New ozone hole

2022 - 7 - 7

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Globalnews.ca"

Canadian scientist says he's found a huge ozone hole over the tropics (Globalnews.ca)

Qing-Bin Lu, a professor at the University of Waterloo, says the ozone hole is seven times the size of the well-known Antarctic ozone hole that emerges ...

Interestingly, his article also does not draw from the vast literature that explores and documents ozone trends in all regions of the atmosphere.” “The claim in this research of such large ozone changes in the tropics have not been apparent in other studies which makes me very suspicious. This theory was backed up by the confirmation of the Antarctic ozone hole in 1985. “The existence of the tropical ozone hole may cause a great global concern.” “There is no ‘tropical ozone hole,’ driven by the author’s proposed electrons from cosmic rays or otherwise. The findings were published in the journal AIP Advances.

Report Of Massive New Ozone Hole Threatening Billions Contains ... (Forbes)

A new study claims that serious ozone depletion has been detected over Earth's tropics, potentially exposing billions of people to higher doses of dangerous ...

“The author’s identification of a ‘tropical ozone hole’ is down to him looking at percentage changes in ozone, rather than absolute changes, with the latter being much more relevant for damaging UV reaching the surface,” says Lancaster University’s Dr. Paul Young, a lead author of the 2022 Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion from the World Meteorological Organization and United Nations. “It contains a lot of reasoning with serious errors and unsubstantiated assertions, contradicting previous results that are substantiated,” says Dr. Marta Abalos Alvarez from the Complutense University of Madrid. “Ozone depletion in the tropics is nothing new and is mainly due to the acceleration of the Brewer-Dobson circulation.” "The existence of the tropical ozone hole may cause a great global concern,” says Qing-Bin Lu, a scientist from the University of Waterloo in Ontario. "The depletion of the ozone layer can lead to increased ground-level UV radiation, which can increase risk of skin cancer and cataracts in humans, as well as weaken human immune systems, decrease agricultural productivity, and negatively affect sensitive aquatic organisms and ecosystems.”

What is the “new ozone hole” and why aren't scientists too concerned? (HITC)

The issue of ozone depletion is one of the more pressing concerns of climate change. The matter has been discussed and debated in the scientific community for ...

“Science should never depend on just one study and this new work needs careful verification before it can be accepted as fact.” The matter has been discussed and debated in the scientific community for decades now. Scientist Qing-Bin Lu recently published a new study claiming there is a year-round ozone hole over Earth’s tropics.

Scientists claim to have found huge ozone hole over tropics, experts ... (WION)

Scientists have found a large ozone hole in the lower stratosphere over the tropics that can affect 50 per cent of the world's population.

They said that the hole is seven times the size of the Antarctic ozone hole, which only emerges during spring, according to a paper published in AIP Advances. “In my opinion the article lacks the scientific rigour necessary to be a reliable contribution. Ozone depletion in the tropics is nothing new and is mainly due to the acceleration of the Brewer-Dobson circulation.

A huge ozone hole has been discovered in the tropics — and it's ... (Interesting Engineering)

Unlike the Antarctic ozone hole that appears in spring, the tropical ozone hole is present all year round and impacts 50 percent of the global population.

Similar to the Antarctic O3 hole, approximately 80% of the normal O3 value is depleted at the center of the tropical O3 hole. The depth of this tropical O3 hole is comparable to that of the well-known springtime Antarctic O3 hole, whereas its area is about seven times that of the latter. "One has to also notice that the distribution of ozone over the tropics is highly ununiform in altitude. That the tropic regions constitute half the planet's surface area and are home to half of the world's population is quite worrying. When ozone levels reduce by as much as 80 percent of their normal values, the depleted region is called an ozone hole. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ozone is formed in the stratosphere or higher levels of the Earth's atmosphere when sunlight reacts with molecular oxygen.

New ozone hole found over tropics is 7 times bigger than Antarctic ... (The Weather Network)

Approximately half of the global population could face increased ultraviolet radiation as a result of the tropical ozone hole.

Despite the ban and regulation of ODS, scientists are continuously detecting new emission sources. High levels of UV rays travel through thin regions of the ozone layer, which is hazardous to human health. There are a number of reasons why so many decades passed before scientists confirmed the presence of the tropical ozone hole.

Ozone hole 7 times bigger than the last one discovered: What is it ... (Firstpost)

The newly-discovered all-season hole in the ozone layer has been located in the lower stratosphere over the tropics for the last 30 years.

Preliminary reports show ozone depletion levels over equatorial regions are already endangering large populations and the associated UV radiation reaching these regions is far greater than expected. This long lifetime allows some of the CFCs to eventually reach the stratosphere. In the lower atmosphere, they are so stable that they persist for years, even decades, according to NASA website.