Hole In The Ozone | Ozone Hole

The Hole In The Ozone And What It Means

The Hole in the Ozone was discovered about 25 years ago and appears to be ending
thanks to international action taken. Chlorofluorocarbons, or CFC's, that were
present in refrigerants, solvents, some packaging, aerosols and hairsprays were
adding to the hole that was being created in the Earth's protective ozone layer.
It is wondered if similar action could effect climate change and if the closing
of the hole is actually making global warming a bigger problem. Photochemical smog
is caused by fuel burning, as found in aircraft and car exhaust, and the effect of
ultra-violet light on the nitrogen oxide they produce. It builds up in areas that
have a high amount of sun. It can effect the way lungs work and people with asthma
and chronic respiratory conditions and diseases can be aggravated. It can harm lung
function and even permanently effect them upon repeated exposure.

Between approximately 9.3 and 18.6 miles, or between 15 to 30 kilometers, above the
Earth's surface the ozone layer exists. O3, or the blanket of ozone, blocks much of
the sun's ultraviolet rays. These UV rays are known to cause cataracts and skin cancer
in human beings and reproductive problems in single-celled phytoplankton, frogs,
crabs and fish. It has an effect similar to sunburn in the lining of the respiratory
tract and damages the cells. When oxygen molecules that are naturally created high in
the atmosphere are broken by sunlight ozone is naturally created into two free oxygen
atoms. These free atoms can then bond with the unbroken O2 molecules and ozone is created.
It is unstable and easily broken by trace elements.
CFC's were invented in the 1920's, many of the synthetic chemicals used in them became
a problem for the ozone layer as they can last for decades and invade the upper atmosphere.
At the higher atmospheric levels ultraviolet light breaks the molecular bonds in CFC's
and frees chlorine atoms. This chlorine destroys ozone molecules as it steals their oxygen
atoms. When CFC's were invented they were thought to be inert and safe. They work well
until they are released into the atmosphere.

Since the 1970's scientists have thought about the chemistry that would cause the hole
in the ozone layer and in May of 1985 the British Antarctic Survey scientists announced
the discovery of a large hole over Antarctica in the ozone layer that shocked the world.
A thinning of the ozone layer has been occurring every spring since the 1970's. Collected
at the Halley Research Station in Antarctica, data suggested that the CFC's were at fault
because during the dark and cold Antarctic winters atmospheric conditions were collecting
large amounts of CFC's at the South Pole. In the spring the sun would create a lot of free
chlorine that would deplete the levels of ozone above Antarctica by as much as 65 percent.
No one was expecting to find anything like this, especially created in such a short time.

This very alarming discovery was the birth of the 1987 Montreal Protocol. This was created
to help eliminate the use of CFC's globally thereby restoring the ozone layer and was signed
by every country in the United Nations, it was the first such UN treaty to acquire universal
ratification. This cooperation from the world had a huge impact on restoration of the ozone
layer. If the CFC's had been allowed to increase at the rate they were it would have covered
the planet eventually, according to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center physicist Paul Newman.
There was a small change in the ozone layer after CFC's were banned and the upside to this is
if nothing had been done it could have gotten really bad. A complete reversal seems imminent
and by 2080 the ozone should return to the levels seen in the 1950's.

Scientists around the world are urging people to stop the use of greenhouse gas emissions if
the hole in the ozone was any indication of what could happen. Some people think there are
differences in the situations. The links to cataracts and skin cancers developing from the
hole in the ozone was an issue that gleaned public attention. Global warming does not have
the same results. To replace CFC's with another chemical was not that difficult for chemical
companies, it added little cost and the impact on the economy was minimal. Conversely global
warming is a hotly debated political issue. Alternative energy and reduction of consumption
are some of the potential fixes proposed but these could cause major disruptions to geopolitical
and economic status quo in ways that replacement of CFC's did not.

Some scientists think that the environmental gains made in the recovery of the ozone layer
could actually have a side effect in increasing global warming in the Antarctic. Ozone is a
greenhouse gas itself and a thinner ozone layer will trap heat over the Antarctic as well
as stir up circumpolar winds. These winds will create sea spray that forms reflective and
cooling clouds. The stratospheric clouds over the polar regions are at an altitude of 80,000
feet, they are the highest of all clouds and only occur in the polar regions where upper
atmosphere temperatures can dip down to below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit. These clouds
are sometimes referred to as nacreous clouds as they appear to have the color of mother
of pearl nacre.

It is hard to measure the impact globally but it is thought that by closing the ozone layer
it will have an effect on the Antarctic that could change global sea levels. The U. K's
University of Leeds author Ken Carslaw wrote a study that indicated closing the ozone hole
would create a increase in Antarctic warming. He said that any effect from the closing of
the ozone hole was but a side effect and not an increase. Quick action as a unit globally
saved the planet from further damage from the hole in the ozone. People acted and the problem
was abated before it grew to a level that would have been much more difficult to fix, it was
kept from becoming an environmental catastrophe. Thanks to the scientists that understood
the problem and the politicians that acted on the science that was discovered. It only takes
a small amount of CFC's to destroy a lot of ozone.