In the last decade, our environment has experienced more than 50 serious natural disasters that have left scientists doing overtime in the labs. Everything from earthquakes, to floods, to mudslides, to heat waves have taken our Earth on a roller-coaster ride. Over the course of this past season, Earth’s ozone layer experienced a disastrous loss that might be able to give scientists clues for what to expect in the coming decades.
The 2001 earthquakes in El Salvador and India left over 20,000 dead and missing. The Philippines experienced a 2004 typhoon and a 2006 mudslide. Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, calling for national attention. Two earthquakes in 2010 shook Haiti and Chile, springing international awareness for help, and the more recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan left over 18,000 people dead. Blame it on global warming or just an ever-changing evolution; our planet is continuously experiencing a turn of events.
From the beginning of the winter to late March, the ozone layer over the Arctic faced a record loss by thinning at a devastating 40%. This dramatic loss is said to be caused by “harmful chemicals and a cold winter”, according to the U.N. weather agency. Harmful chemicals include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons, both of which were used largely in fire retardants, coolants, and a number of household appliances.
“Atmospheric scientists who are concerned about global warming,” says USA Today, “ focus on the Arctic because that is a region where the effect are expected to be felt first.”
The conditions of the Artic tell scientists a lot about what to expect for our environment and how it is functioning under new conditions.
The Montreal Protocol, a 1987 international treaty established to diminish ozone weakening chemicals, has been aiding the ozone in its path for reconstruction for the last 20 years, according to Time Magazine writer Bryan Walsh. The treaty was adopted by 196 nations across the world and mandates industries to use replacement chemicals for their products that are less damaging to the ozone.
“Without the Montreal Protocol, this year’s ozone destruction would most likely have been worse,” stated the World Meteorological Organization. “The slow recovery of the ozone layer is due to the fact that ozone-depleting substances stay in the atmosphere for several decades.”
Scientists claim that CFCs take a long time to fade away. The ones that are still in our atmosphere will continue to harm the ozone layer. What does this mean for mankind?
The ozone layer is responsible for blocking the Earth from any harmful radiation. The thinning of the ozone means an increase in the amount of ultraviolet (UV) rays the Earth is exposed to. This increase in UV ray exposure puts mankind at an even higher risk for many maladies such as skin cancer and to our DNA.
The U.N. agency says UV rays put not only our health at risk but also our agriculture and animal life. The agency states that elevated exposure can cause “cataracts and damage to the human immune system. Some crops and forms of marine life can also suffer adverse effects.”
Meteorological conditions in the Arctic vary every year which means North Pole has not always be in alarming conditions. “Some Arctic winters experience almost no ozone loss,” says the agency. However, this year’s ozone loss shows us that we have to remain cautious and keep our eyes on the Arctic in the coming years.
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