[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 9 (Monday, January 23, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S34]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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 RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY

 Mr. 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.

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