Posted on 09/17/2003 10:31:26 AM PDT by cogitator
Antarctic Ozone Hole Roars Back
Measurements over and near Antarctica show that ozone is decreasing more rapidly this year than in previous years and that the size of the ozone hole is now as large as the all time record size of 28 million sq. km during September 2000. This is in stark contrast to the ozone hole last year when it was the smallest in more than a decade after splitting in two during late September.
In recent years, the ozone hole is at or near its maximum size during mid-September, with the maximum sometimes reached in late September. It cannot be predicted with certainty whether the ozone hole will continue to grow during the next few weeks.
Recent variations in size, depth and persistence of the ozone hole are due to year-to-year changes in meteorological conditions in the lower stratosphere over Antarctica, rather than changes in the amount of ozone depleting chemicals present in the ozone layer.
The use of ozone depleting chemicals is presently being controlled through the enforcement of international agreements. Measurements show that most of these chemicals are decreasing in the lower atmosphere and they appear to have reached their peak in the critically important ozone layer in the stratosphere.
There is a delay in the cleansing of these chemicals from the ozone layer, and it is expected to require decades before the stratosphere returns to pre-ozone hole conditions. Complete recovery of the ozone layer will require continuing diligence with the enforcement of the international agreements.
In recognition of the importance of international co-operation on environmental issues and to commemorate the date of the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, 16 September has been designated by the United Nations as International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
On this occasion, Prof. G.O.P. Obasi, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization urged all nations to pursue their efforts in the monitoring of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and in the implementation of the Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol and Amendments on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
I'm never looking for a fight, but I suggest reading the Web site that I offered in my reply. A general decrease in ozone concentration has been observed everywhere in the stratosphere, on the order of 5%, but polar conditions are such that ozone concentration is dramatically reduced in September-October of each year. The reactions with chlorine that is derived from CFCs have been studied, tested, and verified.
Now there is a very strong correlation between volvanic avtivity and ozone thinning in the respective hemisphere, particularly if the valvanoes in question are very active and generate a lot of chlorine. Measurable ozone thinning in the north did occurr, for example, after the very large Mt Pinatubo eruption. It just happens that the most active volcanoe in the world is Mt Erabus in, you guessed it, Antarctica. It's been more or less continuously erupting for decades.
Erebus has a lava lake, which is why it has been continuously erupting. Erebus emissions are low-level and never reach the stratosphere, and the form of chlorine is HCl, which is volatile and doesn't persist in the atmosphere. Pinatubo's violent eruption did inject a large amount of SO2 into the stratosphere, which had an effect on the ozone concentration for about 3 years after the eruption.
Read the information at the link in post 8, and then reply to me to indicate if you still think I should read your reference.
From you so-called "science" site: Factories and homes SPEW OUT CFCs. Bull-Hockey!!!
& a 1, & a 2
The CFC ozone hole was probably one of the biggest scams pulled on the people of earth!
Nothing better has been or will be invented, 134a is an older more dangerous formula that doesn't even work as good.
A general decrease in ozone concentration has been observed everywhere in the stratosphere, on the order of 5%, but polar conditions are such that ozone concentration is dramatically reduced in September-October of each year.
Without having looked, does this site explain why this reduction occurs in the South Pole (not near CFC sources)rather than the North (where there are lot's of them)?
One, I'm not an enviro-whacko. Two, philosophy has nothing to do with it; the site explains, in simple terms, the scientific understanding of the processes which cause ozone depletion and the ozone "hole". You've already replied with a minor nitpick about the wording on the site; if that's all you think is wrong with it, then I'll stick with the scientists on this one. I would enjoy discussing what you or your reference indicate is wrong with the theory. But if you don't want to, that's fine.
But I'll point out one thing. The communities that live near the southern end of South America have made a very large investment for their income level in UV monitoring devices to determine if the large increase in UV that they are occasionally exposed to each spring (in the Southern Hemisphere) will be detrimental to their health. If this is a "scam", then why are they measuring their increased exposure to UV radiation every spring?
Here's an article describing what happened last year:
Tierra del Fuego Residents Get An Extra Dose Of Solar Radiation
Excerpt:
"However, said Canziani, the phenomenon has grown more acute over that populated region, with extreme thinning to just 145 Dobson units, and forces the fueginos to take the same precautions in the middle of winter as they would if they were at a beach on summer vacation."
Maybe if you were in Tierra del Fuego when ozone-depleted regions of the stratosphere circulate overhead on a sunny day, you'd go out without any sunscreen on, since you think this is all a scam. We have a different philosophy; I wouldn't do that.
Yes. In Part 3, concentrate on the section entitled "The Special Features of Polar Meteorology" (even though the figure is blurry). The bottom has a nice quick summary.
As well as ruining alot of perfectly good compressors by mixing yucky 134a with r12
The old r12 compressors lasted along time because a natural teflon like coating was created on the metal.
Teflon was discovered by accident while trying to improve r12(which they could never do, but I'm glad they tried, I like Teflon).
Have to agree with that assessment. One of the major sources of CFCs to the atmosphere was the scrapping of cars with air conditioners without prior recovery of the CFCs in the air conditioner.
However, with regard to "factory" emissions, for a long time the major sources were foam blowing and microchip cleaning.
Observations:
1) Satellite based measurement of stratospheric ozone began in 1978. The downslope in your chart begins in 1978. Large area measurement of stratospheric ozone was impossible prior to 1978.
2) Your chart ends in 1995. Satellite based observation of stratospheric ozone continues to this day. Where are the rest of the data?
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