A.R. Ravishankara Selected Cochair of the Scientific Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol
September 24, 2007Dr. A.R. Ravishankara, Director of ESRL's Chemical Sciences Division, was selected on September 21 as Cochair of the Scientific Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol. The decision was taken at the 19th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, the historic international agreement that protects the Earth's ozone layer.
The 1987 Montreal Protocol established three panels to periodically update the Parties on matters related to the ozone layer. The Scientific Assessment Panel is specifically charged with providing periodic assessments of the science related to the ozone layer, ozone-depleting substances, climate/ozone interactions, and ultraviolet radiation at the Earth's surface.
Ravishankara (far left) presents the results of the Scientific Assessment Panel's 2006 report to country delegates at the Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on 17 September 2007. The Montreal Protocol celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
Dr. Daniel Albritton, former Director of CSD, was Cochair from the inception of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 until he resigned earlier this year due to retirement. Ravishankara joins Dr. Paul Newman (NASA) and Dr. John Pyle (Cambridge University, UK) also selected as Cochairs and Dr. Ayite Lo Ajavon (University of Lome, Togo) continuing as Cochair. The most recent assessment, Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2006, was published earlier this year. The next assessment will occur in 2010.
NOAA has played a leadership role in the international ozone scientific assessments since the beginning of the Montreal Protocol. With the appointment of Dr. Ravishankara as Cochair of the Scientific Assessment Panel, that global leadership role will continue. NOAA scientists serve as lead authors, coauthors, contributors, reviewers, and technical editor for the quadrennial assessments. NOAA research on the observations, understanding, and modeling of the ozone layer is highly cited in the 2006 and earlier assessments (1989, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2002). The work contributes to the NOAA Climate Goal and to NOAA's Crosscutting Priorities in national and international leadership.