Dangerous Ozone Depletion and UV Levels Increasing

It is a fact that the ozone layer in our upper atmosphere protects earth from damaging levels of Ultra Violet radiation. In 1993, scientists at Environment Canada completed the first long-term study showing that increase in UV levels at the earth's surface are due to thinning of the ozone layer.

Since the early 1970's chemical reactions in the environment are depleting the ozone, allowing more UV to get through. This increase in UV radiation is causing severe sun burning, eye cataracts, cancer and immune system dysfunction. Science has stepped forward to try to stop earth's ozone destruction, but new evidence indicates that ozone depletion is getting worse.

Research on depletion of the ozone layer began in earnest when in 1974 two Nobel Prize winners proved that certain chemicals were destroying the ozone in our atmosphere. Since the 1970's scientists have observed a large seasonal "hole" in the ozone layer in Antarctica. Steps were taken to reduce the use of the chemicals causing this problem, and the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer was originally signed in 1987. Since that time, the ozone hole in the Southern Hemisphere over Antarctica has grown to as large as 25 million square miles.

In 1995, severe depletion was noted in the Northern Hemisphere as well. At that time ozone depletion of 20 to 35% was discovered in middle and high latitudes. In 1997 ozone losses over the Arctic of up to 45% were recorded and in the lower latitudes of Canada where more people live, up to 10%.

Even though steps have been taken by the world community, recent findings show that the ozone layer has not yet recovered. In fact current ozone depletion is greater than expected. Implications are that if this is not remedied right away, a tipping point may be reached in which a rapid, mass chemical reaction in the atmosphere could destroy immense amounts of ozone.

This would cause the sun's heat to melt two huge continents of ice in the Arctic and Antarctic. As a result, the oceans of the world would rise several feet. Then whole continents of ice could suddenly slip into the ocean causing tsunamis 100's of feet high to wash several miles inland. It could be the worst disaster the human race has ever known.

For now, we must realize that patches of thin ozone over our houses make it very dangerous to go outside at times. In northern California, in the early spring, we can be exposed to dangerously high UV levels.

One statistic I found stated that, "During the three-day period from March 17 to 19, 2006 the total ozone cover fell below 300 DU over part of the North Atlantic region from Greenland to Scandinavia." The article warned that 300 DU is a dangerously low total ozone count. DU stands for Dobson Units which measure ozone on a scale of 0 to 500. When the DU's go as low as 220, it is considered a "hole."

I have not yet seen warnings to United States citizens about low DU readings or high UV Index readings, but I have read the DU recorded daily over my area by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). I found several days in February and March, 2008 in which the DU's were under 300. NOAA registered readings under 300 for eleven days in February, and 12 days in March over my house. Interestingly, the days when there were low DU readings were also the days that I saw the real thick contrails from jets. The lowest point of ozone concentrations occur in October over Antarctica and in March over the Antarctic.

People in Shasta County in Northern California took samples from ponds, HVAC filters, tops of sheds and solar panels to see what was falling out of these chemtrails. Solar panel efficiency dropped considerably when the spraying was going on. The professional lab tests showed abnormally high and unacceptable levels of aluminum, barium and strontium. There are no sources for these chemicals in this area except from what is falling out of the sky. Investigations of US patents indicate that these are the chemicals being sprayed to make cloud cover. After the jets spray, the DU's rise.

Citizens are not being told about these low DU readings, about the spraying nor do we ever get UV alerts like they get in Australia. We are making appeals to our County Air Quality Board and our Senator, Barbara Boxer to investigate the source of these chemicals.

TheOzoneHole.com has charts showing large patches of thinning ozone over the northern hemisphere. Most of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the UK and Europe are right underneath these thinning areas. They say that, "An Arctic Ozone Hole, if similar in size to the Antarctic Ozone Hole, could expose over 700+ million people, wildlife and plants to dangerous UV ray levels. The likely hood of this happening seems inevitable based on the deterioration of ozone layer caused by the effects of global warming on the upper atmosphere."

I think it is already a dangerous situation. Why aren't we being alerted to the fact that dangerous levels of UV are penetrating the ozone layer all over the earth?

According to NASA scientist, Jim Hansen, we are dangerously close to a 'tipping point" in which a warming climate will feed back on itself amplifying the warming effects. In May of 2007, ABC News released a report on this NASA/Columbia study which said we only have 10 more years of "business as usual" creating emission from the burning of cola, oil and gas. The lead author of this paper, Jim Hansen is director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. According to the report, if we do not act in time, "it becomes impractical" to avoid "disastrous effects."