Usually they talk about “hole in the ozone layer”. However, there is not only one. The first one, which is usually spoken of, is located over the arctic. Fortunately, thanks to preventive measures taken since the 1980s, since 2016 there have been reports of its gradual closure. But there are more holes. For example, in 2020 one was discovered over Antarctica, and now another is being reported. just above the tropics.
Their discovery was just announced in a study in the journal AIP achievements. However, the scientists who conducted them believe that may have originated in the 1980s. So when a hole in the Arctic ozone layer was discovered, it’s possible that a hole in the tropics already pierced.
In this study, this hole was compared with the Antarctic one, as it is the most disturbing of those that are open right now. And this comparison has caused a lot of concern because it represents differences that make it much more dangerous. For example, while Antarctica follows a seasonal cycle and the greatest loss of ozone occurs in September and October, to then replace some of what was lost, it does not experience any recovery. As a result, people under it are highly susceptible to dangerous radiation during a year.
How did they find this hole in the ozone layer?
A hole in the ozone layer is defined as any area where the loss of this gas is top 25% anywhere in the surrounding atmosphere.
The ozone layer serves as a shield that protects the Earth from the most harmful cosmic radiation. So what these scientists have done is combine old observations in the atmosphere with models of electronic reactions caused by cosmic rays. Thus, they not only observed whether the ozone layer suffered losses, but also they measured the consequences just below. This allowed them to discern the existence of a hole seven times the size of Antarctica. With all the consequences.
What could be the consequences?
As the authors of the study explain in a statement, approximately half of the world’s population lives in the tropics. This means that it new a hole in the ozone layer already puts you at greater risk of diseases such as skin cancer to a huge number of people.
In addition, the combination of three known large holes could seriously affect cooling and heating of the atmosphere. Therefore, they may play a key role in the effects of global warming and climate change.
All this brings us to the big question: is it possible to return? Fortunately, we have already seen that sufficiently restrictive measures can contribute to a faster recovery of ozone in the affected areas. The first major measure taken was to ban chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). After chemicals Mario Molina and Frank Sherwood Rowland demonstrated in the 1970s that these substances contributed greatly to ozone depletion, their use was gradually phased out. In the past, they were part of many sprays, but today they are practically not used all over the world.
However, their substitutes, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, although safer, also affected the ozone layer. For this reason, their use is gradually being phased out in order to eliminate them completely. In addition, over the years it has been observed that many other substances derived from industrial activities they have the same effect. Some of them have been completely banned, but others are still in use. It has also recently been shown that some booming activities, such as space travel, can produce compounds that deplete atmospheric ozone levels.
If we try to stop all these releases, as well as detect others that could be dangerous, we have time to stop or at least slow down the progress of this hole, which we did not even know existed. Maybe you can even make it start to close. If you can with the Arctic, you can with the rest. But time is short. We already know the problem, now we need to look for quick solutions to end it.
Source: Hiper Textual
