HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF OZONE TRENDS AND FUTURE SCENARIOS - Environmental UV Radiation: Impact on Ecosystems and Human Health and Predictive Models

Environmental Engineering Reference

In-Depth Information

5. Actions against ozone depletion

The Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, agreed upon in Vienna in

1985, was the start of further efforts among countries to analyse global environmental

problems. Following the publication in Nature by Farman and co-workers 2 the

Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed in 1987, and

has been adjusted and amended by subsequent meetings including those held in London

(1990), Copenhagen (1992), Vienna (1995) and Beijing (1999). The broad aim of The

Parties to the Montreal Protocol is the protection of the environment and human health

from anthropogenic activities which may modify the ozone layer. The Montreal

Protocol includes provision for developing countries to delay their compliance for up to

10 years based on economics. The main goal of the protocol is to phase out the use of

CFCs in the next few decades.

6. Conclusions

While the international agreements have reduced production of ozone-destroying

compounds, high concentrations are still present in the stratosphere mainly due to their

longevity, and thus ozone depletion will likely continue for several decades 3 .

Monitoring networks are continuously being set up to study biological effects of ozone

depletion and to determine correlations between ozone reduction and UV increases and

to couple these to the biological impact.

References

1. SORG (1999) Stratospheric Ozone, United Kingdom Stratospheric Ozone Review Group. HMSO,

London, UK.

2. Farman, J.C., Gardiner, B.G. & Shanklin, J.D. 1985. Large losses of total ozone in Antarctica reveal

seasonal ClO x /NO x interaction. Nature 315, 207 - 210.

3. WMO (1998) Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion. Report 44 . Geneva, Switzerland.

4. Rex, M., Dethloff, K., Handorf, D., Herber, A., Lehmann, R., Neuber, R., Notholt, J., Rinke, A.,

von der Gathen, P., Weisheimer, A. and Gernandt, H. (2000) Arctic and Antarctic ozone layer observations

- chemical and dynamical aspects of variability and long-term changes in the polar stratosphere. Polar

Research , 19: 193-204.

5. Schulz, A., Rex, M., Steger, J., Harris, N., Braathen, G.O., Reimer, E., Alfier, R., Beck, A., Alpers, M.,

Cisneros, J., Claude, H., De Backer, H., Dier, H., Dorokhov, V., Fast, H., Godin, S., Hansen, G., Kondo,

Y., Kosmidis, E., Kyro, E., Molyneux, M.J., Murphy, G., Nakane, H., Parrondo, C., Ravagnani, F.,

Varostos,C., Vialle, C., Yushkov, V., Zerefos, C. and von der Gathen, P. (2000) Match observation in the

Arctic winter 1996/97: High stratospheric ozone loss rates correlate with low temperatures deep inside the

polar vortex. Geophys. Res. Lett. , 27: 205-208.