Introduction

Ozone depletion occurs when the natural balance between the production and destruction of stratospheric ozone is tipped in favor of destruction. Although, is the ozone hole permanent? Natural phenomena can cause temporary ozone loss, chlorine and bromine released from man-made synthetic compounds are now accepted as the main cause of this depletion.

What Causes Ozone Depletion?

It was first suggested, by Drs. M. Molina and S. Rowland in 1974, that a man-made group of compounds known as the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were likely to be the main source of ozone depletion. However, this idea was not taken seriously until the discovery of the ozone hole over Antarctica in 1985.

Chlorofluorocarbons are not “washed” back to Earth by rain or destroyed in reactions with other chemicals. They simply do not break down in the lower atmosphere and they can remain in the atmosphere from 20 to 120 years or more. As a consequence of their relative stability, CFCs are instead transported into the stratosphere where they are eventually broken down by ultraviolet radiation, releasing free chlorine. The chlorine becomes actively involved in the process of destruction of ozone. The net result is that two molecules of ozone are replaced by three of molecular oxygen, leaving the chlorine free to repeat the process:

Cl + Oà ClO + O

ClO + O à Cl + O

Ozone is converted to oxygen, leaving the chlorine atom free to repeat the process up to 100,000 times, resulting in a reduced level of ozone. Bromine compounds, or halons, can also destroy stratospheric ozone. Compounds containing chlorine and bromine from man-made synthetic compounds are known as industrial halocarbons.

How Long has Ozone Depletion been Occurring?

Based on data collected since the 1950s, scientists have determined that ozone levels were relatively stable until the late 1970s. Severe depletion over the Antarctic has been occurring since 1979 and a general downturn in global ozone levels has been observed since the early 1980s.

How Much of the Ozone Layer has been Depleted Around the World?

Global ozone levels have declined an average of about 3% between 1979 and 1991. This rate of decline is about three times faster than that recorded in the 1970s. In addition to Antarctica, ozone depletion now affects almost all of North America, Europe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and a sizeable part of South America. Short term losses of ozone can be much greater than the long term average. In Canada, ozone depletion is usually greatest in the late winter and early spring. In 1993, for example, average ozone values over Canada were 14% below normal from January to April.