The Ozone Layer Update 2-6-2008
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Ozone Levels Drop When
Hurricanes Are Strengthening Scientists are continually exploring different
aspects of hurricanes to increase the understanding of how they behave.
Recently, NASA-funded scientists from Florida State University looked
at ozone around hurricanes and found that ozone levels drop as a hurricane
is intensifying. In a recent study, Xiaolei Zou and Yonghui
Wu, researchers at Florida State University found that variations of ozone
levels from the surface to the upper atmosphere are closely related to
the formation, intensification and movement of a hurricane. Zou and Wu noticed that over 100 miles, the area of a hurricane typically has low levels of ozone from the surface to the top of the hurricane. Whenever a hurricane intensifies, it appears that the ozone levels throughout the storm decrease. When they looked at the storm with ozone data a hurricane's eye becomes very clear. Because forecasters always try to pinpoint the eye of the hurricane, this knowledge will help with locating the exact position and lead to better tracking. Site Index 1. Health News 2. This Page 5. Hotlines 9. Advertisers 10. The Ozone 11. FEMA 16. NASA info 17. Politico 19. Marriage 21. U.N. Info 23. Pet Gallery 24. Natural Portraits New Photos 25. Pride Gallery A 28. Other News 29. Hurricane Katrina Help url's 30. Help 31. See James 32. Int'l Car Show & News New Photos 34. Pride Gallery B 36. Travel Photos Diane Knaus New Photos 37. Windsor International Rainbow Golf Tournament 38. CAN AM International Antique Car Show 39.Cease Fire for Lebanon/Israel 40. Wedding Photography by Diane Knaus 42. AIDS information
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Governor Highlights Commitment To Protecting The Environment And Stimulating The Economy
• Investment in clean
technology continues to grow. According to the Cleantech Group, California's
clean technology companies brought in $1.8 billion in investments last
year, a 50 percent increase over 2006. These investments represent 45
percent of total green investments in North America. • According to a United
Nations report, investment in renewable energy is also increasing, climbing
25 percent worldwide to $100 billion in 2006. • Growth in the clean technology
industry boosts our economy and creates well-paying jobs. UC Berkeley
research shows that the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) could
generate a $74 billion increase in GDP and 89,000 additional jobs by 2020. • Considering the nation's
current economic and environmental challenges, continued growth in clean
technology is more important than ever. • Global Warming Solutions
Act of 2006 (AB 32): This legislation, signed into law by the Governor,
looks to market mechanisms like emissions trading to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions in California to 1990 levels by 2020. • Low Carbon Fuel Standard
(LCFS): California's LCFS requires fuel providers to reduce the carbon
intensity of transportation fuels sold in the state, dramatically expanding
the market for alternative fuels in California. • Million Solar Roofs Initiative:
This initiative, introduced in 2004, provides 3,000 megawatts of additional
clean energy and reduces the output of greenhouse gases by 3 million tons.
The $2.9 billion incentive plan for home and building owners who install
solar electric systems will lead to one million solar roofs in California
by the year 2018. Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS): California's RPS calls for more energy to come from clean, renewable sources and is among the most ambitious standards in the nation. In 2003, the Governor called for an acceleration of the RPS to 20 percent by 2010 rather than 2017, seven years earlier than statute, and in 2005, he called for an acceleration of the RPS to 33 percent by 2020. Canada and U.S. Move Forward
to Reducing Air Pollutants WASHINGTON, D.C., Friday, April
13, 2007 - The Honourable John Baird, Canada’s Minister of the Environment,
and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson,
announced today that Canada and the U.S. will start negotiations for an
annex to the U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement aimed at reducing the cross-border
flow of air pollution and its impact on the health and ecosystems of Canadians
and Americans.Minister Baird and Administrator Johnson met to discuss
common cross-border and global environment priorities. The officials noted
that both Canada and the U.S. recognize that cooperative action can reduce
the transboundary flow of particulate matter originating on either side
of the border. “Canada’s New Government
is committed to improving the quality of the air we breathe,” said
Minister Baird. “This work announced today will complement the concrete
actions this government is taking at home to reduce greenhouse gases and
the pollutants that cause climate change and smog.” “Pollution, especially
air pollution, knows no geographic or political borders,” said Administrator
Johnson. “Our nations are committed to becoming better environmental
neighbors, and the negotiation of this annex will strengthen the successful
U.S.-Canadian collaboration helping clean the air for North
American residents for generations.” The U.S.-Canada Air Quality
Agreement, negotiated in 1991, marked a new era of cooperation aimed at
helping to guarantee cleaner air and a healthier environment for millions
of Americans and Canadians. The Particulate Matter Annex would complement
the annex negotiated in 2000 addressing ground-level ozone, as well as
the original annexes on acid rain and scientific cooperation. Climate change threatens
UNESCO World Heritage sites 4-15-2007 The threats posed by climate change to natural and cultural sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List are outlined in a new UNESCO publication, "Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage"*. The report features 26 examples - including the Tower of London, Kilimanjaro National Park and the Great Barrier Reef - case studies that are representative of the dangers faced by the 830 sites inscribed on the World Heritage List."The international community now widely agrees that climate change will constitute one of the major challenges of the 21st century," says the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, in his Foreword to the publication, calling for "an integrated approach to issues of environmental preservation and sustainable development." The publication, intended to
raise awareness and mobilize support for heritage preservation, is divided
into five chapters that deal with glaciers, marine biodiversity, terrestrial
biodiversity, archaeological sites, and historic cities and settlements:
The report also examines the
effects of climate change on the marine World Heritage sites. Seventy
percent of the world's deep sea corals are expected to be affected by
changing conditions related to rising temperatures and increased oceans
acidification by the year 2100. The Great Barrier Reef, Australia, is
expected to be subjected to increasingly frequent bleaching events, cases
in which corals turn white and may die due to rising sea temperatures.
Fifty-eight percent of the world's coral reefs - home to hundreds of thousands
of fish species - are considered to be at risk. Reducing the effect of
other stresses on the coral reefs from pollution, development and mining
for example, could greatly improve their resilience to climate change,
argues the report. Biodiversity on land is also
threatened by climate change, says the report, which features a detailed
case study of the Heritage Site of Cape Floral Region Protected Areas,
South Africa, where biodiversity is threatened by shrinking bioclimatic
habitats - due to warming and changes in precipitation. On the global
scale, climate change is expected to lead to changes in the distribution
of species, including "invasive species",pathogens and parasites
and on the timing of biological events, such as flowering, and the relationships
between predator and prey, parasite and host, plant and pollinator, etc.
The report recommends several measures to deal with this problem, including
the creation of protected areas and relocating particularly endangered
species. Climate change is also expected
to damage archaeological World Heritage sites, according to the report
which examines prospects for Chan Chan Archaeological Zone, Peru, alongside
other World Heritage properties in Canada and the Russian Federation.
Changes in precipitation and drought cycles, in humidity, water-table
levels and ensuing soil chemistry will, inevitably, impact the conservation
of archaeological remains. Likewise, temperature rises, especially the
melting of permafrost in the Arctic region and rising sea levels are also
expected to take their toll on this heritage. The report notably analyses
how precipitations related to El Niño is undermining the fragile
earthen fabric of Chan Chan, the remains of the capital of the ancient
Chimu Kingdom, one of the most important pre-Hispanic earthen architecture
cities in the Americas. Rising sea levels and flooding
due to climate change could have a devastating effect on both the buildings
and social fabric of historic cities and settlements, according to the
report, which focuses on the cases of the World Heritage sites of the
City of London alongside several other sites in Europe, Africa (Timbuktu,
Mali), and the Middle East (Ouadi Qadisha and the Forest of the Cedars
of god, Lebanon). The increase in soil moisture after flooding events
can lead to a rise in saline crystallization on built surfaces, which
is particularly damaging to decorated surfaces. Increased humidity can
also lead to ground heave and subsidence. Dealing with these and other
threats requires taking into account the complex interactions among natural,
cultural and social aspects of conservation. The publication of this report follows on the 2005 decision by the World Heritage Committee's decision, to start studying the impact of climate change on World Heritage sites. In March 2006, 50 experts on the subject met at UNESCO and in July 2006, the Organization presented the World Heritage Committee with a report on "Predicting and Managing the Effects of Climate Change on World Heritage," and a "Strategy to Assist States Parties to Implement Appropriate Management Responses." Report Shows Inaction No
Longer a Viable Option 1-23-2007 Washington, DC -- The Pew Center
on Global Climate Change today released, “Getting Ahead of the Curve:
Corporate Strategies That Address Climate Change,” a how to guide
for corporate decision makers as they navigate rapidly changing global
markets. The report presents an in-depth look at the development and implementation
of corporate strategies that take into account climate-related risks and
opportunities. The report, authored by Andrew
Hoffman of the University of Michigan, lays out a step-by-step approach
for companies to reshape their core business strategies in order to succeed
in a future marketplace where greenhouse gases are regulated and carbon-efficiency
is in demand. The research shows a growing consensus among corporate leaders
that taking action on climate change is a sensible business decision.
Many of the companies highlighted in the report are shifting their focus
from managing the financial risks of climate change to exploiting new
business opportunities for energy efficient and low-carbon products and
services. Relying on six highly detailed,
on-site case studies, as well as results from a 100-question survey completed
by 31 companies, the report offers a unique and in-depth look at the development
and implementation of corporate strategies that address climate change.
The featured case studies include Alcoa, Cinergy (now Duke Energy), DuPont,
Shell, Swiss Re, and Whirlpool Corporation. One of the clearest conclusions
is that businesses need to engage actively with government in the development
of climate policy. Of 31 major corporations polled by the report author,
nearly all companies believe that federal greenhouse gas standards are
imminent, and 84 percent of these companies believe regulations will take
effect before 2015. The report offers policy makers insight into how companies
are moving forward on climate change and how they can most effectively
engage in the policy discussion. “If you look at what is happening today at the state level and in the Congress, a proactive approach in the policy arena clearly makes sound business sense” said the Pew Center’s Eileen Claussen. “In the corporate world, inaction is no longer an option.” The OZONE NASA and NOAA Announce
Ozone Hole is a Double Record Breaker NASA and National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists report this year's ozone
hole in the polar region of the Southern Hemisphere has broken records
for area and depth. "From September 21 to 30,
the average area of the ozone hole was the largest ever observed, at 10.6
million square miles," said Paul Newman, atmospheric scientist at
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. If the stratospheric
weather conditions had been normal, the ozone hole would be expected to
reach a size of about 8.9 to 9.3 million square miles, about the surface
area of North America. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument
on NASA's Aura satellite measures the total amount of ozone from the ground
to the upper atmosphere over the entire Antarctic continent. This instrument
observed a low value of 85 Dobson Units (DU) on Oct. 8, in a region over
the East Antarctic ice sheet. Dobson Units are a measure of ozone amounts
above a fixed point in the atmosphere. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument
was developed by the Netherlands' Agency for Aerospace Programs, Delft,
The Netherlands, and the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
Scientists from NOAA's Earth
System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., use balloon-borne instruments
to measure ozone directly over the South Pole. By Oct. 9, the total column
ozone had plunged to 93 DU from approximately 300 DU in mid-July. More
importantly, nearly all of the ozone in the layer between eight and 13
miles above the Earth's surface had been destroyed. In this critical layer,
the instrument measured a record low of only 1.2 DU., having rapidly plunged
from an average non-hole reading of 125 DU in July and August. "These numbers mean the
ozone is virtually gone in this layer of the atmosphere," said David
Hofmann, director of the Global Monitoring Division at the NOAA Earth
System Research Laboratory. "The depleted layer has an unusual vertical
extent this year, so it appears that the 2006 ozone hole will go down
as a record-setter." Observations by Aura's Microwave Limb Sounder show extremely high levels of ozone destroying chlorine chemicals in the lower stratosphere (approximately 12.4 miles high). These high chlorine values covered the entire Antarctic region in mid to late September. The high chlorine levels were accompanied by extremely low values of ozone. The temperature of the Antarctic
stratosphere causes the severity of the ozone hole to vary from year to
year. Colder than average temperatures result in larger and deeper ozone
holes, while warmer temperatures lead to smaller ones. The NOAA National
Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) provided analyses of satellite
and balloon stratospheric temperature observations. The temperature readings
from NOAA satellites and balloons during late-September 2006 showed the
lower stratosphere at the rim of Antarctica was approximately nine degrees
Fahrenheit colder than average, increasing the size of this year's ozone
hole by 1.2 to 1.5 million square miles. The Antarctic stratosphere warms
by the return of sunlight at the end of the polar winter and by large-scale
weather systems (planetary-scale waves) that form in the troposphere and
move upward into the stratosphere. During the 2006 Antarctic winter and
spring, these planetary-scale wave systems were relatively weak, causing
the stratosphere to be colder than average. As a result of the Montreal
Protocol and its amendments, the concentrations of ozone-depleting substances
in the lower atmosphere (troposphere) peaked around 1995 and are decreasing
in both the troposphere and stratosphere. It is estimated these gases
reached peak levels in the Antarctica stratosphere in 2001. However, these
ozone-depleting substances typically have very long lifetimes in the atmosphere
(more than 40 years). As a result of this slow decline,
the ozone hole is estimated to annually very slowly decrease in area by
about 0.1 to 0.2 percent for the next five to 10 years. This slow decrease
is masked by large year-to-year variations caused by Antarctic stratosphere
weather fluctuations. "We now have the largest ozone hole on record for this time of year," said Craig Long of NCEP. As the sun rises higher in the sky during October and November, this unusually large and persistent area may allow much more ultraviolet light than usual to reach Earth's surface in the southern latitudes. "SMART" BALLOONS CARRYING UNH-BUILT OZONE INSTRUMENT PROBE GULF OF MEXICO AIR Sept. 26, 2006 — Six "smart"
balloons carrying a state-of-the-art, miniature sensor for measuring ozone
designed and built by scientists at the University of New Hampshire, recently
completed a series of flights measuring levels of the pollutant in the
Houston area and over the Gulf of Mexico as part of 2006 Texas Air Quality
Study II.The balloons—termed "smart" because they are designed
to allow operators to remotely control their vertical height to sample
different layers of the atmosphere—measured the ozone concentration
and a number of other meteorological variables while immersed in plumes
of urban of air. Houston has one of the highest
levels of ozone in the U.S., and scientists are trying to better understand
how the pollutant is exported from "mega-polluted" areas such
as Houston and Mexico City and what its impact is on the air quality of
the Northern Hemisphere. "The balloons provide a
very unique platform," says Robert Talbot, director of the UNH Climate
Change Research Center within the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans,
and Space where the miniature ozone sensor was developed. The real power of the balloons
is the continuous observation on spatial scales that other platforms can't
do," said Talbot. For example, a smart balloon, drifting at 10 meters
per second in a polluted plume of air, can make much higher resolution
measurements than an aircraft traveling ten times faster and flying in
and out of the plume. Faculty and students from UNH
and the University of Hawaii will work in collaboration with NOAA scientists
in analyzing the data obtained during the smart balloon flights. The NOAA
Air Resources Laboratory Field Research Division, in collaboration with
the University of Hawaii, developed the smart balloon technology. The miniature ozone sensor was
first deployed in the summer of 2004 during a massive air quality study
called the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport
and Transformation or ICARTT. Talbot notes that continued
work done by UNH engineers has upgraded the ozone sensor from a first-generation
instrument to a "true research-grade precision instrument. The overall
quality of the measurement is very high, accurate and reliable, and the
sensor can respond to changes in ozone very quickly," Talbot said. Ozone Info From NASA
The abundance of human-produced ozone-destroying
gases such as chlorofluorocarbons peaked at about the same time (1993
in the lowest layer of the atmosphere, 1997 in the stratosphere). Such
substances were phased out after the 1987 international Montreal Protocol
was enacted. "These results confirm the Montreal
Protocol and its amendments have succeeded in stopping the loss of ozone
in the stratosphere," Yang said. "At the current recovery rate,
the atmospheric modeling community's best estimates predict the global
ozone layer could be restored to 1980 levels-- the time that scientists
first noticed the harmful effects human activities were having on atmospheric
ozone — some time in the middle of this century." The researchers concluded approximately one half the observed ozone change was in the region of the stratosphere above 11 miles and the rest in the lower stratosphere from six to 11 miles. The researchers attribute the ozone improvement above 11 miles almost entirely to the Montreal Protocol.
"Our study is unique because it measures changes in the ozone layer at all heights in the atmosphere, then compares the data with models as well as observations from other instruments that measure variations in the total amount of ozone in the atmosphere," said Ross Salawitch, a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Results are published in the latest Journal of Geophysical Research. NASA's AURA satellite peers into Earth's ozone hole Here seasonal changes of ozone and other chemicals in the lower stratosphere are shown over the Arctic and Antarctic during the past year. NASA researchers, using data from the agency's
AURA satellite, determined the seasonal ozone hole that developed over
Antarctica this year is smaller than in previous years. NASA's 2005 assessment of the size and thickness
of the ozone layer was the first based on observations from the Ozone
Monitoring Instrument on the agency's Aura spacecraft. Aura was launched
in 2004. The protective ozone layer over Antarctica
annually undergoes a seasonal change, but since the first satellite measurements
in 1979, the ozone hole has gotten larger. Human-produced chlorine and
bromine chemicals can lead to the destruction of ozone in the stratosphere.
By international agreement, these damaging chemicals were banned in 1995,
and their levels in the atmosphere are decreasing. Another important factor in how much ozone
is destroyed each year is the temperature of the air high in the atmosphere.
As with temperatures on the ground, some years are colder than others.
When it's colder in the stratosphere, more ozone is destroyed. The 2005
ozone hole was approximately 386,000 square miles larger than it would
have been in a year with normal temperatures, because it was colder than
average. Only twice in the last decade has the ozone hole shrunk to the
size it typically was in the late 1980s. Those years, 2002 and 2004, were
the warmest of the period. Scientists also monitor how much ozone there
is in the atmosphere from the ground to space. The thickness of the Antarctic
ozone layer was the third highest of the last decade, as measured by the
lowest reading recorded during the year. The level was 102 Dobson Units
(the system of measurement designated to gauge ozone thickness). That
is approximately one-half as thick as the layer before 1980 during the
same time of year. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument is the latest in a series of ozone-observing instruments flown by NASA over the last two decades. This instrument provides a more detailed view of ozone and is also able to monitor chemicals involved in ozone destruction. The instrument is a contribution to the mission from the Netherlands' Agency for Aerospace Programs in collaboration with the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute is the principal investigator on the instrument.
The report concludes that there
is no single technology fix, no single policy instrument, and no single
sector that can solve this problem on its own. Rather, a combination
of technology investment and market development will provide for the most
cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gases, and will create a thriving
market for GHG-reducing technologies. To address climate change
without placing the burden on any one group, the report urges actions
throughout the economy. Some believe the answer to addressing
climate change lies in technology incentives. Others say limiting
emissions is the only answer. We need both,” said Eileen Claussen,
President of the Pew Center. Emissions in the United States
continue to rise at an alarming rate. U.S. carbon dioxide emissions
have grown by more than 18% since 1990, and the Department of Energy now
projects that they will increase by another 37% by 2030. Joining the Pew Center at the
announcement were representatives from the energy and manufacturing sectors.
Speaking at the release were: David Hone, Group Climate Change Adviser,
Shell International Limited; Melissa Lavinson, Director, Federal Environmental
Affairs and Corporate Responsibility, PG&E Corporation; Bill Gerwing,
Western Hemisphere Health, Safety, Security, and Environment Director,
BP; John Stowell, Vice President, Environmental Strategy, Federal Affairs
and Sustainability, Cinergy Corp., Ruksana Mirza, Vice President, Environmental
Affairs, Holcim (US) Inc.; and Tom Catania, Vice President, Government
Relations, Whirlpool Corporation. While actions are needed across
all sectors, some steps will have a more significant, far-reaching impact
on emissions than others and must be undertaken as soon as possible. • A program to cap emissions
from large sources and allow for emissions trading will send a signal
to curb releases of greenhouse gases while promoting a market for new
technologies. Other recommendations include:
long-term stable research funding, incentives for low-carbon fuels and
consumer products, funding for biological sequestration, expanding the
natural gas supply and distribution network, and a mandatory greenhouse
gas reporting program that can provide a stepping stone to economy-wide
emissions trading. Solar Storms, Arctic Winds Swirl in a Double Dip Cone
of Ozone Loss Solar storms, such as the unusually intense events in October
and November 2003, affect many aspects of our lives, such as radio signals
and satellite communications. Now a new study partially funded by NASA
and using data from several NASA instruments has shown that those late
2003 solar storms, which deposited huge quantities of energetic solar
particles into Earth's atmosphere, combined forces with another natural
atmospheric process last spring to produce the largest decline ever recorded
in upper stratospheric ozone over the Arctic and the northern areas of
North America, Europe and Asia. A form of oxygen, ozone protects life on Earth from harmful
ultraviolet radiation. The ozone layer has thinned markedly in the high
latitudes of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres in recent decades,
primarily due to chemical reactions with chlorofluorocarbons and other
industrial gases from human activities in the lower stratosphere, about
15 to 20 kilometers (9 to 12 miles) in altitude. Such ozone loss normally
occurs only during very cold Arctic winters. Last spring, however, following a warm Arctic winter, scientists were surprised to see record levels of ozone loss in the upper, not lower, stratosphere; reductions in ozone levels of up to 60 percent about 40 kilometers (25 miles) above Earth's high northern latitudes. This unusual ozone destruction resulted from processes distinctly different from the more commonly observed lower stratospheric ozone loss caused by chemical reactions with chlorofluorocarbons. This time the culprits were high levels of nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide, two gases that together destroy stratospheric ozone. An international team of scientists from the United States, Canada and Europe, including researchers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., set out to uncover the processes behind the unexpected ozone loss. Using data from seven satellites, including NASA's Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II and III instruments on the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite and the Halogen Occultation Experiment on NASA's Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite, the researchers concluded the record ozone declines were the result of a combination of unusual stratospheric weather conditions and energetic solar particles in the atmosphere resulting from the vigorous solar storm activity. Results of the study appear in the online version of the American Geophysical Union journal Geophysical Research Letters. "The 2003-2004 Arctic winter was unique," said
Dr. Gloria Manney, a JPL atmospheric scientist and one of the paper's
co-authors. "First, the stratospheric polar vortex, a massive low-pressure
system that confines air over the Arctic, broke down in a major stratospheric
warming that lasted from January to February 2004. Such midwinter warmings
typically last only a few days to a week. Then, in February and March
2004, winds in the upper stratospheric polar vortex sped up to their strongest
levels on record. The vortex allowed the nitrogen gases, which are believed
to have formed at least 10 kilometers (6 miles) above the stratosphere
as a result of chemical reactions triggered by energetic solar particles,
to descend more easily than normal into the stratosphere." Study lead author Dr. Cora Randall of the University of
Colorado at Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics said
the phenomenon illustrates the difficulties in separating ozone-destroying
atmospheric effects resulting from natural versus human-induced causes.
"These findings point out a critical need to better understand the
processes occurring in the ozone layer, and demonstrate that scientists
searching for signs of ozone recovery need to factor in the atmospheric
effects of energetic particles, something they do not now do," she
said. Scientists believe the 1987 Montreal Protocol, an international
agreement that phased out production and use of ozone-destroying compounds,
may allow the protective ozone layer to recover by the middle of this
century. NASA's Aura spacecraft is providing insights into physical and
chemical processes that influence the health of the stratospheric ozone
layer and climate, producing the most complete suite of chemical measurements
ever made. "While the 2004-2005 Arctic winter has been unusually
cold, six of the past seven Arctic winters were unusually warm, with little
or no potential for Arctic chemical ozone loss," she said. "This
period of warm winters was immediately preceded by a period of unusually
cold winters. The point is that it is absolutely critical that we understand
how and why the Arctic stratosphere varies from year to year, and that
we need to be very careful to consider and account for natural variability
when determining trends in atmospheric circulation, temperature, ozone
levels and climate change." SCIENTISTS BRAVE BRUTAL ELEMENTS ON TOP OF THE WORLD
TO STUDY OZONE LAYER Feb. 18, 2005 — Doing cutting-edge science in one of
Earth's most challenging environments requires meticulous planning and
years of experience and education, but sometimes a smidgen of serendipity
helps.That kind of "just-in-time" good fortune may well allow
NOAA scientists to study an unusual thinning of the Arctic ozone layer
that has started as the sunlight returns to the Arctic. The phenomenon
is caused by extremely low Arctic temperatures this year. It will last
only a matter of weeks.The data that scientists expect to gather at the
Greenland Environmental Observatory at Summit (GEOSummit), which is strategically
located under the area of the sky where the ozone is thinning, could provide
them with important insights into how the atmosphere reacts to extremes
in temperatures, even as levels of ozone-depleting chemicals in the atmosphere
decline in the coming years. "One key question right now is how the ozone layer
will behave as the chlorine in the atmosphere decays away under the Montreal
Protocol to understand what we need to know about the variability that
can happen in a cold year like this one," said Susan Solomon, a senior
scientist at the NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory in Boulder, Colo. "This is the period of peak vulnerability of the ozone
layer since chlorine is near its maximum right now," she said. "Under
full compliance with the Montreal Protocol, the ozone layer will slowly
heal in coming decades, but we need to know how vulnerable the Arctic
really is—whether it could look more like the Antarctic in a really
exceptional year. And, this could be the year that we see it at its worst." Dave Hofmann, the director of the NOAA Climate Monitoring
and Diagnostics Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., and also a veteran of Antarctic
ozone hole studies, called the opportunity to study the Arctic ozone phenomenon
an exciting historic parallel to the scientific work that pinpointed the
significance of ozone depletion in Antarctica. This is so reminiscent of 1986 when Susan Solomon and I
and a group of scientists made a decision to fly into McMurdo Station
in Antarctica in the middle of austral winter with only a few months to
prepare for the expedition," he recalled. "It was called the
'National Ozone Expedition,' and it basically nailed CFCs as the cause
of the Antarctic ozone hole. Exciting times!" He added that in the Arctic study "a related question
is how other greenhouse gases—especially carbon dioxide—could
affect the stratosphere. It's important to understand how changing temperatures,
and variable dynamical conditions that could change with global warming,
affect the Arctic ozone layer." To capitalize on this opportunity, this week (week of Feb.
15) Jason Seifert, a NOAA Corps officer, will leave for a remote scientific
station atop the Greenland ice cap, carrying with him a spectrometer to
measure the chemical reaction that is thinning the protective ozone layer. Seifert will join Andrew Clarke, a scientist with the Cooperative
Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, or CIRES, a joint institute
of the University of Colorado at Boulder and NOAA. Clarke arrived at Summit
on Feb. 10 and almost immediately sent up the first of what could be as
many as 20 ozonesondes—lightweight balloon-borne instruments that
sample the chemistry of the upper atmosphere. Hofmann pioneered the use of ozonesondes in Antarctica 20
years ago. He was able to continue his northern trajectory from Antarctica
on to Summit only because the rigorous medical clearance required for
Antarctic service qualified him to fly immediately to the remote station
at the opposite end of the globe. NEW SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS: ARCTIC IS WARMING AT UNPRECEDENTED
RATE, BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS IS CULPRIT WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 8, 2004) -- The Arctic is warming
rapidly, with the loss of polar ice projected to accelerate global warming
as well as contribute to sea level rise and flooding, according to a comprehensive
four-year scientific study of the region conducted by an international
team of 300 scientists that was officially released today. The report comes out at a time of increasing pressure on
the Bush administration to enact U.S. emissions reductions. During election
week, the Queen of England privately pressured UK Prime Minister Tony
Blair to press the U.S. on global warming policy, and she opened a "climate
change summit" of senior government officials from the UK and Germany
to discuss the problem. Russian president Vladimir Putin signed the Kyoto
Protocol, thus bringing the accord into effect worldwide. "President Bush needs to change his approach to global
warming in light of the damage already being seen in the Arctic,"
said Dr. Daniel Lashof, Science Director of the NRDC Climate Center. "It
is now clear we have to cut the pollution that causes global warming to
prevent dangerous changes in the climate. The purely voluntary approach
taken in the President's first term will leave the nation and the world
in great danger from the threat of global warming." The assessment was commissioned by the Arctic Council, a
ministerial intergovernmental forum comprised of eight nations, including
the United States, and six Indigenous Peoples organizations; and the International
Arctic Science Committee, an international scientific organization appointed
by 18 national academies of science. The assessment's findings and projections
are being released today and will be presented in detail at a scientific
symposium in Reykjavik, Iceland starting tomorrow. "The impacts of global warming are apparent now in
the Arctic," said Robert Corell, chair of the ACIA. "The Arctic
is experiencing some of the most rapid and severe impacts on earth. The
impacts of global warming on the region and the globe are projected to
increase substantially in the years to come." Additional findings include: • In Alaska, Western Canada, and Eastern Russia average
winter temperatures have increased as much as 4†F to 7†F in the past 50
years, and are projected to rise 7†F to 14†F over the next 100 years. The assessment's projections are based on a moderate estimate
of future emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and
incorporate results from five major global climate models used by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment was formally initiated
in 2000 at the Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council at Point Barrow,
Alaska as a joint project between the Arctic Council and the International
Arctic Science Committee. As specified in the Barrow Declaration, the
goal of the ACIA is to "evaluate and synthesize knowledge on climate
variability and change and increased ultraviolet radiation, and support
policy-making processes and the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change." The Arctic Council directed ACIA to address "environmental,
human health, social, cultural, and economic impacts and consequences,
including policy recommendations." The Good, the Bad and the Ozone 06.01.04 Ozone is a big buzz word these days. We mostly hear about
the ozone layer, and the importance of protecting it. But if you want
to understand what ozone's all about, you need to understand that it can
be good, and it can be bad. The good kind of ozone. The stratosphere is the layer of the atmosphere from 10
to 30 miles above sea level. When there's ozone in this layer, it protects
us from solar radiation. How? Simple chemistry. How can solar radiation be harmful to life on Earth? Part
of that radiation is ultra-violet, or UV radiation. It's an intense energy
from the Sun that can cause a whole lot of damage. Skin cancer is the
most dramatic result of a too much UV radiation, but there's a lot more
too. Photosynthesis in plants is also affected, and that causes problems
for the whole food chain. See where this is headed? We need to protect
our ozone shield, and we can do so by decreasing the pollution that our
industrial society puts out in large amounts every day. The bad kind of Ozone. Let's come down a little closer to Earth. The troposphere is everything
below the stratosphere, from sea level to about 10 miles above. It's where
everything lives. Things that happen to the troposphere happen to us;
there's nothing indirect about it. How can you help Solve the Problem? Cars, trucks and SUVs are the biggest contributor to this
ozone buildup. Engine exhaust creates nitrogen dioxide, so the more you
drive, the more your vehicle creates. High gas prices aren't the only
reason to leave the car in the garage.Did you know? |