In cooperation with Humboldt State University, Trinidad Head is now home of the fifth global baseline atmospheric observatory, operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL).
In addition to Trinidad Head, NOAA/ESRL operates atmospheric baseline observatories at Barrow, Alaska; Mauna Loa, Hawaii; Cape Matatula, American Samoa; and the South Pole. The meteorological data from each observatory -- which may include long-term records of atmospheric gases, aerosol particles, solar radiation, the earth's atmospheric system, ozone depletion, and baseline air quality -- is monitored, processed and put on the Internet daily.
The location of Trinidad Head, on a point jutting into the ocean, makes it ideally suited for atmospheric measurements. The observatory primarily tracks baseline conditions, but also monitors regional air quality.