The Ozone Problem: Arctic Vs' Antarctic

1
The Ozone Problem Arctic Vs. Antarctic
The ozone layer is essential to the survival and
well-being of life on Earth. It protects the
planet from the suns harmful ultraviolet B
radiation by preventing the radiation from
reaching the Earths surface. Currently, there
are two major holes in the ozone layer one over
the North Pole and one over the South Pole. Both
of these holes continue to grow in size, on
account of both natural and human causes, and are
thereby increasing the threat to life on Earth.
2
The Problem

• Ozone is created when the suns ultraviolet
  rays break the bond between the molecules
  composing molecular oxygen(O2), resulting in the
  formation of atomic oxygen(O) and a second atomic
  oxygen that bonds to a molecular oxygen, creating
  ozone(O3).Ozone molecules form a layer that is
  located in the stratosphere and shields the Earth
  from the suns harmful ultraviolet B rays.
  Presently, there are two large holes in the ozone
  layer that are beginning to affect life on Earth.

Source http//www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx/ozone/ozone_fo
rmation.html
Source http//students.whitman.edu/backstah/depl
etion_of_stratospheric.htm
3
Source http//www.ccpo.odu.edu/SEES/ozone/class/C
hap_1/1_thumbs.htm
4
Source http//www.studyworksonline.com/cda/conten
t/article/0,,EXP938_NAV2-77_SAR929,00.shtml
Source http//www.albany.edu/faculty/rgk/atm101/n
atcycle.jpg
Click here to see the history of the ozone layer
5
What is Causing the Holes?
The hole in the ozone layer over the North Pole
is, according to NASA,caused by a decrease in the
number of long waves of atmospheric energy that
orbit the earth as well as a decrease in the
number of these waves that enter the
stratosphere.The long waves affect atmospheric
circulation,which may warm or cool the air.In the
winter,few waves rise into the stratosphere and
dissipate,resulting in cold air and ozone
loss.Generally,there are one to three waves
circling the Earth(OCarroll,17 Sept 2001).
The decrease,scientists at NASA believe,is due
to an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases,
such as methane and carbon dioxide, released by
emissions at the surface.These gases trap heat,
which speeds up chemical reactions that deplete
ozone.The scientists also say that the loss of
ozone in the Arctic by 2020 will be about double
what would occur without greenhouse gases
(Nelson, 17 April 1998).The greenhouse gases warm
the air at the Earths surface, but cool the air
of the stratosphere, where ozone is located.
Source http//www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2002/200
20528polarwinter.html
6
The Arctic is warmer than Antarctica, so it
experiences less ozone depletion. The Arctic has
cooled within the past few years, allowing
additional ozone depletion to take place. High
winds at the North Pole also contribute to ozone
hole growth because they create very low
temperatures that make it easy for
ozone-destroying chemicals to become trapped.
However,the long waves counteract the winds by
depositing heat energy,thereby helping to
increase the temperature. As seen in the case of
Antarctica, the colder temperatures can result in
polar clouds.These clouds promote reactions
between ozone gas and chlorine, bromine and other
halogen gases on the surface of ice or water, a
process that destroys the ozone layer. Most of
the halogens are from chlorofluorocarbons emitted
by industrial processes(Nelson, 17 April 1998).
Source http//www.osc.edu/research/pcrm/transport
/pollutants.shtml
7
The Role of Chlorofluorocarbons
Chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs)are man-made chemicals
used in air conditioning, refrigeration,insulation
,cleaners,and aerosol cans.They take 6 to 8 years
to reach the stratosphere where they may reside
for more than 100 years.If global CFC production
stopped today,we would still experience the
effects for over 100 years. CFCs are large
contributors to the greenhouse effect because
they warm the atmosphere by trapping heat that is
then radiated back into the atmosphere.They are
more than 10,000 times as effective at trapping
this radiated heat than CO2. CFCs contribute to
the depletion of the ozone layer because they
bind to atomic oxygen and prevent it from
combining with molecular oxygen to make ozone. As
the CFCs break down, they release a chlorine atom
that is capable of destroying tens of thousands
of ozone molecules. (Chlorofluorocarbons, 7 May
2001).
8
Source http//esl.jrc.it/envind/pf_index/pip_od/p
f_inx_m.htm
9
Threat to Life on Earth There are no land-based
vertebrates in the Antarctic so the Antarctic
ozone hole poses less of a threat to life than
the Arctic hole.Invertebrates that can tolerate
the low temperatures live in the Antarctic
Peninsula but are still considered
rare.Antarctica contains 2 types of native
vascular plants,150 lichens,30 mosses,fungi,1
liverwort,and over 300 species of non-marine
algae.As this ozone hole is growing,it is
beginning to affect land outside of
Antarctica.It has reached land and population
areas in Argentina, Chile and the Falkland
Islands, which includesUshaia,Argentina with a
population of 30,000, Punta Arenas, Chile with a
population of 120,000 and the towns of Rio
Gallegos, Puerto Santa Cruz, and Rio Grande with
a combined population of 200,000.Those living in
these areas must limit exposure to sunlight
because such exposure could result in health
problems from the excess dosage of UVB light(The
Ozone Hole Organization). The Arctic ozone hole
could affect over 700 million people because it
is situated close to highly-populated areas.The
Arctic hole could reach the size of that in the
Antarctic and could affect people by increasing
their chance of weakened immune systems,acquiring
melanoma or other forms of skin cancer, and eye
cataracts because of the decreased protection
from the suns UVB light.It would also increase
the chance of respiratory problems. Plants would
also be affected by this increase in temperature
and change in sunlight because of their inability
to adjust to such conditions.Increased
ultraviolet radiation reduces crop yields,
depletes marine fisheries,damages construction
materials, and increases smog(The Ozone Hole
Organization). Animals quality of health would
diminish, similar to humans, and they too would
struggle to live healthy lives. Click here to see
the change in the Antarctic hole from 1995-2002 
10
Source http//www.theozonehole.com/southamericaoz
one.htm
Source http//coolshade.tamu.edu/gallery/images/o
zoneimg.jpg
11
World Population Density
Click here to be able to view specific parts of
the map
Source http//go.grolier.com/cgi-bin/go_atlas?ass
etidmtps016productGO
12
Arctic Hole vs. Antarctic Hole One of the major
factors that triggers ozone depletion in both the
Antarctic and the Arctic is the formation of
polar stratospheric clouds(PSCs). Recently, there
has been an increase in the number of these
clouds due to colder temperatures and higher
levels of humidity. The colder climate in
Antarctica causes PSCs to last twice as long as
those that form in the Arctic. Solar radiation in
the Arctic is 6 higher than that at Antarctica
because the Earths orbit is not a perfect
circle. This higher level of solar input heats
the polar ozone, creating a vertical upwelling
that forces the clouds up higher than in the
north(Puzzling, 26 January 2004). One of the
reasons for the warmer Arctic is that large
planetary atmospheric waves bring heat energy to
the North, disrupting the vortex of cold air over
the Arctic. Global warming has caused Arctic
temperatures to drop because an increase in
greenhouse gases has triggered cooling by
trapping heat in the troposphere. As a result,
the temperature of the mesosphere has dropped by
one degree Celsius each year for the past thirty
years (Severe, 30 April 1999). It has also caused
PSCs to last longer and cause further ozone
depletion. Polar mesospheric clouds indicate this
cooling because they have become 15 brighter
over the past twenty years. The increased
brightness also indicates increasing levels of
carbon dioxide and methane that, in the upper
atmosphere, increase the Earths radiating
ability, causing cooler temperatures (Puzzling,
26 January 2004).
Source http//www.iup.physik.uni-bremen.de/asur/g
eneral/research_e.html
13
Formation of the Arctic ozone hole is also
influenced by volcanic eruptions, but the hole in
the Antarctic is not. Volcanic eruptions emit
sulfur compounds into the atmosphere that form
sulfuric acid clouds similar to polar
stratospheric clouds made of nitric acid and
water. These sulfuric acid clouds contribute to
ozone destruction by causing denitrification.
During the spring, a denitrified stratosphere
promotes ozone destruction because reactive
nitrogen that would reduce the amount of active
chlorine has been removed from the
stratosphere(Future, 5 March 2002) The Arctic
hole, unlike the Antarctic hole, is also strongly
affected by meteorological conditions. Wind
interacts with mountains and land-sea boundaries
in the northern hemisphere to produce atmospheric
waves that interrupt air flow as they travel
around Earth. The energy from these waves warms
the stratosphere, preventing formation of PSCs
that cause ozone destruction. The greatest Arctic
ozone loss occurs when these waves are weak (Jet,
28 March 2003).
Source http//camimg.discovery.com/planet_earth/
toms/ozone.jpg
14

• Did you know?
• Every molecule of CFC destroys more than 1
  million molecules of ozone
• CFCs remain in the atmosphere between 75 and 350
  years
• 240 tons of ozone-destroying chemicals are
  released into the atmosphere each time a U.S.
  space shuttle is launched.
• In 2000, the hole in the ozone reached Chile,
  covering a total area of 11.4 million square
  miles, an area more than 3 times the size of the
  United States.
• Each 1 decrease in the ozone layer increases the
  incidence of skin cancer by 4-6.
• CFC's are also released by Styrofoam found in
  cups and packing material.
• Americans throw away 25,000,000,000,000 Styrofoam
  cups every year. These cups will never degrade.
• (Tantoco, 17 October 2002)

Source http//www.cmdl.noaa.gov/noah/publictn/elk
ins/cfcs.html
Source http//www.theozonehole.com/ozonehole2003.
htm
15
Policies1. The Vienna Convention In 1985, the
Vienna Convention took place to create a
framework treatyCFCs and control mechanisms were
not discussed.The treaty instigated future
research and was the first acknowledgement of the
importance of the ozone layer(Ozone,2003). Click
here to view the complete text of the Vienna
Convention 2. The Montreal Protocol In 1987,the
Montreal Protocol was written as a direct result
of the Vienna Conventionit did not occur as a
result of the knowledge of the ozone hole. This
Protocol was the most essential component of the
fight to preserve the ozone layer.It ordered a
50 cut on 5 CFCs and 3 Halons by the year 2000
and allowed a 10 year grace period for developing
countries (Ozone, 2003). Furthermore,it provided
grants for countries so that they could finance
the transition.The Montreal Protocol also created
science, technical and economic assessment panels
to provide regime negotiations and up to date
consensus statements on scientific knowledge.In
order to ascertain that updates were instated,
amendment and adjustment procedures were
included. These procedures consisted of parties
meeting every year to assess the situation and
make the necessary changes to the treaty the
party could make changes that would immediately
become international law. The amendments to the
treaty listed new chemical limitations. In this
way, there was the ability for rapid change
(Ozone, 2003). Click here to view the complete
text of the Montreal Protocol
Perhaps the single most successful international
agreement to date has been the Montreal
Protocol. -Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the
United Nations
Source http//www.theozonehole.com/montreal.htm
16
Montreal Protocol Measures
(The Ozone Hole Organization)
17
Source http//www.epa.gov/grtlakes/seahome/housew
aste/house/chlorofl.htm
18
3. Amendments to the Montreal Protocol
In 1990, the London Amendment and Adjustments
ordered a 100 cut on 15 CFCs, Halons, CT, and MC
by the year 2000 from the 1986 levels. This
occurred because scientific and economic changes
gave rise to substitutes for these products.
Following this, the 1992 Copenhagen Amendment and
Adjustment ordered a 100 cut on 15 CFCs, Halons,
CT, and MC by 1996 from 1986 levels. HCFCs and
Methyl Bromide were added to the list of
chemicals (Ozone, 2003).
Source https//www.unido.org/en/doc/4855
Methyl bromide destroys ozone molecules by
preventing the bonding of O and O
19
4. The 1990 Clean Air Act
The EPA set limits on how much of a pollutant
can be in the air anywhere in the U.S. Each state
needed to create a State Implementation Plan to
establish regulations in cleaning polluted areas.
The public is involved in the process and the EPA
must approve each plan. The government must
provide resources to support the programs. One of
the major breakthroughs in the act is a permit
program for larger sources that release
pollutants into the air.
It encourages the use of market-based
principles and other innovative approaches, like
performance-based standards and emission banking
and tradingit provides a framework from which
alternative clean fuels will be used by setting
standards in the fleet and California pilot
program that can be met by the most
cost-effective combination of fuels and
technology promotes the use of clean low sulfur
coal and natural gas, as well as innovative
technologies to clean high sulfur coal through
the acid rain program reduces enough energy
waste and creates enough of a market for clean
fuels derived from grain and natural gas to cut
dependency on oil imports by one million
barrels/day promotes energy conservation through
an acid rain program that gives utilities
flexibility to obtain needed emission reductions
through programs that encourage customers to
conserve energy (The Plain English Guide to the
Clean Air Act, 2002).
20
Group Efforts to Improve the Ozone

• The Ozone Policy and Strategies Group

The Ozone Policy and Strategies Group develops
air quality management strategies, policies,
regulations, and other strategic measures for
reducing, under the authority of Title I of the
Clean Air Act, the production and transport of
ground-level ozone, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and
volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The Group
manages implementation of the national air
quality management and control program for
ground-level ozone and its precursors. The Group
develops and supports implementation of national
and targeted policies and strategies designed to
attain the 1-hour and 8-hour ozone National
Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and to
reduce transport of ozone and its precursors
(Helms, 2004). 2. Greenpeace Through techniques
such as the development of Greenfreeze, a CFC,
HCFC and HFC free household refrigerator, this
organization strives to immediate global ban on
the further production and use of ozone
destroying substances, such as CFCs, HCFCs and
methyl bromide. Although there have been
substitutions made for CFCs, substances such as
HFCs still contribute to global warming. The
group urges developing countries to forego their
ten year grace period for the use of ozone
destroying substances in favor of environmentally
safer technologies (Mate, 1997).
Source http//archive.greenpeace.org/ozone/
21
What Does the Future Hold?
As a result of the policies instated to protect
the ozone layer, the level of CFCs in the
atmosphere is slowly decreasing, but the Arctic
and Antarctic ozone holes continue to expand
because of the ability of CFCs to last for many
years within the atmosphere. Global warming is
causing temperatures to fall in the Arctic,
thereby lengthening the period of time that PSCs
exist and allowing further ozone depletion to
take place. In addition, volcanic eruptions are
unpredictable and continue to contribute to the
growth of the ozone hole. Therefore, it seems
that the ozone hole over the Arctic is going to
become larger before it begins to diminish in
size. However, by placing further controls on
emissions and greenhouse gases, there would be a
greater probability that the hole would be able
to repair itself over the next few decades.
Source http//www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2003/092
5ozonehole.html
22
Works Cited

• Chlorofluorocarbons. (7 May 2001) 2pp. On-line.
  15 March 2004. lthttp//www.epa.gov/grtlakes/seaho
  me/housewaste/house/chlorofl.htm.gt
• Future Volcanic Eruptions May Cause Arctic Ozone
  Hole. Spaceflight Now. (5 March 2002) 3pp.
  On- line. 15 February 2004. lthttp//www.spacefligh
  tnow.com/news/n0203/05volcano/gt.
• Goddard Space Flight Center. 2003 Ozone 'Hole'
  Approaches, But Falls Short of Record. (25
  September 2003). 4pp. On-line. 23 March 2004.
  lthttp//www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2003/0925ozon
  ehole.html.gt.
• Helms, Tom. Ozone Policy and Strategies Group.
  (13 May 2002) 1p. On-line. 23 March
• 2004. lthttp//www.epa.gov/air/oaqps/organization/a
  qssd/opsg.html.gt.
• Mate, John. Greenpeace International Ozone
  Campaign. (20 September 1997) 3pp. On-line. 23
  March 2004. lthttp//archive.greenpeace.org/ozone/
  .gt.
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute
  of Technology.NASA Finds Wide Annual
  Fluctuations in Arctic Ozone Loss. (28 March
  2003) 3pp. On-line. 15 February 2004.
  lthttp//www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2003/43.cfmgt.
• Nelson, Bob. Study Greenhouse Gases May
  Increase Arctic Ozone Hole Size. Columbia
  University in the City of New York Record. 23.21
  (17 April 1998) 3pp. On-line. 15 February 2004.
  lthttp//www.columbia.edu/cu/record/archives/vol23
  /vol23_iss21/14.htmlgt.
• OCarroll, Cynthia M. NASA Confirms North Pole
  Ozone Hole Trigger. NASA News. (17 September
  2001). 3pp. On-line. 15 February 2004.
  lthttp//www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases
  /2001/01-89.htmgt.
• The Ozone Hole Organization. The Ozone Hole.
  On-line. 15 February 2004. lthttp//www.theozoneho
  le.com/ozonehole2003.htmgt.
• Ozone Secretariat. Treaties and Ratification.
  United Nations Environment Programme. (2003).
  On-line. 15 February 2004. lthttp//www.unep.org/o
  zone/Treaties_and_Ratification/index.asp.gt.

23

• The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act.
  (13 May 2002)3pp. On-line. 23 March 2004.
• lthttp//www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/peg_caa/pegcaa02.htm
  ltopic2.gt.
• Puzzling Height of Polar Clouds Revealed. BAS
  Press Releases. (24 January 2004)2pp. On-line.
  15 February 2004.
• lthttp//www.antarctica.ac.uk/News_and_Information
  /Press_Releases/story.p hp?id93.gt
• Severe Arctic Ozone Hole Predicted. BBC News.
  (30 April 1999) 2pp. On-line. 15 February 2004.
  lthttp//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/332213.stmgt.
  
• Tantoco, Mary Rose G. Red Alert in the Arctic
  Circle. (17 October 2002). 2pp. On-line. 15
  April 2004. lthttp//www.barry.edu/environmentaloff
  ice/arcticcircle.htm.gt
• United States Environmental Protection Agency.
  The Size and Depth of the Ozone Hole. (7 July
  2003). 3pp. On-line. 13 April 2004.
  lthttp//www.epa.gov/ozone/science/hole/size.htmlgt.
  
• This website was created by Rebecca Levine for
  Science and Society at Columbia University 2004