Goethe University has recently installed a state-of-the-art measuring device at its Taunus Observatory near Frankfurt, Germany, to provide precise monitoring of halogenated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Continue reading F-Gas monitoring device installed at German observatory
Banned since 2010, CFCs have surprisingly and rapidly increased in the Earth’s atmosphere this last decade. CFCs have an atmospheric lifetime of 52 to 640 years and act as powerful greenhouse gases that also destroy the ozone layer. According to a recent study published in Nature Geoscience, the emissions of CFC-112a, CFC-13, CFC-113a, CFC-114a, and … Continue reading CFCs on the rise again
Australian federal Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek has announced a new bill intended to introduce “stronger measures to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions and continue to play its part in helping heal the world’s ozone layer”. In addition to ozone-depleting substances, the legislation also manages synthetic greenhouse gases such as HFCs like … Continue reading Ozone laws updated as report finds ‘Black Summer’ bushfires damaged the ozone layer
MARIO Molina, a scientist highly regarded for his work on environmental problems and solutions, died on 7 October at the age of 77. Dr Molina was known by many for his work on a research paper, produced in 1974 in collaboration with US scientist Frank Sherwood Rowland, which revealed how decomposing CFCs would destroy the … Continue reading Lifetime achievements of ‘ozone layer saviour’ Mario Molina celebrated
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has reported that ozone layer depletion reached record levels over large parts of the Arctic in spring. Monitored ozone levels over the Arctic in March are typically at least 240 Dobson Units (DU) – with a DU representing a 0.01mm-thick layer of pure ozone at standard temperature and pressure (STP). … Continue reading Extreme weather, CFC damage result in record Arctic ozone depletion
The Antarctic ozone hole reached 28.2 million square kilometres in October this year, the third largest observed after 2000 and 2006, according to NASA data. However rather than being a result of huge ozone depletion in the last 12 months, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says we are not seeing a reversal of the good … Continue reading Ozone hole one of the biggest ever – but don’t worry
