Earth's Ozone Layer Recovery Studied
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U.S. and Danish scientists say international agreements to stop using ozone-destroying chemicals are having an effect.
Elizabeth Weatherhead of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Signe Bech Andersen of the Danish Meteorological Institute say there are tentative signs the Earth's ozone layer is improving. But they say it seems unlikely atmospheric ozone abundances will stabilize at levels observed before 1980, when ozone depletion was first observed.
Writing in a review article in this week's issue of the journal Nature, Weatherhead and Andersen say high natural variability in ozone abundances makes it difficult to interpret the observation that ozone levels stopped declining in recent years -- especially since the expected recovery, which will likely take decades, is still in its initial phases.
Given changing conditions of the atmospheric environment, Weatherhead and Andersen say it is likely ozone concentrations will stabilize at a different level -- either higher or lower -- than those observed before 1980.
U.S. and Danish scientists say international agreements to stop using ozone-destroying chemicals are having an effect.Elizabeth Weatherhead of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Signe Bech Andersen of the Danish Meteorological Institute say there are tentative signs the Earth's ozone layer is improving. But they say it seems unlikely atmospheric ozone abundances will stabilize at levels observed before 1980, when ozone depletion was first observed.
Writing in a review article in this week's issue of the journal Nature, Weatherhead and Andersen say high natural variability in ozone abundances makes it difficult to interpret the observation that ozone levels stopped declining in recent years -- especially since the expected recovery, which will likely take decades, is still in its initial phases.
Given changing conditions of the atmospheric environment, Weatherhead and Andersen say it is likely ozone concentrations will stabilize at a different level -- either higher or lower -- than those observed before 1980.
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