Ozone Hole Science Revisited

Ozone Hole Science Revisited

Ronald Bailey September 27, 2007, 10:02am
Scientists are commemorating the discovery 20 years ago that man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used chiefly in refrigerators and air-conditioners were responsible for creating the "ozone hole" over the Antarctic. The scientists concluded that CFCs would drift into the stratosphere where they would produce chlorine compounds that react with ice particles and sunlight to efficiently destroy ozone molecules that shield the surface from ultraviolet light streaming from the sun. In 1987, the world adopted the Montreal Protocol to eventually eliminate the production of CFCs. Activists often cite the Montreal Protocol as a model for a future treaty addressing man-made global warming by banning the emission of greenhouse gases. A Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded in 1995 to the three scientists who identified the ozone/CFC connection.
This neat story of the scientific identification of a man-made cause for stratospheric ozone depletion followed by a successful international response to the threat is now being challenged by some very recent research. News@nature.com (sub required) is reporting a new analysis by Markus Rex, an atmosphere scientist at the Alfred Wegener Institute of Polar and Marine Research in Potsdam, Germany, which finds that the data for the break-down rate of a crucial molecule, dichlorine peroxide (Cl2O2) is almost an order of magnitude lower than the currently accepted rate.
What this could mean according to the Nature news article is that:
"This must have far-reaching consequences," Rex says. "If the measurements are correct we can basically no longer say we understand how ozone holes come into being." What effect the results have on projections of the speed or extent of ozone depletion remains unclear.The rapid photolysis of Cl2O2 is a key reaction in the chemical model of ozone destruction developed 20 years ago2 (see graphic). If the rate is substantially lower than previously thought, then it would not be possible to create enough aggressive chlorine radicals to explain the observed ozone losses at high latitudes, says Rex. The extent of the discrepancy became apparent only when he incorporated the new photolysis rate into a chemical model of ozone depletion. The result was a shock: at least 60% of ozone destruction at the poles seems to be due to an unknown mechanism, Rex told a meeting of stratosphere researchers in Bremen, Germany, last week.
Other groups have yet to confirm the new photolysis rate, but the conundrumis already causing much debate and uncertainty in the ozone research community. "Our understanding of chloride chemistry has really been blown apart," says John Crowley, an ozone researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Chemistry in Mainz, Germany.
"Until recently everything looked like it fitted nicely," agrees Neil Harris, an atmosphere scientist who heads the European Ozone Research Coordinating Unit at the University of Cambridge, UK. "Now suddenly it's like a plank has been pulled out of a bridge." ...
Nothing currently suggests that the role of CFCs must be called into question, Rex stresses. "Overwhelming evidence still suggests that anthropogenic emissions of CFCs and halons are the reason for the ozone loss. But we would be on much firmer ground if we could write down the correct chemical reactions."
Of course, it may be that Rex's research has gone wrong somehow or that another chemical mechanism involving CFCs will turn out to be chiefly responsible for ozone depletion. Nevertheless, it is good to keep in mind that all scientific results are provisional and may change in the light of new evidence.
By the way, for anyone who cares about my own take on the ozone hole/CFC issue, in chapter 8 of my 1993 book, Eco-Scam: The False Prophets of Ecological Apocalypse, I concluded:
Despite a great deal of continuing scientific uncertainty, it appears that CFCs do contribute to the creation of the Antarctic ozone hole and perhaps to a tiny amount of global ozone depletion. If CFCs were allowed to build up in the atmosphere during the next century, ozone depletion might eventually entail significant costs. More ultraviolet light reaching the surface would require adaptation—switching to new crop varieties, for example—and it might boost the incidence of nonfatal skin cancer. In light of these costs, it makes sense to phase out the use of CFCs.

http://www.reason.com/blog/show/122712.html

The Beer-Launching Refrigerator

previously posted on 4/11/07

Beer-Launching Refrigerator

Do you think the BAC will install one of these for us in the studio?

County official caused pileup, LV police say

Previously posted on 4/11/07

This is from todays Las Vegas Review-Journal, writen by By FRANCIS McCABE, REVIEW-JOURNAL

A Clark County building inspector fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run wreck caused an eight-vehicle pileup at Desert Inn and Sandhill roads Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

Seven people suffered non-life threatening injuries in the 1:45 p.m. crash, said Las Vegas police spokesman Jose Montoya. They were taken to area hospitals.

The driver, identified by county officials as Jeffrey D. Sudweeks, was fleeing at a high rate of speed from a wreck at Desert Inn and Horizon Street, Montoya said.

"This looks pretty nasty," Montoya said.

Investigators will be working to determine whether Sudweeks was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, suffering from a medical condition, or intentionally driving recklessly, Montoya said.

Sudweeks has not been charged, but the investigation is ongoing, Montoya said.

The intersection was closed for more than four hours after the wreck.

Sudweeks has been with the county Development Services Department since Sept. 15, 2004.

County spokesman Dan Kulin said that if a medical condition caused the crash, the county would require a physician to certify that Sudweeks was able to perform his job.

Sudweeks will be asked to take a drug and alcohol test, and if he does not release the results, he will face disciplinary action, Kulin said.

"Safety is our utmost concern," Kulin said. "We will be conducting a complete review of the incident and the circumstances surrounding it."

Sudweeks is one of about 150 county building inspectors whose responsibilities include checking to see that construction conforms to plumbing, electrical, mechanical and structural building codes.

EDITORIAL: 'In the dust'

previously posted on 4/11/07

This is from todays Las Vegas Review-Journal,

Democrats campaigned and won control of Congress last year on their withering criticism of President Bush and "do-nothing" Republican lawmakers. They vowed to change the culture of Washington and bring a renewed work ethic to the Capitol.
After a few months in the majority, Democrats are mighty pleased with themselves. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said this Congress has left its predecessor "in the dust." Her charges have boasted of legislation to increase the minimum wage and establish a timetable for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
Meanwhile, their efforts to undermine the Bush administration have not ceased. News conference sound bites are the light stuff. Democrats are now using committee hearings to extract pounds of flesh, and they're traveling abroad to torpedo the State Department's foreign policy.
It's a curious strategy considering Democrats need President Bush's signature to turn their initiatives into law. In fact, the numbers show the only thing that's "in the dust" is the Democrats' agenda itself.
"Democrats have successfully passed 16 bills into law, 10 of which name a federal building, post office, courthouse or national recreation area," said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C. "Zero make any legislative impact on fighting the war against Islamic extremists, balancing the federal budget, creating jobs, cutting pork-barrel spending or saving Social Security."
Many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle like to judge the performance of an elected body based on the number of laws its members create. Such a formula doesn't evaluate whether the new laws bring new forms of regulation, intrusion and taxation upon Americans.
It's a good thing that this Democratic Congress hasn't been able to force any of its most dangerous ideas into federal statute. And as long as the party's leaders insist on demonizing the White House, their legacy will be as undistinguished as the big-spending Republicans who came before them.

Better Living Through Activism

Previously posted on 3/24/07

These carbon offsets.... are they really effective?


Better Living Through Activism

The counter-part to the 3D model printer

Previously posted on 3/19/07

Here is a crazy cool article using the same principles of the 3D model printer that we heard about at Chris' office. Some us were able to touch and examine the product of the crazy "printer" that created the model... I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the technology that can create a 3d model from a printer and line drawings.... but to imagine a printer that can create human skin from human skin cells... WOW!!!!



take look at the article.








http://www.livescience.com/technology/050201_skin_printing.html

Nation, Meet the New Rebels

an article from the Sports Illistrated online blog by Luke Winn.

"... The Rebels' underexposure meant much of the nation, up until this week, was unfamiliar with an astoundingly good basketball team. One that, even at this late juncture, is still in need of a proper introduction. "

for the rest of the article please Click Here