MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ozone keeps thinning say German experts.

The ozone layer which protects the Earth's atmosphere has the lowest concentration percentages in almost two decades according to reports from the German Weather Forecasting Institute, DWD, in Offenbach.

At forty kilometres above sea level the German DWD experts have discovered that ozone records are at their lowest since recording began 17 years ago.

"Information released by the media in the last few years saying that the ozone layer was recovering has proved to be precipitated", said DWD director Gerhard Adrian. According to Mr. Adrian the improvements registered in 2003 can be attributed to "sun and climate influence factors" which generate oscillations in the ozone concentration.

DWD experts revealed that ozone concentration drops an average 7% every ten years.

Ozone normally reaches up to sixty kilometres into the atmosphere and plays a key role in protecting the Earth from ultra violet rays.

The German DWD institute has been measuring ozone concentration since 1987 from the Hohenpeissenberg, (close to Munich) and Lindenberg (East Berlin) observatories.

Measurements are taken at an average 40 kilometres altitude where ozone is particularly sensitive to substances containing chloride fluorine-carbons.