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Hawaii Island VOG status (SO2)
Kerry:
Here are two links that graphically depict the VOG (SO2) and it's direction.
(Both links work as of 7/28/21 — K.K.)
http://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/OMI/OMISO2/hawaii.html Updated daily by NOAA satelite.
Hawai'i (Big Isle) Short Term SO2 Alert Index Updated hourly throughout the day.
Email reply from Gilberto Vicente, NOAA - OMISO2: responding to my email reporting that the NOAA satellite had not been displaying for several days in row.
Hi Kerry,
The OMI is in a polar orbit, and only viewed the same place on Earth once a day, during day light time.
The current image in the NOAA web site shows the last swath over Hawaii on July 9, year 08, Julian date 191 and UTC time 20:54. This actual pass over Hawaii happens a little later because this is the time of the first scan line of that swath.
It is + or - 1 hour around that time because the Aura satellite (the one that houses the OMI instrument) precesses each day. Look at the different times in "current", and "previous" images.
Gilberto
UPDATE 3/17/09
Kerry,
Please update your link to
http://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/OMI/OMISO2/index.html
Gilberto
Kerry wrote:
Hi Gilbert,
I assume you folks know that our NOAA satellite report has not been displaying lately, for more than a week.
I use http://gp16.ssd.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/OMI/OMISO2/hawaii.html#End daily to determine if the SO2 is going to be blowing in my direction.
It's been stuck just displaying a small map with no data. I believe the problem began 3/3/09 when it kept displaying the same report for a few days in a row.
With aloha,
Kerry
--
Gilberto A. Vicente - Ph.D. - Physical Scientist
NOAA/NESDIS/OSDPD/SSD - Product Implementation Branch
E/SP2, NOAA Science Center, Room 510
5200 Auth Road, Camp Springs, MD 20746, USA
Phone: 301-763-8142 x 160, Fax: 301-899-9196, Gilberto.Vicente@noaa.gov
Bookmark this page.
Kerry
PS. Post a reply here for information/advice about residential air purifiers w/HEPA and charcoal filters.
RENITA:
Big Island residents fear for their health, their pets and farm animals, their water systems, their farm crops, and businesses. Yet, the various state agencies are ineffective in providing up-to-date information or any meaningful assistance. Here are the main areas in which residents need help. The Department of Health has issued a color code of various levels of SO2, but the community is unaware of where these monitoring stations are located in proximity to their homes.When SO2 reaches a dangerous level. Many rural areas of the Big Island are without cell phone coverage.
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RENITA
Kerry:
--- Quote from: RENITA on September 16, 2008, 11:21:25 AM ---Big Island residents fear for their health, their pets and farm animals, their water systems, their farm crops, and businesses. Yet, the various state agencies are ineffective in providing up-to-date information or any meaningful assistance. Here are the main areas in which residents need help. The Department of Health has issued a color code of various levels of SO2, but the community is unaware of where these monitoring stations are located in proximity to their homes.When SO2 reaches a dangerous level. Many rural areas of the Big Island are without cell phone coverage.
-------------------
RENITA
--- End quote ---
Also, the link to the , NOAA - OMISO2, satellite (see Kerry's post this thread) takes a pic once every 24 hours. If you view the map at say 8:00 pm it most likely won't be accurate for when you get up in the morning. It's pretty much worthless. Here in Hawaiian Beaches the way I become aware of trade winds blowing VOG in our direction is when I start to cough.
KHON TV sometimes reports about the VOG report but because it's not regular it's worthless to us here in Puna. They only report about Kona and Hilo.
Kerry
Kerry:
Update:
I emailed the following on 3/10/09
To: Office of the Director of Health, Chiyome Fukino, MD
Cc: Communications Director, Janice S. Okubo
Cc: Disability and Communication Access Board, Francine Wai
Cc: Office of Environmental Quality Control, Katherine Puana Kealoha, Esq.
Subject: Request for SO2 Detector Calibration support service for senior citizens
Aloha,
I’m a 71-yr-old 50% disabled vet on a fixed income. I've owned my home here in Pahoa (Big Isle) for 20 years. I’m writing to ask for your help.
As you know the Halemaumau vent is spewing VOG containing SO2 which comes to Pahoa's Hawaiian Beaches community when the trades aren’t blowing (several days each month). I’m able to seal up the house and turn on my portable HEPA w/charcoal air filter if I get enough warning. I check both the Air Now report http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.showmap&pollutant=PM2.5&domain=hi&map=current_hour and the NOAA Satellite Information Service http://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/OMI/OMISO2/hawaii.html daily. The NOAA satellite passes over Hawaii once a day but there are several variables that cause its report to not be reliable. If the wind direction changes at night when I’m sleeping then it’s too late and my asthmatic condition is exacerbated for several days. Selling the house and moving to a VOG free area is not economically feasible.
I’m looking at buying a BW GasAlert Extreme Sulfur Dioxide SO2 Detector ($395.00). SO2 detectors sound an alarm in the presence of SO2; but, I discovered that SO2 detectors require costly periodic recalibration.
* For example: The Honeywell SO2 Calibration gas - Sulfur Dioxide 10ppm (58L) kit costs $485.00 plus expensive HAZMAT shipping to Hawaii. Typically, detector companies charge $75 to return a detector for recalibration every few months, this means one is without a detector for several weeks. One can also buy a disposable detector every two years for $265.00.
I’m thinking it would be an appropriate health service if the Department of Health provided Sulfur Dioxide gas (SO2) for SO2 detector calibration, at least for fixed income senior citizens for whom the operating expenses of a SO2 detector are prohibitive. We could bring in our detectors to the Hilo office of the DOH.
I'm hoping this request can be put on the fast track; for us older folks each day breathing SO2 laden VOG is both unhealthy and miserable.
With aloha,
Kerry
Kerry:
Calibration Info:
Hi Kerry
The short answer is “no”… at least not as far as reliable instrumentation goes.
The type of gas monitors we supply are very highly precise instrumentation, typically used by researchers, governments, and industry. It requires daily calibration, and comes with a significant capital cost.
Unless I am mistaken, I don’t think this is what you are looking for
Sorry I don’t know of any low cost SO2 monitor on the market that offers a reasonable degree of reliability in terms of ambient gas levels. There are hand held units available but these are still fairly costly and their precision is not very good.
Note: our company recently installed very precise scientific grade SO2 (and other) monitors) in Hawaii so you might want to contact your local government to see if they have data (actually, their data should be available to the general public online, via the Hawaii Dept of Health).
Sorry that I can’t be of more assistance.
Andy Tolley
Business Manager
American Ecotech LLC
Tel: 401-247-0100 (office)
Tel: 401-369-0844 (cell)
Email: atolley@AmericanEcotech.com
http://www.AmericanEcotech.com
Kerry wrote:
From: <kking@hawaii.rr.com>
Date: 18/03/2009 08:56 AM
To: serinus.enquiry@ecotech.com.au
Subject: SO2 detector/analyzer that doesn't require recalibration?
Hi,
Retiree in Hawaii's VOG (SO2) area.
Is there a SO2 detector that does not require periodic recalibration?
The disposable ones (after two years) would be too expensive.
Thanks,
Kerry
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