NOAA,
NSF OBSERVE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF OZONE HOLE 'SUCCESS STORY'
August
22, 2006 � Twenty years ago this month, four teams of scientists from
NOAA, NASA and two universities arrived
in Antarctica seeking to determine the cause of a "hole" in
the Antarctic ozone
layer. Their efforts helped determine the chemical basis for the
ozone loss and formed the scientific basis for the resulting international
treaty phasing out the production of chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which
has led to a decline in ozone-depleting gases. (Click NOAA satellite
image for larger view of the most recent analysis of the Southern Hemisphere
total ozone from the an instrument on board the NOAA polar orbiting
satellite. In austral spring the analysis shows the "ozone hole"
(values below 220 Dobson Units) over Antarctica and the Antarctic Ocean.
Click
here for latest view. Please credit “NOAA.”)
Two of
the scientists observed the milestone during a news conference today
in Washington, D.C., which also previewed a number of polar activities
to be conducted during the International
Polar Year. The National Science Foundation is the lead U.S. agency
for IPY.
News
Conference Audio (mp3), National Press Club, Washington, D.C. |
1)
Susan Solomon, NOAA senior scientist, opening statement. 7:06 |
3)
Eric Chiang, National Science Foundation, opening statement. 9:26 |
2)
David Hofmann, director, NOAA Global Monitoring Division, opening
statement. 11:34 |
4)
Capt. Craig McLean, NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research,
opening statement. 6:02 |
5)
Q & A 19:15 |
News
Conference Photos |
Podcast
I |
Podcast
II |
"The
discovery of ozone depletion and the response of the scientific community
constitute nothing less than a scientific success story," said
Susan Solomon, winner of the 2004 Blue Planet Award and the 1999 National
Medal of Science for her work.
The
work by the team provided the scientific basis for the Montreal Protocol
on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, an international treaty
begun in the late 1980s designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing
out the production of ozone-depleting substances. (Click NOAA
aerial photo for larger view of South Pole Observatory taken in 2004.
Please credit “NOAA.”)
Solomon
was an atmospheric chemist at NOAA's then-Aeronomy Laboratory in Boulder
Colo. when she led the NOAA team. David Hofmann, then with the University
of Wyoming, headed the UW team. Both were funded by NSF, which operates
the McMurdo Station at the South Pole. Researchers from NASA and the
State University of New York (SUNY) at Stoneybrook, rounded out the
scientific party. Solomon, now a NOAA senior scientist, and Hofmann,
now director of the Global
Monitoring Division, both work at the NOAA
Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo.
"This
is an example of the quality science conducted by NOAA scientists and
their colleagues, often in extreme conditions, and how it informs those
who make decisions that affect our daily lives," said retired Navy
Vice Adm. Conrad Lautenbacher,
Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA
administrator. "Through this work, we gained a better understanding
of our atmosphere, which is a key element of NOAA's mission." (Click
NOAA photo for larger view of atmospheric sampling balloon being deployed
in the South Pole Observatory in 2004. Please credit “NOAA.”)
The ozone
layer is a thin, invisible layer of the Earth's atmosphere about 15
miles thick. A British Antarctic Team first looked at results that showed
a decline in stratospheric ozone over Antarctica in 1985, and doubted
their findings. After rechecking their data and their instruments, they
determined that there was a hole in the ozone.
"The
hole isn't a hole but more of a wafer as thick as Mount Everest and
as wide as the United States," said Hofmann in a 1987 NOVA television
program "The Hole in the Sky."
Theories
about the cause included solar activity that affected the magnetic field,
atmospheric motions and chemical reactions involving chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs), which had been used since the 1930s as refrigerants and propellants,
such as aerosol sprays. (Click NOAA photo for larger view of
the night sky from the South Pole Observatory taken in 2004. Please
credit “NOAA.”)
The work
conducted by the Antarctic team in the 1986 field study was the first
to show that a chemical reaction triggered by the CFCs was indeed the
cause. Scientific papers have been published recently showing early
signs of a leveling off of ozone loss, linked to the success of international
agreements to control CFC emissions worldwide.
Part
of NOAA's global environmental observing mission is to continue monitoring
ozone and ozone-depleting gases. NOAA has a new Ozone Depleting Gas
Index, a number based on NOAA's measurements of all the ozone-depleting
gases that indicates how far along we are towards pre-ozone hole conditions.
Hofmann said the ODGI indicates that the ozone-depleting potential of
the gases has already declined, in agreement with the early signs of
leveling off of ozone loss and the success of the Montreal Protocol.
(Click NOAA photo for larger view of croquet being played outside
the South Pole Observatory in 2005. Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)
In 2007
NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce
Department, celebrates 200 years of science and service to the nation.
Starting with the establishment of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson much of America's scientific heritage is
rooted in NOAA. The agency is dedicated to enhancing economic security
and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and
climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation,
and by providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and
marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System
of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA
is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the
European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as
integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
Relevant Web Sites
NOAA South Pole Ozone
Program
NOAA
Earth System Research Laboratory
NOAA
Satellite Image of Ozone Hole
NOAA
Ozone Page
Media
Contact:
Jana Goldman, NOAA
Research, (301) 713-2483 ext. 181
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