Record ozone hole despite cuts in CFCs

The Australian ^ | October 21, 2006 | Leigh Dayton, Science writer: Source: NASA

[Fred Nerks]

Record ozone hole despite cuts in CFCs

THE hole in the ozone layer over the southern hemisphere is the largest ever, covering an area more than three times the size of Australia. During the last nine days of September, the hole in the ozone layer covered, on average, nearly 17.5 million square kilometres.

(snip)

While the size of the hole is alarming, it does not mean that increased amounts of ozone-depleting chemicals are reaching the atmosphere...

[Fred Nerks]

"There are less ozone-depleting chemicals but they are more effective (when it's cold)," Dr Fraser said. "This is the coldest year ever." Also, chlorine and bromine remain in the stratosphere for about 50 years.

[SamAdams76]

Apparently the ozone hole in the southern hemisphere is the "biggest ever."

[P-40]

covering an area more than three times the size of Australia.

The obvious answer is to make Australia smaller. Now where did I put Al Gore's number....

[kinoxi]

I need a grant...

[FlingWingFlyer]

Apparently the ozone hole in the southern hemisphere is the "biggest ever."

LOL! It couldn't have been said any better.

[DBrow]

Maybe there was something to the whack theory that the whole ozone scare was a publicity plot by Dow to cover the loss of revenue when the R12 patent expired.

Hmm, R12 was so bad it all had to go and worldwide, production was banned, then Dow comes out with HC143h, which was good and everyone had to buy it- from Dow, they had a patent.

Nah, to far fetched.

Let's see what owl Gore has to say!

[Fred Nerks]

I'm waiting for someone to notice:

"This is the coldest year ever."

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Just exactly what we should expect from global warming. It's as simple as 2 + 2. Global warming = colder years.

[woofie]

Cold is caused by global warming ,as is rain, drought, and hail

[Always Right]

The obvious answer to the greenhouse gas problem was to increase the ozone hole. We can produce all the CO2 we want if we counteract that with ozone depleting CFCs.

[COEXERJ145]

The Ozone hole only gets bigger when a Republican is President so obviously this is all Bush's Fault.

[Fred Nerks]

Thanks all, I'm so much the wiser now...might write a book about it!

[nralife]

Two or three weeks ago, Drudge had an article up saying the ozone hole was almost completely closed. What gives?

[LukeL]

Don't you understand that when the polar icecaps melt cooler water gets into the oceans and then some stuff happens and we get an ice age.

[Fred Nerks]

I'm getting there. It goes something like this; up until recently, as reported by Drudge, the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica had shrunk down to nothing to worry about. And then, we suddenly had the 'coldest period of all time' and the ozone hole grew to three times the size of Australia...is that about it?

[backhoe]

Scams, Scalawags, and an all-too-gullible Public...famous frauds sold to America

[sergeantdave]

The ozone hole is where the evil gases from American SUVs escape and cause global warming on Mars. I heard that after Christmas, Santa's elves will knit a giant floating quilt to keep the evil global warming gases on Earth. The quilt will say "WE SUCK" in 100 mile long letters so any alien thinking of invading Earth will be discouraged and teleport back home to his planet. Furthermore, onions, chickens and tofu sprouts will be grown on the edges of the quilt, and when they mature they will fall to the ground and feed poor people in China.

May I have my million dollar taxpayer grant now?

[Fred Nerks]

thanks...looks like all human activity has to stop!

[Fred Nerks]

you deserve it, but my credit cards are maxed.

[backhoe]

...thanks...looks like all human activity has to stop...

I wish I could recall who said it ( one of those "names you would recognize" ) but I remember a quote along the lines of, "It's funny, but when you reduce most Utopian schemes to their core value, they require the deaths of millions or billions of 'other people.'"

To get back on topic, it seems chlorine and fluorine compounds do affect the ozone layer- what is conveniently not mentioned is the role volcanic activity plays in this.

There is one active volcano in Italy ( forget the name ) that spews out an estimated four quadrillion tons of chlorine and flourine gasses a year- yet the shadetree mechanic cracking a one-pound can of freon- or your hairspray- is supposed to be the culprit.