Why is the Ozone Hole Observed over Antarctica When CFCs Are Released Mainly in the Northern Hemisphere?
Human emissions of CFCs do occur mainly in the Northern Hemisphere, with about 90% released in the latitudes corresponding to Europe, Russia, Japan, and North America. Gases such as CFCs that are insoluble in water and relatively unreactive are mixed within a year or two throughout the lower atmosphere (below about 10 km). The CFCs in this well-mixed air rise from the lower atmosphere into the stratosphere mainly in tropical latitudes. Winds then move this air poleward – both north and south – from the tropics, so that air throughout the stratosphere contains nearly the same amount of chlorine. However, the meteorologies of the two polar regions are very different from each other because of major differences at the Earth’s surface. The South Pole is part of a very large land mass (Antarctica) that is completely surrounded by ocean. These conditions produce very low stratospheric temperatures which in turn lead to formation of clouds (polar stratospheric clouds). The clouds that form at
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- Why is the Ozone Hole Observed over Antarctica When CFCs Are Released Mainly in the Northern Hemisphere?
- Why is the ozone hole observed over Antarctica when CFCs are released mostly in the Northern Hemisphere?
