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The Ozone Layer
Name: Kentner
Status: Other
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
I am looking for some evidence that man has not significantly
influenced the ozone layer, with the use of CFCnd carbon dioxide.
Replies:
First of all, carbon dioxide does not influence the ozone layer so
you do not need any evidence for that. The only real evidence that CFCs are
not hurting the ozone hole is that we did not measure Antarctic ozone until
fairly recently so even though the "hole" has gotten worse, we have no clue
what it was like before measurements. I am not sure that would hold up in
court). There is evidence that ozone in the rest of the world is decreasing,
but not as fast as people expected. -Again, a fairly weak argument. Many
scientists feel that CFCs are guilty but you may find some that could give you
contrary evidence.
Marc Fernau
We know that CFCs cause the destruction of ozone in the presence
of sunlight, and we know that CFCs are produced by human industry, and we know
that CFC concentrations in the upper atmosphere have risen while ozone
concentrations have fallen. There is sufficient evidence to attribute some of
the ozone depletion to human activity. However, there may be other chemical
agents capable of depleting ozone that come from natural processes, which
could add to the rate of depletion. Perhaps some of our atmospheric chemists
could comment on the proportion of variance in ozone depletion accounted for
by rising CFC concentrations?
Don Libby
It has been suggested and there is some evidence that the Pinatubo
eruption increased the ozone loss last year in Antarctica. Also there is
increasing interest in the probability that methyl bromide, a pesticide, is
causing as much depletion as are CFCs.
Marc Fernau
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Update: June 2012
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