CFCs and the ozone hole. Oops?
Been watching this phenomenon for a few years now. Ozone destroying chemical levels are dropping rapidly, yet the ozone hole has been setting record levels for size in the past few years. It's well on the way to another possible record as I write this. Does that make sense?
Now, in a report in the September 27th Nature, scientists have discovered that the chemical reactions they were blaming for this aren't what they seemed. In fact, if this chemistry error pans out, it means that about 60 percent of ozone destruction at the poles is due to an unknown mechanism.
But faith is a powerful force:
The new measurements raise "intriguing questions", but don't compromise the Montreal Protocol as such, says John Pyle, an atmosphere researcher at the University of Cambridge. "We're starting to see the benefits of the protocol, but we need to keep the pressure on." He says that he finds it "extremely hard to believe" that an unknown mechanism accounts for the bulk of observed ozone losses.
Nothing currently suggests that the role of CFCs must be called into question, Rex stresses. "Overwhelming evidence still suggests that anthropogenic emissions of CFCs and halons are the reason for the ozone loss. But we would be on much firmer ground if we could write down the correct chemical reactions."
The attitude is not too surprising, considering recent news stories like this one, or the recent worldwide celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol.