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Measurements of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation (MAESTRO)
MAESTRO
| MAESTRO, which stands for "Measurements of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation,"
aids in the satellite’s overall mission of increasing our understanding of the chemical processes involved in the depletion of the ozone layer. SCISAT
also carries the Canadian-built Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) instrument as part of the overall mission, dubbed Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE). |
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MAESTRO was developed, in co-operation with the Canadian Space Agency, by Toronto-based Meteorological Service of Canada, the University of Toronto, and EMS Technologies of Ottawa. Funding for the ACE mission, including both Canadian instruments, is being provided by the Canadian Space Agency’s Space Science Program.
MAESTRO’s goals
MAESTRO’s primary scientific goal as a part of the ACE mission
is to provide high-resolution data on the atmosphere and precise profiles of ozone concentration. Other goals include measuring the amounts of organic and inorganic particles under polar ozone holes and near large tropospheric pollution sources, such as active volcanoes. The troposphere is the portion of the atmosphere that lies between the Earth’s surface and an altitude of approximately 15 km. It consists of water vapour, gases, and vertical winds that account for much of our weather.
Comparing the data gathered by MAESTRO with that from the ACE-FTS instrument will help scientists determine the levels of aerosol in the atmosphere, which is crucial to understanding why and how fast the ozone layer is depleting.
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