In Memoriam
Professor Charles Thomas McElroy was a valued member of the York University community whose contributions to research, teaching, and mentorship had a lasting impact on colleagues and students.
A memorial and celebration of life event will be held in Room 203, Bethune College at York University on May 26, 2026. The event will also be available to attend via Zoom.
Research Specialization
Space-based remote sensing of Earth's atmosphere, especially stratospheric ozone; Spectroscopic instrumentation and techniques.
My primary research focus is space-based remote sensing of the Earth’s atmosphere. I am especially interested in monitoring atmospheric constituents, such as ozone, and I develop and deploy instrumentation for that purpose. Ozone is a particularly important gas because it shields us from much of the ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun. To monitor UV radiation and the levels of ozone and sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere, I co-invented the Brewer Ozone Spectrophotometer, an instrument that is now deployed on the ground worldwide. To quantify the effect of ozone depletion on shielding and simultaneously apprise the population of the level of danger, I co-developed the UV Index. My students and I continue to develop new methods and techniques for measuring and modeling the chemical composition of our atmosphere.