Controversy on Mauna Kea

            Perhaps you have read of the controversy regarding the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope(TMT) on Mauna Kea, a project which would result in the largest telescope in the world being located there. A group of Hawaiians has protested the construction and blocked the road to the summit preventing, not only the construction crew, but everyone else from reaching the observatory area. The number of protesters has overloaded the Visitor Center, forcing it to close. It appears that the Department of Land and Natural Resources, which oversees Mauna Kea, has established rules which may allow access and construction to proceed for at least a few months. As a scientist I am in favor of the project and so come from that perspective. However, both sides of the controversy area a result of a position which does not engender trust and reliability.

            First, the observatories have not been trustworthy in their approach to the mountain. In the late 1990's the Keck Observatory developed a plan to have outlier telescopes around their building. They began construction without obtaining the proper permits. That action brought an already simmering resistance to the observatories to a boil. There was outrage which resulted in the outlier telescope plan being abandoned. That action, however, galvanized the resistance into the group which now opposes the Thirty Meter Telescope.

            Secondly, the observatory resistance group also has an historical perspective that really doesn't match what they say they are doing. The objection is supposedly due to the fact the Mauna Kea is a sacred place in the Hawaiian religion and should not be desecrated. However, King Kamehameha II, in 1819, outlawed the Hawaiian religion and had many of its structures demolished. This was before the arrival of missionaries in the islands. You can read about it in my book. So the Hawaiian Kingdom did not recognize the old religion. It has been almost 200 years since the religion has been recognized.

            Also, in the ancient religion sacred areas were not accessible to commoners. Violators were immediately put to death. Only the royals and priest were allowed on the mountain. Interestingly, however, a manufacturing facility was located on the mountain. An adze quarry was established there so the artisans and their supply line were given permission to climb the mountain and work there. It is not often that one finds a manufacturing facility located in a sacred place.

            There has also been another interesting development. As a consequence of the protest the Governor has decreed that as new telescopes are built old ones must be removed. The University of Hawaiʻi has decided that the first observatory to be dismantled would be their teaching telescope. That is logical since the research observatories contribute millions of dollars to the University and the Hawaiian economy while the teaching telescope only costs money. Of course that affects the students. The protestors say they didn't mean for that telescope to be dismantled (an unintended consequence of their action). As the saying goes, "be careful what you wish for." Logic, however, says that if observatories desecrate the mountain, then all telescopes should come down removing hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars from the economy of Hawaiʻi. These are, indeed, interesting times.

United Air Lines: How not to run a company

            For only the second time since I have been writing this blog, I am posting a negative commentary. We recently returned from a great trip to Ireland and Scotland. While we flew Air Canada from Chicago to Dublin and Aer Lingus from Edinburgh to Chicago, we had to get from Kona to Chicago. I have waited a week to write this to see if I calmed down, but it hasn't happened. We flew United from Kona to Chicago, much to our sorrow.

            As usual from Kona, we flew the red eye to San Francisco and then on to Chicago. Knowing how bad the seating is, we upgraded to Economy Plus to get some leg room, which was fine. Once we reached cruising altitude, the flight attendants came around with beverage service. That was the last time they were in the cabin for the rest of the flight. For five hours that sat around talking, ignoring the passengers. I guess they have classes in how to treat their passengers by not providing service.

            On the flight from San Francisco to Chicago we were not able to upgrade and sat in the rear of the plane. It was the most uncomfortable ride I have ever had. My knees were pressed against the seat in front of me so that it was not possible to move. Being locked in that position all I could do is listen to the flight attendants complain about United. It must really be a company that really "cares" about its employees, because the flight attendants had nothing nice to say.

            The flights from Chicago to Dublin and from Edinburgh to Chicago were delightful. We had absolutely nothing bad to say about them. The seats were comfortable and the flight attendants continually provided service.

            Coming back to Kona from Chicago was even worse than flying out. The flight out of Chicago left over an hour late. Even though Chicago is the main United hub, they had no pilots to fly the plane. Pilots had to brought in from Houston. Rather than board the passengers so that all was ready when the pilots arrived, they waited until the pilots arrived to board the passengers. Consequently, the plane arrived in San Francisco late and we missed our connection by about five minutes. We were told that there was no way to hold the plane while the passengers from Chicago made their way to the gate on the other end of the terminal. They also said they did not have the technology to find out where our departure gate was. Funny, I can remember flights over thirty years ago when the flight attendants would read off a list of gates for connecting flights. I guess United is thirty years behind everybody else technologically.

            But wait, it gets worse. When we got to the connecting gate, the plane was still there but the door had been closed, consequently we couldn't board even though one of their employees tried to get us on.  If they had people meet the Chicago plane with carts and called ahead, we could have made the flight, but United doesn't have that kind of technology. Maybe in a few years they might upgrade to 1980s technology.

            So we went to the customer service counter to get scheduled on another flight. There was no one waiting for service so we walked up to the counter only to be told that we entered through the Premier Class line and would have to enter through the Coach line. So I took one step to the side and now it was alright to approach the counter. They must have intensive training in how to insult their passengers. It seems everyone that works for United has been screened so that they all have a nasty streak. We did get scheduled on a flight the next morning and they gave us vouchers for a hotel and meals. The hotel voucher paid for a Hilton Double Tree which was very nice. The meal vouchers were for $7.00. Where can you get dinner or breakfast for $7.00? The United fiscal people must still be back in the 1930s.

            So I must recommend that you never fly United. We are limited in Kona, but I will fly to Honolulu to catch a flight rather that use United. It was the worst flying experience I have ever had. Especially since Air Canada and Aer Lingus were so nice.

Pele's masterpiece is beautiful

            We finally had a chance on May 5, to go to Kilauea and view the that has filled the Overlook Crater. We had a meeting in Hilo and arrived at Volcano National Park at around 10:00 PM. At that hour the crowds had dispersed and we were able to park at the Jaggar Museum. A short walk to the viewing area revealed a spectacular sight. We have been to the VNP hundreds of times since our first visit in 1979. We have seen active lava flows, stood right next to them and watched fire hoses of lava enter the ocean. We have seen lava advance down the road in Kalapana. Nothing that we have seen has come close to the view of the lava lake that now exists.

            As we viewed the lava lake there was a lava fountain occurring at the far side that was spectacular. The surface consisted of floes of cooled lava that drifted across the lava lake. Molten lava separated the floes and occasionally gas bubbles would burst in those bright red molten areas. There is a telescope set up in the viewing area which affords a great close-up view of the lava lake.

            Be aware that it is cool at the viewing area and often rains. When we were there the temperature was 55 degrees F, however there was no rain and we had a beautiful, almost full moon. It was a fantastic view with the moon just to the left of the lava lake. If you are on the Big Island, do not miss the opportunity to take in the view of a lifetime.

Pele puts on a show

            On March 19, 2008 a lava lake was formed by an explosion in Halemaʻumaʻu crater in the summit of Kilauea Volcano. The lava lake exists in what has come to be called the Overlook Crater within Halemaʻumaʻu. Over the 7 years of its existence the level of the lake has fluctuated but never was visible from the Jaggar Museum observation area. That has now changed.

            The photo above, captured from the Hawaiʻi Volcano Observatory web site, shows the extent of the lava lake. As of today, April 25, the level of the lake is about 40 feet below the rim of th Overlook Crater. That is a high enough level that some of the lava lake surface can be seen from the Jaggar Museum. In addition spattering of the lava in the lake can also be seen and the roar of gas release from the lake can be heard. So, if the weather cooperates Pele is putting on a show that hasn't been seen since the lake formed. There is no way of knowing how long the lava lake will be visible. The lake level typically fluctuates due to inflation/deflation episodes. We are presently in an inflation phase, but it may reverse at any time.

Has Pele stopped her march to the sea?

            I have not provided recent updates regarding the lava flow in the Puna district because the leading edge of the flow has stalled. All is quiet in the town of Pahoa and life there has returned to normal. Businesses that had closed in the face of advancing lava have now reopened. If you examine the map below produced by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory you will see that the red area (active flow) is about six miles from the town. 

            That does not mean that all danger is past. Those red areas on the map are still active which means lavas is flowing and moving down slope. However, at the normal rate of movement, any close approach to Pahoa is months away in the worst case scenario. Of course, in the best case the eruption will cease and all worry will end. Unfortunately, there is no indication that the eruption will end. It has been erupting since 1983, varying the direction of the lava flows from time to time.

            If there is a change in the eruption or flow direction I will let you know.