Antarctic ozone hole in 2012, the second smallest in the last 20 years, says NASA

Thursday, October 25th 2012 - 23:48 UTC

Full article 3 comments

The average area covered by the Antarctic ozone hole this year was the second smallest in the last 20 years, according to data from NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites. Scientists attribute the change to warmer temperatures in the Antarctic lower stratosphere. Read full article

Comments

Disclaimer & comment rules

Santa Fe
surprised with all the hot air coming from cfk
Oct 26th, 2012 - 06:47 am - Link - Report abuse 0
-+
DennisA
“The ozone hole mainly is caused by chlorine from human-produced chemicals, and these chlorine levels are still sizable in the Antarctic stratosphere,” said NASA atmospheric scientist Paul Newman“

There is no empirical basis for that statement, it was shown in a lab that CFC's can attack ozone and then it was extrapolated to the Antarctic.

”The ozone hole phenomenon began making a yearly appearance in the early 1980s.” False, the phenomenon of a thinning of the ozone layer over Antarctica was first identified in 1956. It is a cyclical event and as shown, is temperature dependant. There are also significant levels of CFC's from natural sources, such as underground volcanos and marine plants and animals, eg sponges. These are never acknowledged and it is claimed that CFC's are man made only.

In the spring of 1958 at the French Antarctic Observatory at Dumont d'Urville, Rigaud and Leroy [quoted in Annales Geophysicae (November, 1990)] reported atmospheric ozone levels as low as 110 DU.

In 2009/10 BAS reported:
“Ozone values dropped, to reach a minimum of around 125 DU (60% depletion) in late September, (Antarctic spring). The lowest daily value measured was 107 DU on October 1. This minimum value is similar to those recorded each October since the early 1990s.”
Oct 26th, 2012 - 08:57 am - Link - Report abuse 0
-+
British_Kirchnerist
#2 So we should extrapolate from that we shouldn't make the same “mistake” of taking action with climate change as we did with the ozone? Meanwhile theres a tropical storm in Manhattan!
Oct 30th, 2012 - 02:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
-+

Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!