Just Released! Order “Waking Up to Climate Change” by George Ropes, and receive 25% Discount. Learn More

HOME          CATEGORIES          OUR TAKE

Storms threaten ozone layer over U.S., study says

Scientists have recently found a possible link between climate change and depletion of the ozone layer. The two issues have historically been treated independent of one another, although they are often confused by the general public. As the climate warms, increased evaporation leads to more water vapor in the atmosphere, which can result in stronger and more frequent intense thunderstorms. In most cases, updrafts from these storms are stopped at the tropopause, but if there is enough energy, the updraft may have enough momentum for the storm to grow well into the stratosphere. These storms effectively “inject” large quantities of water vapor into the stratosphere, which raises the air temperature in its vicinity. This allows for a chemical shift of CFCs still in the atmosphere, making them more reactive with the ozone. Although CFCs have been banned since the Montreal Protocol in 1987, it will take decades before these chemicals are fully removed from the atmosphere. By increasing the frequency of these intense storm events, climate change has the potential to exacerbate this process and accelerate ozone loss in the midlatitudes. Although depletion of the ozone layer has historically been most severe at the poles, these areas are not populated. If this occurs over more populated mid-latitude regions, it could result in serious health effects, such as an increase in the rate of skin cancer from increased UV exposure. Although this particular study was conducted in the U.S., it is believed that similar conditions exist in other mid-latitude regions. However, scientists are still admittedly uncertain of exactly what the effect of climate change will be on the development of these intense convective storms.

Comment on this article

ClimateYou moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (New York time) and can only accept comments written in English.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE


More Posts Like This

CITY TECH BLOG

The Dominican Republic Takes Part in the Paris Climate Change Agreement

The Dominican Republic, located in the Caribbean, is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to its geographic location and heavy dependence on agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. The country is also prone to natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods, which are becoming more frequent and

CITY TECH BLOG

The Effects of Climate Change on Disease & Property Damage

Climate change is affecting people all over the world. I live in the United States of America and today, I’ll let you know how climate change is affecting us. One of the ways climate change is affecting us is the warmer temperatures. Rising temperatures increase the frequency, intensity,

CITY TECH BLOG

Rescue Our Community, Rescue Our Planet

Our water cycle, which refers to how water circulates on our globe, is being impacted by climate change. Dry areas are becoming drier while wet areas are becoming more wet. However, the amount of rain we receive now tends to come in more heavy downpours, increasing the risk