Report: Ozone Hole Has Shrunk by More Than Four Million Square Kilometers

Breitbart.com ^ | 28 Mar 2017 | Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.

[Rockitz]

In the period from 2000-2015, the hole in the ozone layer shrank by more than 4 million square kilometers—nearly a billion acres—according to a new report in the journal Science.

During the 1980s and into the 1990s, news of a massive hole in the ozone layer caused worldwide panic, stoked by everything from rumors of sheep being blinded by increased atmospheric radiation to the fear of a skin cancer pandemic and even comparisons to “AIDS from the sky.”

Now scientists at MIT along with others have found that since 2000 the ozone hole has actually shrunk by an area half the size of the contiguous United States, although the process is also heavily affected by variables such as volcanic eruptions from year to year.

Bryan Johnson, a research chemist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has noted attention shifting over the years from one environmental concern to another.

[G Larry]

Only for the ones they still make.

The best “preventive” inhalers are no longer made.

I used them for exercise induced asthma, prior to exercise....they worked.

[BlueYonder]

Any word yet on whether or not the oceans are receding? /s

[VTenigma]

I guess my coffee hadn’t kicked in yet.

[calljack]

I would like to know what they mean by “heavily affected”
10%?
98%?
Those are the most important two words in this entire article and we have absolutely no information on what they mean.

[Twinkie]

I know there has to be a few fellow old geezers on FR who
can recall that back in the last century, there was a big
push on predicting that before the end of that century,
ICE would overtake the world in a huge GLOBAL COOLING era
that would begin the GREAT ICE AGE that would for sure
KILL US ALL!! Oh noes!!!!

[pfony1]

Yes! Terrible article.

No mention that there are TWO “ozone holes”: One over the North Pole. One over the South Pole.

No mention that each of those poles ALWAYS experiences an increase in Ozone during its seasonal “summer” and a decrease in Ozone during its seasonal “winter”.

No mention of how the ultraviolet radiation that is part of summer sunshine creates Ozone: 3 O2 + UV ==> 2 O3

No mention that Ozone, a heavier molecule than O2 or N2, SINKS through the Earth’s atmosphere. Gravity is like that.

No mention that the seasonal difference in Ozone creation rates explains why “Ozone Holes” change size.

Junk “science” here. And junk “journalist”.

[detsaoT]

This is pretty consistent with how one would expect the atmosphere would recover after a GIANT HOLE WAS BLOWN IN IT BY A NUCLEAR FREAKING BOMB.

The US Government is 100% responsible for creating that hole. Glad to see it wasn't permanent.

Wiki has the rundown here. I have always suspected that Starfish Prime is to blame.

[JimRed]

Pseudo-scientists in mourning.

[JimRed]

Aiiiiiiii! We're all gonna DIE!!!!

An undeniable fact of life. The only variables are when and how.

[SparkyBass]

I guess the ozone hole just got back from its 8 year vacation.

[JimRed]

I know there has to be a few fellow old geezers on FR who can recall that back in the last century, there was a big push on predicting that before the end of that century, ICE would overtake the world in a huge GLOBAL COOLING era that would begin the GREAT ICE AGE that would for sure KILL US ALL!! Oh noes!!!!

Yes, back in the 70s. Scare people, seek grants to "study" the "problem". Lather, rinse, repeat. Then switch off to warming. Then switch off to climate "change".

[Minutemen]

I don’t get it. Did AlGore fix the hole or is it getting bigger?

[Moltke]

So the ozone hole has significantly shrunk? That’s why the media won’t report on it anymore. Always need a doomsday scenario to keep the plebs in check.

[dsc]

“See, see, those regulations ARE working.”

That’s what they will say, but back when they were pushing to ban Freon they were saying that it would be a hundred years before the “ozone hole” even started to recover.

[dsc]

“The best “preventive” inhalers are no longer made.”

Greentards owe humanity a huge debt.

They should be hated.

[cornfedcowboy]

Pretty sure leftists will call for more taxes so we can fully close the ozone hole.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

Tom Clancy had the best comment i’ve ever seen on this issue in one of his novels:

He stated through one of his characters that “he’d start worrying about the ozone hole when the penguins who live under it all year start dropping dead from sunstroke and other sun related problems.

[zeugma]

What size was the “ozone hole” in 1066?

A more relevant question might be "What was the size of the 'ozone hole' during the Maunder Minimum?"

Of course, the answer is that we simply have no idea. The "ozone hole" is a manufactured lie by the so-called 'environmentalist' horde. The 'hole' was never, in fact, an actual 'hole'. It was a perceived thinning of the ozone layer over the south pole that was detected by what was at the time a new scientific instrument we'd put in orbit. We have no idea whether it existed before we had the ability to monitor it. We had no idea if this thinning was a normal part of the climate. Indeed, we had little to nothing to go on.

This is fake 'science' at its worst.

[Theo]

Could a smaller ozone hole cause temperatures to rise a bit? Or is there no correlation whatsoever?

[upchuck]

From the article:

“There are three phases to atmospheric concerns,” Johnson says. “First there was acid rain. Then it was the ozone hole. Now it’s greenhouse gases like CO2.”

Which, IMHO, is as much as admitting that the greenie lefties are always chasing the next "big thing."

"Whoops! Public interest in our latest "big thing" is starting to die down. Time to search for the next. We need something to assure those government grants don't stop. If not we'll have to go look for a (gulp!) real job.