Name: Betty A Laliberte
Status: Other
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
If the releasing of CFC's is happening all over the world, why does it mainly
deplete the ozone layer about the North and South Poles? It seems that if the
industrialized countries are releasing the most CFC's then the ozone should be
depleted over our countries.
Replies:
Excellent - you have figured it out just about right! The real problem is
that the ozone layer is getting thinner everywhere, but because it is thinnest
over the poles it is gradually shrinking away from the polar regions, so the
regions where there is practically no ozone (i.e. the "hole") is getting a
little larger every year. Ozone over the northern hemisphere was at the
thinnest level ever recorded last year (but we have only been recording for a
few years, and Mt. Pinatubo had much to do with the recent thinning). You
might enjoy connecting to the NASA Spacelink bulletin board (its on the
"teaching topics" menu) and reading the on-line bulletins on ozone measurement
and monitoring.
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