According to the scientists, the rate of ozone disappearance has decreased significantly in recent years, thanks to the ban on the use of freon
A team of American scientists says that it has managed to find evidence of the restoration of the ozone layer, it was published today in the BBC. The team found that the rate of ozone depletion has decreased significantly in recent years. However, according to the scientists, the layer will not "heal" completely for at least the next 50 years. The researchers said the improvement is due to the success of the international ban on the use of ozone-depleting substances.
The researchers analyzed data collected over the past 20 years by satellites and three ground-based facilities. They found that the rate of ozone disappearance decreased significantly in the upper stratosphere - the uppermost part of the ozone layer. "It decreased at a rate of about 8% per decade for several decades, and now it is only decreasing by 4% per decade," said the scientist who led the study, Prof. Michael Newchurch from the University of Alabama. "We expect the disappearance to stop completely in the coming years."
The reduction in the rate of degradation came thanks to one of the first global environmental treaties - the Montreal Protocol. The protocol, signed in 1987, prohibited the use of chemical substances responsible for harming the ozone, mainly Freon-type gases used in sprays and refrigerators.
Although the upper layers of the ozone are on the way to recovery, the situation in the lower layers is more complicated. In their case, global warming is changing temperatures and wind patterns, delaying restoration. All in all, Prof. Newchurch's team believes that it will take at least 50 years
until the ozone layer is completely filled. However, the team emphasizes that the success of the Montreal Protocol demonstrates the power of international conventions even on more serious issues such as climate change.
