Hitherto these studies were being carried out by rocket or balloon borne instruments, but for effective monitoring on a continuous basis instead from fixed locations, the new proposal called the Small Satellites for Atmospheric and Space Sciences (SSASS) mission has been taken up. The study through these satellites would be related to Tropospheric and Stratospheric Studies and upper atmosphere ISRO sources told UNI.

The major focus of SSASS was to delineate the changes that were taking place in the atmospheric aerosol and trace gases amount in the South and South East Asian region and estimate their impact on atmospheric radiation budget, chemistry and climate.

ISRO's technological accomplishments provide an opportunity to perform challenging scientific experiments probing the upper atmosphere from a space platform using dedicated small satellite missions that were possible now with optimum cost factor.

The space-borne measurements would focus on studying the source apportionment of aerosols, delineation of natural and anthropogenic aerosols and of absorbing and non-absorbing aerosols, estimate on biomass burning and forest fires over the tropical regions,vertical distribution of aerosols and their regional and seasonal variations, vertical distribution of ozone and water vapour, estimates of the radiative fluxes (short and long wave) at the surface and within the atmosphere, and soil moisture in the near surface soil layer and sea surface salinity.

These missions were planned following the resurgence of interest in the field, particularly relating to the vertical coupling of lower and upper atmosphere and solar terrestrial interactive processes pertaining to Space weather, the sources said.

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