-Caveat Lector-
Ozone hole over Antarctica about same size as last year, scientists say
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (October 16, 2001 5:58 p.m. EDT) - Good news: The ozone
hole over Antarctica did not get any larger this year.
Indeed, the ozone layer may even be in better shape.
The ozone hole is a thinning of the Earth's protective ozone layer. It tends to
occur over the Antarctic in winter as manmade chemicals become trapped in
the upper atmosphere.
The thinning could become a hazard over populated areas because ozone
blocks some of the sun's cancer-causing radiation. Some spray propellants
that contribute to the thinning have been banned.
Scientists at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration reported Tuesday that satellite measurements show the hole
peaked at about 10 million square miles this year, similar in size to the last
three years.
This is consistent with human-produced chlorine compounds that destroy
ozone reaching their peak concentrations in the atmosphere, leveling off and
now beginning a very slow decline, said NOAA scientist Samuel Oltmans.
Over the longer term, 30 to 50 years, the severity of the ozone hole in
Antarctica is expected to decrease as chlorine levels in the atmosphere
decline.
Using instrumented balloons to make ozone profile measurements at the
South Pole, researchers from NOAA reported that the ozone reached a
minimum of 100 Dobson units on Sept. 28. That compares to a minimum of
98 Dobson units in 2000, said Bryan Johnson, a scientist with NOAA's
Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory in Boulder, Colo.
In other words, at its worst, the ozone layer is thicker than it was when it was
at its worst last year. The record low of 88 Dobson units was set in 1993.
The Dobson unit is the measure of ozone in the air overhead. In the tropics,
ozone levels are typically between 250 and 300 Dobson units year-round. In
temperate regions, seasonal variations can produce large swings in ozone
levels, reaching as high as 475 Dobson units in some areas, and as low as
300.
The ozone hole is the region with total ozone below 220 Dobson units.
Recovery of the ozone layer back to levels observed before 1980 is
expected to take at least 50 years.
Steve Wingate, Webmaster
ANOMALOUS IMAGES AND UFO FILES
http://www.anomalous-images.com
A HREF=http://www.ctrl.org/;www.ctrl.org/A
DECLARATION DISCLAIMER
==
CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substancenot soap-boxingplease! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright fraudsis used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
A HREF=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html;Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]/A
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
A HREF=http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/;ctrl/A
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
