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Ya better break out the sunscreen--I just passed gas--bigtime---and edged the the planetary average temperature upward!

Yes, indeed, You-thane, Me-thane, We-all-thane...........however, speaking of methane, have you seen the data on Mars? Methane needs constant replenishment, from an organic source or consistent volcanism, to exist, and it exists on Mars.

Sea salt seasons chemical brew that destroys Arctic ozone

January 18, 2001-Purdue University WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Sunlight, snow and sea salt are sometimes used to illustrate nature at its best. But new scientific evidence shows that, when combined, these forces provide a potent mixture for destroying ozone.

Purdue University researchers, working with scientists from Battelle and the University of California, Irvine, discovered that bromine and chlorine, two chemicals found in sea salt, may initiate a series of chemical events that destroy ozone in the Arctic troposphere, the lowest part of the atmosphere.

The findings, published in the Jan. 19 issue of the scientific journal Science, describe the role that bromine and chlorine play in a complex series of chemical reactions that occur each spring when, after several months of darkness, sunlight interacts with the snow in the Arctic region.

The study traces the source of those chemical precursors to the salty minerals found in sea water that is carried into the snow-pack in the form of tiny salt particles by wind and waves.

"Bromine and chlorine have long been suspected as major players in this series of chemical events, but until now the source of these chemicals was unknown," says Paul Shepson, professor of atmospheric chemistry at Purdue. "Our findings indicate that this near-surface ozone depletion in the Arctic is a naturally occurring event."

Ozone, a beneficial component of the earth's upper atmosphere, is a pollutant at the ground level but is essential to the health of the atmosphere, Shepson says.

The findings may help scientists develop better models to simulate and predict longterm changes in the composition of the earth's atmosphere, he says. "Because three-quarters of the earth's surface is covered by ocean, we've uncovered a process we need to understand much better in terms of our ability to model ozone in the atmosphere."