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    • Rights: University of Waikato
    Published 27 March 2013 Referencing Hub media
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    Dr Adrian McDonald tells us about some of the satellites he uses to measure temperature1 and the chemical composition of the Earth’s atmosphere2

    Jargon alert:
    A satellite3 constellation4 is a group of satellites with coordinated ground coverage. They are synchronised and operate under shared control.

    Transcript

    DR ADRIAN MCDONALD
    So the areas of research that I’m interested in are Antarctic climate5 and stratospheric ozone depletion6, so the Antarctic ozone hole7. I use a number of satellites, and some of those satellites measure the chemical composition, so they tell me how much ozone8 there is at a certain altitude9 above the Earth’s surface. So it might be ozone or it might be bromine or those chlorine species10 that break up ozone.

    I also use satellites that measure temperature, and those satellites are important because most chemical reactions are temperature dependent so you need to understand temperature to be able to understand what’s going to happen chemically to ozone.

    So there’s many different satellites that measure chemical composition. Most of them examine electromagnetic radiation11, so visible light or infrared12 or ultraviolet light, and by measuring at different wavelengths, they can say something about the composition of the species.

    The Earth Observing System Microwave Limb Sounder – it’s basically one instrument on a satellite, and that satellite measures both chemical composition and temperature by examining emissions of light of certain frequencies from the atmosphere

    This particular polar orbiting satellite orbits the Earth about 20 times a day, and in each path as the Earth’s rotating round, it’s measuring a different path as it’s rotating around the Earth. And by doing that it can make about 3000 measurements over the Earth in a day.

    The satellite that I use mostly to measure temperature is something called COSMIC FORMOSAT-3 – it’s a constellation of satellites.

    Temperature is very hard to measure above a certain level, so standard weather13 balloons worked up until about 25 kilometres, and generally the balloon pops14 about that time and therefore they can’t make any measurements above that. COSMIC FORMOSAT-3 measures from about 7 or 8 kilometres to about 50 kilometres so it’s a much wider range of temperatures in the atmosphere, and also it’s more representative again because satellites can get coverage globally and a significant number of measurements over Antarctica. And without satellite observations, you just won’t get that because there’s only five or six manned stations over Antarctica where they actually launch weather balloons to measure the atmosphere’s temperature.

    Acknowledgements:
    NASA Ozone Watch/Goddard Space Flight Center
    Scientific Visualization Studio
    NASA/JPL
    NIWA, Lauder

    1. temperature: A measure of the degree of hotness or coldness of an object or substance. Temperature is measured with a thermometer calibrated in one or more temperature scales. Kelvin scale temperature is a measure of the average energy of the molecules of a body.
    2. atmosphere: 1. The layer of gas around the Earth. 2. (atm) A non-SI unit of pressure equivalent to 101.325 kPa.
    3. satellite: Any object that orbits around another object.
    4. constellation: An area of the night sky that contains a group of stars that seems to form a certain shape or picture.
    5. climate: The weather conditions of an area averaged over a series of years, usually 30 or more.
    6. ozone depletion: This term commonly refers to a reduction of ozone molecules in the atmosphere, which protect life on Earth from UV radiation. This is most prevalent over the poles and along the equator.
    7. ozone hole: A thinning area of the ozone layer over Antarctica. The area was depleted of ozone by the action of CFCs and other atmospheric pollutants.
    8. ozone: Ozone is made up of three atoms of oxygen (O3). It is a highly reactive pale blue gas with a noticeable odour. Ozone forms a thin layer in the stratosphere. This layer protects life on Earth from ultraviolet rays. Ultraviolet radiation is a known cause of skin cancer.
    9. altitude: 1. The height of something, usually height above sea level. 2. In astronomy, the angular distance of a natural or artificial satellite above the horizon.
    10. species: (Abbreviation sp. or spp.) A division used in the Linnean system of classification or taxonomy. A group of living organisms that can interbreed to produce viable offspring.
    11. radiation: Energy that is transmitted (radiates) from a source in the form of rays or waves or particles.
    12. infrared: Invisible electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between approximately 0.75 micrometres and 1 millimetre. Infrared occurs between the red end of the visible light spectrum and microwaves. All things over a certain temperature (absolute zero) absorb and emit infrared radiation. Infrared radiation and observing technologies are used in many industries from medicine to finding people buried under rubble and by the military and others in night-vision goggles.
    13. weather: Daily or short-term conditions like temperature, cloud cover, precipitation and wind affecting a certain area.
    14. persistent organic pollutants (POPs): Organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological and photolytic processes. POPs bioaccumulate with potential adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

    Appears in

    ARTICLE

    Satellites to study Antarctic atmosphere

    Dr Adrian McDonald from the Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Canterbury, relies on satellites to study the atmosphere over Antarctica. His research focuses on factors that affect ...

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    • ARTICLE

    Professor Adrian McDonald

    Position: Professor and Associate Head, School of Physical & Chemical Sciences, University of Canterbury. Former Director of Gateway Antarctica. Field: Atmospheric physics Dr Adrian McDonald ...

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      temperature

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      2. A measure of the degree of hotness or coldness of an object or substance. Temperature is measured with a thermometer calibrated in one or more temperature scales. Kelvin scale temperature is a measure of the average energy of the molecules of a body.

      constellation

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      3. An area of the night sky that contains a group of stars that seems to form a certain shape or picture.

      ozone hole

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      4. A thinning area of the ozone layer over Antarctica. The area was depleted of ozone by the action of CFCs and other atmospheric pollutants.

      species

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      5. (Abbreviation sp. or spp.) A division used in the Linnean system of classification or taxonomy. A group of living organisms that can interbreed to produce viable offspring.

      weather

    5. + Create new collection

      6. Daily or short-term conditions like temperature, cloud cover, precipitation and wind affecting a certain area.

      atmosphere

    6. + Create new collection

      7. 1. The layer of gas around the Earth.

      2. (atm) A non-SI unit of pressure equivalent to 101.325 kPa.

      climate

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      8. The weather conditions of an area averaged over a series of years, usually 30 or more.

      ozone

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      9. Ozone is made up of three atoms of oxygen (O3). It is a highly reactive pale blue gas with a noticeable odour. Ozone forms a thin layer in the stratosphere. This layer protects life on Earth from ultraviolet rays. Ultraviolet radiation is a known cause of skin cancer.

      radiation

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      10. Energy that is transmitted (radiates) from a source in the form of rays or waves or particles.

      persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

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      11. Organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological and photolytic processes. POPs bioaccumulate with potential adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

      satellite

    11. + Create new collection

      12. Any object that orbits around another object.

      ozone depletion

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      13. This term commonly refers to a reduction of ozone molecules in the atmosphere, which protect life on Earth from UV radiation. This is most prevalent over the poles and along the equator.

      altitude

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      14. 1. The height of something, usually height above sea level. 2. In astronomy, the angular distance of a natural or artificial satellite above the horizon.

      infrared

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      15. Invisible electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between approximately 0.75 micrometres and 1 millimetre. Infrared occurs between the red end of the visible light spectrum and microwaves. All things over a certain temperature (absolute zero) absorb and emit infrared radiation. Infrared radiation and observing technologies are used in many industries from medicine to finding people buried under rubble and by the military and others in night-vision goggles.

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