FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 20, 2001 Satellite launch aids Trent scientist's research on global warming and ozone depletion A satellite launched early this morning in Svobodny, Russia has special significance for Trent Physics professor, Dr. Wayne Evans. He is one of several Canadian scientists on an international research team that includes scientists from Sweden, France and Finland, studying how human pollution contributes to ozone depletion. The Odin satellite carries the Canadian-designed Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imaging System (OSIRIS), an instrument that will allow scientists to measure the concentration of ozone-depleting pollutants in the atmosphere. OSIRIS was calibrated with new technology for ozone in a sealed-cell, developed at Trent University by Dr. Evans and his research associate, Eldon Puckrin. "This research will provide a significant advance in scientific knowledge of ozone depletion, especially over Canadian latitudes," said Professor Evans, who has been involved in ground-based monitoring of ultra-violet radiation for the past 12-years. He is in charge of the Canadian validation aspect of the Odin project, which will involve taking ground-based comparative measurements as the satellite goes by. The Odin project will also provide Evans with new data to use in his continuing research on ozone layer depletion in the Arctic. Evans took the first measurement of ozone depletion in the Arctic in 1989. Dr. Evans says that the satellite data will enhance his research on global warming and ozone. He is one of the researchers that participated in a recent report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) provided quite significant funding for Canadian participation in the Odin project. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is providing funding for the ground-based scientific support as well as analysis of data coming from the mission. -30- Distribution: Peterborough, Regional

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