Record deple­ti­on of arc­tic ozone

Excep­tio­nal­ly strong cold in the hig­her atmo­s­phe­re has in recent weeks led to the loss of about half of the stra­to­s­phe­ric ozone. The cold as such is a natu­ral con­di­ti­on, but it infor­ces pro­ces­ses that lead to the dest­ruc­tion of ozone whe­re man-made “ozone kil­lers” such as FCKWs are invol­ved. This inclu­des sub­s­tance that have been ban­ned for years, as they remain in the atmo­s­phe­re for a long time befo­re they are final­ly bro­ken down.

As the polar air mixes with air mas­ses in lower lati­tu­des, sci­en­tists recom­mend to pay spe­cial atten­ti­on to sun pro­tec­tion against UV radia­ti­on during the com­ing spring.

Source: Sval­bard Sci­ence Forum