NASA and NOAA Announce Ozone Hole is a Double Record Breaker

[Ben Burch]

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NASA and NOAA Announce Ozone Hole is a Double Record Breaker

10.19.06

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.

The ozone layer acts to protect life on Earth by blocking harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. The "ozone hole" is a severe depletion of the ozone layer high above Antarctica. It is primarily caused by human-produced compounds that release chlorine and bromine gases in the stratosphere.

<SNIP>

(Much more, go read the article. Not good news.)

[Trap]

WOW!

I thought the rate of loss was decreasing.

Not good at all. In the late 80's I saw some very disturbing, and suppressed, data showing crop reductions due to Ozone loss.

Not good.

[BigMan]

We're increasing population coupled with this Ozone News Bad Stuff !!!Just last week we hit 300 Million in the USA !!!

Another Milestone ...

They just don't get it do they?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

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NIWA says largest ozone hole not a cause for alarm
Posted at 8:47am on 21 Oct 2006
A New Zealand scientist says figures from the American space agency NASA revealing the largest hole ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere ozone layer are not a cause for alarm.
Data from a satellite shows the average size of the hole, at the end of last month, was 17 million square kilometres.
That means it is larger than the surface area of North America.
Greg Bodeker, from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, says the hole varies a lot from year to year - and it will retract again.
He says the ozone layer is recovering in general and should be fully repaired in the next sixty or seventy years.
NASA's announcement follows a similar finding this month from the World Meteorological Organisation which said levels of ultra-violet radiation would be much higher this summer.
Gaps in the ozone layer expand and contract over time but are thought to be caused by human activity and the release of greenhouse gases.

[BlueBerry Pick'n]

now.

walk into your bathroom


open the cupboard.
start clearing out whatever YOU might have that is contributing.


now walk to your kitchen....

rinse & repeat as needed.

[Trap]

Oh! I love it CG.

Please pay NO ATTENTION to that ozone hole the size of North America above the Ant-Arctic.

No attention at all.

No cause for any alarm folks.....

[Crazy Guggenheim]

like an exaguration saying that:


A New Zealand scientist says figures from the American space agency NASA revealing the largest hole ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere ozone layer are not a cause for alarm.



Oh! I love it CG.

Please pay NO ATTENTION to that ozone hole the size of North America above the Ant-Arctic.

No attention at all.

No cause for any alarm folks.....

[Trap]

Natural Fluctuations??

:rofl: The hell you been drinnking? :beer:

Point of fact: There was never an ozone hole above the ant-Aritc until humans began releasing ozone destroying chlorene compounds (CFC's).

Nature can not produce CFC's...only a lot of electricity and modern chemestry can make CFC's.

Nature took millions, if not billions, of years producing the thin ozone layer that protects all life on the planet from damaging solar rays.

Each year, more and more of the ozone is being destroyed. Each year, the total amount of global atmospheric ozone is reduced.

But.....

DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY
:dancing:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

post, that's big variation! I don't think it's natural!

[Trap]

ok Cool

[Mr.Dude]

Point of fact: There was never an ozone hole above the ant-Aritc until humans began releasing ozone destroying chlorene compounds (CFC's).
Actually, the "hole" in the ozone layer was discovered by accident. Scientists in ant-artica knew the US had a satellite measuring the ozone layer so there wasn't much else for them to do. Some scientists decided to measure UV back-scatter at the surface. Ultra-violet radiation from the sun penetrates earth's atmosphere and some of it is reflected back into space. Some is absorbed by the atmosphere, some by the planet. Scientists found the amount of UV reaching the ice of ant-artica was higher than expected. Ozone is an unstable compound of three oxygen atoms. The reason ozone is so important is because it converts UV energy directly into heat by breaking down into O2 and a free oxygen atom. Ozone is 20,000 times more effective as a hot house gas than the next nearest competitor. The discovery was a disparity between measured data and data from the satellite. By re-checking the program used by the satellite, it was discovered that the satellite was programed to ignore all data that fell below a certain level. The program was re-written to remove the flaw. It was then that a huge hole in the ozone was discovered. By reviewing all the past data it was discovered that the hole grew and shrank seasonally. It was then found that "holes" in the ozone appeared over both poles.

Unfortunately, the actual chemistry is not well understood at this time. But there can be no denying that the hole is of great concern. It's actual cause is still unknown.


Nature can not produce CFC's...only a lot of electricity and modern chemestry can make CFC's.
Chloro-Flouro-Carbon compounds are not the only substances that destroy ozone. Ozone is a very unstable compound. It is very beneficial to earth because it absorbs Ultra-violet radiation from the sun. This helps warm the planet and block deadly radiation.

Chlorine, Flourine, Iodine, Bromine and hydro-carbons are all shown to break down ozone in varying degrees. Chlorine is as effective as CFCs. A single volcano can relase more chlorine than all of mankind for a decade.
Volcanic activity has been shown to be the greatest single impacter on ozone levels. After eruptions the ozone levels drop sharply.

The problem is: scientists still do not understand why this degradation to the ozone occurs at the poles and why and how it takes place at low temperatures.

There are many variables to analyze from a scientific point of view. Does the sun's increased magnetic output have any impact on ozone levels? Since the holes act as heat-sinks, allowing the earth to dump heat at those points, should the planet be cooling overall or does the cooling at both poles force heat to concentrate towards the equator? What is the actual chemistry of ozone depletion and why does it seem to increase as temperature drops (most reactions slow down as temperature drops)?

Science is imperfect. It is the attempt by mankind to understand the nature of his planet and the universe. But ascribing changes in the planet to human activity is just an attempt to believe that man can control his environment.