Global Warming Continues To Be A Threat With No Change in Ozone Hole

Declining chlorine in the stratosphere has not yet caused a recovery of the ozone hole - formed annually over Antarctica, reveals NASA scientists.

Two new studies showed that signs of recovery are not yet present, and that temperature and winds are still driving any annual changes in ozone hole size.

Closing Ozone Hole may Increase Southern Climate Warming
Scientists have said that although the hole in the ozone layer is now steadily closing, its repair could actually increase warming in the southern hemisphere,

Natalya Kramarova, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, tackled the 2012 ozone hole, the second-smallest hole since the mid 1980s. To find out what caused the hole's diminutive area, she turned to data from the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, and gained the first look inside the hole with the satellite's Ozone Mapper and Profiler Suite's Limb Profiler.

Next, data were converted into a map that shows how the amount of ozone differed with altitude throughout the stratosphere in the center of the hole during the 2012 season, from September through November.

The map revealed that the 2012 ozone hole was more complex than previously thought. Increases of ozone at upper altitudes in early October, carried there by winds, occurred above the ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere.

Ozone Hole in 2008 is Larger Than Last Year
Reports from the ESA (European Space Agency) indicate that the ozone hole in 2008 is larger than last year.

Separate research led by Susan Strahan, also NASA's Goddard, tackled the holes of 2006 and 2011 - two of the largest and deepest holes in the past decade.

The researchers were surprised to find that the holes of 2006 and 2011 contained different amounts of ozone-depleting chlorine.

Southern Ocean's Carbon Sink Diminishing Due to Ozone Hole
In a new research, scientists have found that the ozone hole is responsible for the drop in carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption in the Southern Ocean, which is considered as a major carbon sink.

The researchers next used a model to simulate the chemistry and winds of the atmosphere. Then they re-ran the simulation with the ozone-destroying reactions turned off to understand the role that the winds played in bringing ozone to the Antarctic.

Results showed that in 2011, there was less ozone destruction than in 2006 because the winds transported less ozone to the Antarctic - so there was less ozone to lose. This was a meteorological, not chemical effect. In contrast, wind blew more ozone to the Antarctic in 2006 and thus there was more ozone destruction.

2002 Antarctic Ozone Hole Break-up Can Be Understood By Recent Pollution Dispersion
The eruption of the volcano in Iceland wreaked havoc as particles from the natural disaster travelled over Europe, forcing closures of major airports.

Source-ANI