Checking Those Ozone Holes

Click here to listen to this feature

Scisat-1, is the first new Canadian satellite in thirty years.  Scisat will carry two key instruments, which are designed to solve some of the mysteries of ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere.

In a mission scheduled to last two years, Scisat will measure both the concentration of ozone, and the chemicals that affect it.  It has the capability to simultaneously measure both atmospheric conditions, and the concentration of about thirty trace gases and aerosols.

Understanding changes in the ozone hole is complicated, because many of the substances which cause ozone depletion, are affected by whether it's summer or winter, and whether it's night or day.  Scisat will take measurements of all the relevant trace gases at different times - when the sun rises and sets, and throughout the seasonal variations.

Another instrument, called a Maestro, will provide precise measurements of both ozone and particle concentrations.  The prime areas of investigation will be under the polar ozone holes, as well as over large pollution sources such as volcanoes.

The hope is, that this new satellite will help us better understand why the ozone layer depletes each spring.  Perhaps we will discover the factors contributing to the seven per cent ozone reduction in southern Canada.

So next time you see a satellite, maybe it will be Canadian, checking those ozone holes.