; and the USGS again from 1947 to the present. Throughout HVO's history, it has worked with local interests to further public safety, education and outreach, and geological science. HVO has enjoyed a longtime partnership with University of Hawaii's Hilo and Manoa campuses, as well as close working relationships with NPS at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the County of Hawaii, and Hawaii's news media.

The observations made from HVO have led to groundbreaking contributions in modern geological science through their precision and diligence in data collection, thorough analysis of the observatory's vast record, and innovation in monitoring devices and techniques. Today, HVO scientists analyze data collected from more than 100 field stations, which include seismic, deformation, volcanic-gas, geologic, and other monitoring tools. These stations transmit data to HVO around the clock, with a single instrument sending as much as 60 terabytes of data each year. As a result, HVO-guided efforts have successfully diverted or stopped lava flows threatening Hilo and neighboring communities, mitigated the damage caused by tsunamis by providing reliable wave predictions, and have painted a rich, detailed account of the activity of some of the world's most volatile volcanoes.

Finally, I wish HVO and USGS the best of luck and continued successes as they carry on their important work. I know that they are excited to begin the next hundred years of the observatory's work, and I look forward to the advances that will result from their efforts.