Tags for This Article:

People (2263)  World (1017)  Investigations (902)  Canada (724)  Science (416)  Pollution (279)  Chemical (112)  Solar (74)  Tsunami (29)  Radiation (17)  Antarctica (11)  Ozone (10)  Arctic (8)  Chemtrails (8)  Greenland (8)  Iceland (7)  Shasta (1) 

Populum Tag Cloud
       Control Panel
Fine tune your search to access content
Articles
Diaries Products
Events All
All time
Last 6 mos
Last month
Last week
Last 24 hrs
From:
Month  Day   Year

To:
Month  Day   Year
Alphabet
Popularity
Count ON
Count OFF
This Level
Sub-levels

 

 

 

Tag(s): ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (more...) ; ; ; ; ; ;  (less...)
Add to My Group
April 22, 2008 at 09:16:59

Dangerous Ozone Depletion and UV Levels Increasing

by Linda Schreiber     Page 1 of 1 page(s)

www.opednews.com

 
Tell A Friend

(0.0 from 0 ratings) View Ratings | Rate It

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."

 

pollettplayers.com

My credentials: BA in political science, minor in data processing and creative writing, Doctor of Metaphysics (Beattles style), Yoga teacher, mother, grandmother, married with 7 grown children, his and mine. I am ageless. Creative Activities: Artist. Book, poem and song writer, singer, gardner, actress, and Distinguished Toastmaster. Activism: I do activism on line and am really worried about global warming. So much so that I plan to move to higher ground. My biggest accomplishment was to achieve an enlightened view of life. The answer is.......It's a reality show! Just kidding. My books, "Loved by the Light, A New Age Manual in Prose and Poetry" and "Aquarius, Enlightening Potry for a New Age". Publisher, Wordclay.com Athena, Goddess of Wisdom has spoken.

Contact Author
Contact Editor
View Other Articles by Author

 

Bookmark this page: (what's this?)

NETSCAPE      DIGG THIS      Add This Page to Mr Wong!           NEWSVINE      DEl.ICIO.US      Looksmart Furl      My Web      Tag!RawSugar      Blink List     (More...)
Comments: Expand   Shrink   Hide  
1 comments

National Master at chess. Mensa member.
Brad ArnoldNational Master at chess. Mensa member.

Future oceanic hydrogen sulfide emissions

I would like to add that in the future, there is a risk that low oxygen levels(anoxia or hypoxia) in the ocean could lead to further ozone depletion.

As the ice caps melt, the salty ocean water is diluted by fresh water runoff, slowing down and possibly stopping the Gulf Stream.  This would result in less mixing of oxygenated surface water with deeper more oxygen depleted water.  The result is seen in the Dead Sea, where aerobic organisms (that use oxygen to digest carbon) die off, and are replaced with organisms that produce hydrogen sulfide (H2S). 

"Once the oxygen is gone, the oceans become the realm of bacteria that obtain their oxygen from sulfur oxide compounds. These bacteria strip oxygen from the compounds and produce hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide kills aerobic organisms."  ScienceDaily.com, March 3, 2005

There is good reason to believe that this syndrome led to the end-Permian extinction ("The Great Dying"), where 95% of all species became extinct.

"Another piece in the puzzle surrounding this extinction is that hydrogen sulfide gas destroys the ozone layer. Recently, Dr. Henk Visscher of Utrecht University and his colleagues suggested that there are fossil spores from the end-Permian that show deformities that researchers suspect were caused by ultra violet light. "These deformities fit the idea that the ozone layer was damaged, letting in more ultra violet," says Kump."  -- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050223130549.htm

One further note:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214144547.htm

Ocean Dead-Zones May Be Linked To Global Warming

"In a new study in the journal Science, researchers from Oregon State University outline a "potential for rapid reorganization" in basic marine ecosystems and the climatic forces that drive them, and suggest that these low-oxygen, or "hypoxic" events are now more likely to be the rule rather than the exception.

"In this part of the marine environment, we may have crossed a tipping point," said Jane Lubchenco, the Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology at OSU, and the lead scientist for PISCO, the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans.

"Levels of oxygen in the summertime have suddenly become much lower than levels in the previous 50 years," Lubchenco said. "And 2006 broke all records, with parts of the shallow shelf actually becoming anoxic, meaning that they lacked oxygen altogether. We've never seen that before."...It's less certain why this is happening, but the events are completely consistent with global climate change, the OSU researchers say."

I can't overemphasis this enough:  there is an extremely low cost and simple method of immediately cooling the Earth (and lowing the UV level too); just add a small amount of aerosol to the upper atmosphere to dim the sun a little.

"Recently some have begun to advocate engineered climate selection as a fallback or insurance policy, in case their preferred regulatory decarbonization approach does not solve the problem or an unforeseen event occurs that requires a rapid response. A more prudent and efficient strategy would appear to be to implement engieneered climate selection first and then see what further needs to be done." --Alan Carlin, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, June 2007

"The Panel (on Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming) calculated that adding stratospheric aerosol dust to the stratosphere would cost just pennies per ton of CO2 mitigated."
 
–"The Incredible Economics of Geoengineering"

by Brad Arnold (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 15 comments) on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 2:17:55 AM
 

 

1 comments

 

Tell A Friend

 


Copyright © OpEdNews, 2002-2008

Blog Ads

 

 

 

 

Most Popular Articles
in the Last 2 Days
(by Recommend Emails)

Sarah Palin, A Wolf in Moose Clothing by Anthony Wade

Democrats, Conservatives, AND Sarah Palin Being Played by Karl Rove by Greg Purcell "Wordmeister at Large"

FBI/police ordered to curtail protests: Explains Amy Goodman's arrest? by Kathryn Smith

Sarah Palin: Small Mind In A Big Little Town by Judy Swindler

Republicans Are Mean by Mary Lyon

Video: Is Bristol Palin Baby Trig's Mother? Evidence & Pictures by theWeb

Limbaugh Watch: Palin Pregnancy Talking Points by Dean Powers

GOP Convention Day One – Let the Deception Begin for Team McBush by Anthony Wade

BREAKING NEWS: Palin took millions in earmarks as mayor and governor. by Ed Tubbs

Why Trig Palin's parentage is a national security matter. by John Toradze

Popularity Navigation
Control Panel:

Select Time
6 hrs 12 hrs
1 Day 2 Days
3 Days 1 Week
2 Weeks 1 Month
2 Months 3 Months
6 Months Last Year
Select Content
Articles Diaries
Polls Events
All Op-Eds
News Life/Arts/Science
Select Popularity
Page Views
# of Comments
Recommend Emails
  

Go To Top 50 Most Popular