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Ozone Zone UZOne ZONE t's been known since the early 1970s that some gases produced UV-A has been largely ignored in the past, but we now know it | by human industry reduce the amount of ozone in the upper at- has deeply penetrating and destructive qualities. mosphere, exposing the Earth to more ultraviolet (UV) radia- This won't only effect human beings, although the yield of many tion. Until recently the need to control these gases wasn’t seen as agricultural crops may also be damaged by UV-B. It’s known thatlife urgent by governments, industry or scientists - now all that's changed. near the ocean's surface is susceptible to UV damage. Plankton, tiny Science now accepts that substances including chlorofluorocar- organisms at the base of the marine food chain, are very sensitive to bons (CFCs) are causing the breakdown of ozone in the upper UV-B radiation. This alone could effect the entire aquatic food chain. atmosphere. These gases have been proven to have increased dramati- However, there is evidence (from Hoyle et al) to suggest that plankton cally in the atmosphere over the last 20 to 150 years. They're used in and other forms of life (including humans) have been exposed to high refrigeration, air conditioning, foam packaging, some aerosols, as levels of UV in the past. y solvents in electronics and dry cleaning and as fire suppressants. “J never underestimate the resiliency of nature,” said biological * We now know there’s been a global decrease in ozone of 2-3% oceanographer Professor Sayel el-Sayed of Texas A & M University over the last nine years, about half of which can’t be attributed to last March, confirming that UV may damage plankton and krill natural fluctuations. Southern Australian monitoring stations re- populations - the primary food sources of the Antarctic ecosystem. cently showed evidence of greater decreases in the last 8-10 years than “If anything happened to the krill population, the whole ecosys- the global average. tem probably would collapse, and you could say goodbye to the * A sudden, unexpected decrease of Antarctic ozone now occurs each whales and the penguins and the seals and the fish,” Professor al- ” Spring, known as the Antarctic ‘ozone hole’. It’s been established Sayed said at a briefing arranged by the World Resources Institute. beyond reasonable doubt that this massive seasonal 50% decrease in stratospheric ozone over Antarctica is due to atmospheric chlorine - including CFCs - interacting with the uniqueAntarctic ‘polar vortex’. CFCs & GREENHO USE * Ozone over Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes decreased 1.7%-3% between 1969 and 1986. Theoretical models previously predicted that average ozone depletion there due to trace gas build-up would be between 0.7% and 1.5%, *A7% decline in ozone leveis over Melbourne in the last 10 years and 5% at Perth in the last 8 years has been noted. * 300 scientists assembled in Toronto last June reported that ozone depletion over the Mid-Atlantic US last year was 3% - not 0.5%-1% as had been predicted. In September 1987 the Montreal Protocol was drawn up to cut industrial release and production of CFCs. The Protocol requires developed nations freeze consumption of CFCs in 1989 at 1986 levels, with a 20% reduction in 1993 and a further 30% reduction in 1998. Consumption of halons is to be frozen at 1986 levels by 1993. These recommendations were based on models from the years prior to 1987, but 1989's scheduled review of the Protoco! will have to take new information into account - information confirming global decreases and greater depletion rates in Antarctica than were accepted in 1987. CFC production must be cut back far more rapidly than the original Protocol called for. A 50% reduction in global CFC emissions over the next decade won’ stop atmospheric chlorine levels from doubling by the year 2075. CFC emissions will have to be reduced by about 85% to halt the decrease In Antarctic ozone. Current ozone levels in the stratosphere are responsible for its relative warmth, which influences the planet’s climate. A change in ozone may change the climate in conjunction with ‘greenhouse’ warming. The greenhouse effect is warming the Earth's lower atmosphere because certain gases ‘trap’ infrared radiation, which would normally bounce back into space. Although CO, is a major cause, other trace gases including methane, nitrous oxide and CFCs also play their part. CFCs could be responsible for 20-30% of global warming in the next 50 years, so stopping their production now is another thing we can do to alter the greenhouse effect. In 1986 NASA - along with the World Meteorological Organiza- tion, the United Nations Environment Programme, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration - formed the Ozone Trends Panelto carefully re-check all relevant records for possible changes in ozone and trace gas levels. The Panel involved over 100 scientists from various nations, releasing its findings in Washington in March 1988. They reported that the Antarctic ozone hole forms during Septem- ber each year and breaks up in late November or early December. In 1987, ozone levels over Antarctica were the lowest on record since satellite measurements began in 1978 - less than half their ‘normal’ levels. Ozone depletion is largest over Antarctica during spring, but ozone has decreased throughout the year by 5% or more at all EFFECTS OF UV latitudes south of 60°S since 1979. Their report shows that ozone levels outside the Antarctic region are expected to drop further after 1991. Between 1985 and 1991 total ozone levels outside Antarctica are expected to remain roughly constant, because increases in solar activity are expected to offset the effect of CFCs. After 1991,when solar output declines, global ozone is expected to decrease still further *& Suratospheric ozone partly shields the Earth from the Sun's UV radiation - particularly a type called ‘UV-B’, which is the most biologically damaging. Non-melanoma skin cancers and eye cataracts are linked to UV- B radiation. In Australasia a 1% loss in ozone is believed to cause a2% increase in UV-B radiation, which may cause upto 4% more 7 R. Ayana skin cancers. The EPA estimates a 4.8-7.5% increase in cancers as a result - these estimates refer to cell mutation, not necessarily cancer - Ozone Trends Panel Report, Greenhouse Project, Reuter, AAP, AP, (mutation is evolution in action and cancer is only one potential). Washington Post, New York Times, Scientific American. NEXUS New Times Seven - Summer 1989 | t's been known since the early 1970s that some gases produced UV-A has been largely ignored in the past, but we now know it by human industry reduce the amount of ozone in the upper at- has deeply penetrating and destructive qualities. mosphere, exposing the Earth to more ultraviolet (UV) radia- This won't only effect human beings, although the yield of many tion. Until recently the need to control these gases wasn’t seen as agricultural crops may also be damaged by UV-B. It’s known thatlife urgent by governments, industry or scientists - now all that's changed. near the ocean's surface is susceptible to UV damage. Plankton, tiny Science now accepts that substances including chlorofluorocar- organisms at the base of the marine food chain, are very sensitive to bons (CFCs) are causing the breakdown of ozone in the upper UV-B radiation. This alone could effect the entire aquatic food chain. atmosphere. These gases have been proven to have increased dramati- However, there is evidence (from Hoyle et al) to suggest that plankton cally in the atmosphere over the last 20 to 150 years. They're used in and other forms of life (including humans) have been exposed to high refrigeration, air conditioning, foam packaging, some aerosols, as levels of UV in the past. y solvents in electronics and dry cleaning and as fire suppressants. “J never underestimate the resiliency of nature,” said biological * We now know there’s been a global decrease in ozone of 2-3% oceanographer Professor Sayel el-Sayed of Texas A & M University over the last nine years, about half of which can’t be attributed to last March, confirming that UV may damage plankton and krill natural fluctuations. Southern Australian monitoring stations re- populations - the primary food sources of the Antarctic ecosystem. cently showed evidence of greater decreases in the last 8-10 years than “If anything happened to the krill population, the whole ecosys- the global average. tem probably would collapse, and you could say goodbye to the * A sudden, unexpected decrease of Antarctic ozone now occurs each whales and the penguins and the seals and the fish,” Professor al- ” Spring, known as the Antarctic ‘ozone hole’. It’s been established Sayed said at a briefing arranged by the World Resources Institute. beyond reasonable doubt that this massive seasonal 50% decrease in stratospheric ozone over Antarctica is due to atmospheric chlorine - including CFCs - interacting with the uniqueAntarctic ‘polar vortex’. CFCs & GREENHO USE * Ozone over Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes decreased 1.7%-3% between 1969 and 1986. Theoretical models previously predicted that average ozone depletion there due to trace gas build-up would be between 0.7% and 1.5%, *A7% decline in ozone leveis over Melbourne in the last 10 years and 5% at Perth in the last 8 years has been noted. * 300 scientists assembled in Toronto last June reported that ozone depletion over the Mid-Atlantic US last year was 3% - not 0.5%-1% as had been predicted. In September 1987 the Montreal Protocol was drawn up to cut industrial release and production of CFCs. The Protocol requires developed nations freeze consumption of CFCs in 1989 at 1986 levels, with a 20% reduction in 1993 and a further 30% reduction in 1998. Consumption of halons is to be frozen at 1986 levels by 1993. These recommendations were based on models from the years prior to 1987, but 1989's scheduled review of the Protoco! will have to take new information into account - information confirming global decreases and greater depletion rates in Antarctica than were accepted in 1987. CFC production must be cut back far more rapidly than the original Protocol called for. A 50% reduction in global CFC emissions over the next decade won’ stop atmospheric chlorine levels from doubling by the year 2075. CFC emissions will have to be reduced by about 85% to halt the decrease In Antarctic ozone. Current ozone levels in the stratosphere are responsible for its relative warmth, which influences the planet’s climate. A change in ozone may change the climate in conjunction with ‘greenhouse’ warming. The greenhouse effect is warming the Earth's lower atmosphere because certain gases ‘trap’ infrared radiation, which would normally bounce back into space. Although CO, is a major cause, other trace gases including methane, nitrous oxide and CFCs also play their part. CFCs could be responsible for 20-30% of global warming in the next 50 years, so stopping their production now is another thing we can do to alter the greenhouse effect. In 1986 NASA - along with the World Meteorological Organiza- tion, the United Nations Environment Programme, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration - formed the Ozone Trends Panelto carefully re-check all relevant records for possible changes in ozone and trace gas levels. The Panel involved over 100 scientists from various nations, releasing its findings in Washington in March 1988. They reported that the Antarctic ozone hole forms during Septem- ber each year and breaks up in late November or early December. In 1987, ozone levels over Antarctica were the lowest on record since satellite measurements began in 1978 - less than half their ‘normal’ levels. Ozone depletion is largest over Antarctica during spring, but ozone has decreased throughout the year by 5% or more at all EFFECTS OF UV latitudes south of 60°S since 1979. Their report shows that ozone levels outside the Antarctic region are expected to drop further after 1991. Between 1985 and 1991 total ozone levels outside Antarctica are expected to remain roughly constant, because increases in solar activity are expected to offset the effect of CFCs. After 1991,when solar output declines, global ozone is expected to decrease still further *& Suratospheric ozone partly shields the Earth from the Sun's UV radiation - particularly a type called ‘UV-B’, which is the most biologically damaging. Non-melanoma skin cancers and eye cataracts are linked to UV- B radiation. In Australasia a 1% loss in ozone is believed to cause a2% increase in UV-B radiation, which may cause upto 4% more 7 R. Ayana skin cancers. The EPA estimates a 4.8-7.5% increase in cancers as a result - these estimates refer to cell mutation, not necessarily cancer - Ozone Trends Panel Report, Greenhouse Project, Reuter, AAP, AP, (mutation is evolution in action and cancer is only one potential). Washington Post, New York Times, Scientific American. NEXUS New Times Seven - Summer 1989 5 by human industry reduce the amount of ozone in the upper at- mosphere, exposing the Earth to more ultraviolet (UV) radia- tion. Until recently the need to control these gases wasn’t seen as urgent by governments, industry or scientists - now all that's changed. Science now accepts that substances including chlorofluorocar- bons (CFCs) are causing the breakdown of ozone in the upper atmosphere. These gases have been proven to have increased dramati- cally in the atmosphere over the last 20 to 150 years. They're used in refrigeration, air conditioning, foam packaging, some aerosols, as solvents in electronics and dry cleaning and as fire suppressants. * We now know there’s been a global decrease in ozone of 2-3% over the last nine years, about half of which can’t be attributed to natural fluctuations. Southern Australian monitoring stations re- cently showed evidence of greater decreases in the last 8-10 years than the global average. * A sudden, unexpected decrease of Antarctic ozone now occurs each ” Spring, known as the Antarctic ‘ozone hole’. It’s been established beyond reasonable doubt that this massive seasonal 50% decrease in stratospheric ozone over Antarctica is due to atmospheric chlorine - including CFCs - interacting with the uniqueAntarctic ‘polar vortex’. * Ozone over Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes decreased 1.7%-3% between 1969 and 1986. Theoretical models previously predicted that average ozone depletion there due to trace gas build-up would be between 0.7% and 1.5%, *A7% decline in ozone leveis over Melbourne in the last 10 years and 5% at Perth in the last 8 years has been noted. * 300 scientists assembled in Toronto last June reported that ozone depletion over the Mid-Atlantic US last year was 3% - not 0.5%-1% as had been predicted. In September 1987 the Montreal Protocol was drawn up to cut industrial release and production of CFCs. The Protocol requires developed nations freeze consumption of CFCs in 1989 at 1986 levels, with a 20% reduction in 1993 and a further 30% reduction in 1998. Consumption of halons is to be frozen at 1986 levels by 1993. These recommendations were based on models from the years prior to 1987, but 1989's scheduled review of the Protoco! will have to take new information into account - information confirming global decreases and greater depletion rates in Antarctica than were accepted in 1987. CFC production must be cut back far more rapidly than the original Protocol called for. A 50% reduction in global CFC emissions over the next decade won’ stop atmospheric chlorine levels from doubling by the year 2075. CFC emissions will have to be reduced by about 85% to halt the decrease In Antarctic ozone. | t's been known since the early 1970s that some gases produced UV-A has been largely ignored in the past, but we now know it has deeply penetrating and destructive qualities. This won't only effect human beings, although the yield of many agricultural crops may also be damaged by UV-B. It’s known thatlife near the ocean's surface is susceptible to UV damage. Plankton, tiny organisms at the base of the marine food chain, are very sensitive to UV-B radiation. This alone could effect the entire aquatic food chain. However, there is evidence (from Hoyle et al) to suggest that plankton and other forms of life (including humans) have been exposed to high levels of UV in the past. 4 “J never underestimate the resiliency of nature,” said biological oceanographer Professor Sayel el-Sayed of Texas A & M University last March, confirming that UV may damage plankton and krill populations - the primary food sources of the Antarctic ecosystem. “If anything happened to the krill population, the whole ecosys- tem probably would collapse, and you could say goodbye to the whales and the penguins and the seals and the fish,” Professor al- Sayed said at a briefing arranged by the World Resources Institute. Current ozone levels in the stratosphere are responsible for its relative warmth, which influences the planet’s climate. A change in ozone may change the climate in conjunction with ‘greenhouse’ warming. The greenhouse effect is warming the Earth's lower atmosphere because certain gases ‘trap’ infrared radiation, which would normally bounce back into space. Although CO, is a major cause, other trace gases including methane, nitrous oxide and CFCs also play their part. CFCs could be responsible for 20-30% of global warming in the next 50 years, so stopping their production now is another thing we can do to alter the greenhouse effect. In 1986 NASA - along with the World Meteorological Organiza- tion, the United Nations Environment Programme, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration - formed the Ozone Trends Panelto carefully re-check all relevant records for possible changes in ozone and trace gas levels. The Panel involved over 100 scientists from various nations, releasing its findings in Washington in March 1988. They reported that the Antarctic ozone hole forms during Septem- ber each year and breaks up in late November or early December. In 1987, ozone levels over Antarctica were the lowest on record since satellite measurements began in 1978 - less than half their ‘normal’ levels. Ozone depletion is largest over Antarctica during spring, but ozone has decreased throughout the year by 5% or more at all latitudes south of 60°S since 1979. Their report shows that ozone levels outside the Antarctic region are expected to drop further after 1991. Between 1985 and 1991 total ozone levels outside Antarctica are expected to remain roughly constant, because increases in solar activity are expected to offset the effect of CFCs. After 1991,when solar output declines, global ozone is expected to decrease still further *& a - R. Ayana - Ozone Trends Panel Report, Greenhouse Project, Reuter, AAP, AP, Washington Post, New York Times, Scientific American. CFCs & GREENHOUSE EFFECTS OF UV