Things I’ve Always Wondered About: Global Warming Edition
If the hole in the ozone layer lets in harmful rays from outer space, doesn’t it also let them out? And if the hole is repaired, won’t that trap even more heat in the atmosphere? Yes, it seems. Bradford Plumer:
The bad news, alas, is that a big reason Antarctic summers are still relatively chilly appears to be the hole in the ozone layer, which strengthens circumpolar winds and shields the continent from global warming. But since we’ve banned CFCs (with good reason), the ozone layer’s slowly on the mend, and as it heals, the greenhouse effect will take over and Antarctic summers will heat up even more in the coming decades, according to Marco Tedesco, an atmospheric scientist at the City College of New York. It’s like we just can’t win.
Of course, that doesn’t mean we should just sit back, crack open a can of CFCs, and let the planet bake. It sounds like the Senate Majority Leader agrees and is planning to charge ahead with a climate bill this spring.
From September 21-30, 2006 the average area of the ozone hole was the largest ever observed, at 10.6 million square miles. This image, from Sept. 24, the Antarctic ozone hole was equal to the record single-day largest area of 11.4 million square miles, reached on Sept. 9, 2000. ... The blue and purple colors are where there is the least ozone, and the greens, yellows, and reds are where there is more ozone. Click image to enlarge.
Credit: NASA.
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