To monitor the state of the hole in the ozone layer, the ozone concentration in the stratosphere has been measured for three decades through a satellite. After this time of measurement, finally signs of a global recovery of the ozone layer have been found, thanks to the efforts made throughout the world to curb the use of substances that destroy it.
How positive are the results you have found about the thickness of the ozone layer?
Role of the ozone layer
The ozone layer is nothing more than an area of the stratosphere where the concentration of this gas is higher. This gas acts as a shield against the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Thanks to that, We don't burn our skin just by exposing ourselves to the sun, plants can live and photosynthesize, etc. Understanding the importance of the ozone layer is vital to understanding its recovery, as its condition directly affects human and ecosystem health.
Therefore, a healthy ozone layer is essential for life as we know it to develop on the planet. Technological development leads to large emissions of gases that destroy the ozone layer, such as chlorofluorocarbons. These gases react with ozone particles in the stratosphere, destroying them. Because of them, the famous ozone layer hole, which has generated great concern in the scientific community.
The hole in the ozone layer is not a hole in itself, because if it is, it would be too dangerous for the planet, since it is located on Antarctica and would allow the rapid melting of the ice of this continent. This "hole" is just a decrease in the concentration of this layer around Antarctica.
When the depleted ozone layer lets harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun through, exposure to these rays increases, causing skin cancer, cataracts, and immune system disorders. They also affect animals, plants, and even microscopic phytoplankton, which can disrupt the food chain and affect biodiversity.
Ozone recovery
Ozone, located in the stratosphere, is located about 11-50 km above the earth's surface began to decrease in the 70s of the last century. The most important reduction since then the ozone layer is between 4 and 8% per decade. To understand the impact of these changes, it is important to consult information on the ozone layer destruction and how this has influenced the recovery of the ozone layer.
Thanks to international agreements, such as the Montreal Protocol, which prohibits the use and reduction of substances that deplete the ozone layer, the downward trend has been halted. These global efforts are essential to ensuring the recovery of ozone in the coming decades.
Satellites that are continuously monitoring and monitoring ozone concentration in all areas of the Earth have managed to detect the first signs of recovery. Satellites offer fairly adequate measurements, although their temporal limitation prevents them from making more panoramas of ozone concentration. Climate scientists estimate that satellite ozone readings will span 30 years or more and they are needed to be able to analyze trends in ozone concentrations with greater precision.
Depending on the season and solar activity, ozone concentrations are not always stable throughout the year. Therefore, it is important to analyze the trend in concentration over the years, rather than just the specific concentration. Therefore, measurements over decades are necessary to confirm whether humans are causing the ozone layer to become more volatile. ozone layer hole begin to recover.
To answer this problem, scientists from the ESA Climate Change Initiative They are harmonizing measurements from different satellites to get a long-term view of ozone variability.
“By combining data from the Climate Change Initiative with data from NASA, we clearly see negative trends in upper-atmosphere ozone before 1997 and positive trends after that date. Trends in the upper stratosphere beyond the tropics are statistically significant and herald some ozone recovery, ”he says. Viktoria Sofieva, Senior Research Scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
Thanks to this, we can now understand the trend of the ozone layer, which appears to be on the path to recovery after years of degradation.
