What is the News?
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released Ozone and UV Bulletin after a gap of seven years.
An Overview of the news:
- To monitor and understand changes in the ozone layer, WMO has released its first Ozone and UV Bulletin.
- The WMO has limited the use of substances that damage the ozone layer by 99 percent with the help of the Montreal Protocol and amendments made from time to time.
- The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty on the prevention of substances that deplete the ozone layer.
- It phases out emissions of substances known to be responsible for depleting the ozone layer, designed to protect the ozone layer.
What are the key highlights from the Ozone and UV Bulletin?
Steady recovery of ozone layer:
They have phased out the production and consumption of controlled ozone-depleting substances up to 99%. This has happened due to the Montreal Protocol and its amendments.
→Stratospheric ozone is slowly recovering, with a full recovery in most parts of the atmosphere projected to occur in the coming decades.
→However, unfortunately, climate change is slowing down the recovery of the ozone layer. Ozone depletion is affecting the climate of the lower atmosphere.
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption changed the stratosphere:
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption in January 2022 was the largest in the last 100 years, injecting ice and water vapor high into the stratosphere.
→The eruption increased the water vapor content of the stratosphere by 5% to 10%, resulting in substantial cooling of the stratosphere above the Southern Hemisphere.
→The additional water vapor has resulted in less ozone in the lower stratosphere of the Southern Hemisphere in 2022.
FAQs about ‘Ozone UV Bulletin’ released by WMO
The WMO releases the Ozone and UV Bulletin, a publication aimed at monitoring and understanding changes in the ozone layer, as well as providing updates on its recovery and related issues.
The Montreal Protocol aims at protecting the ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of substances known to deplete ozone. Such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).
According to the WMO, the use of substances that damage the ozone layer has been limited by 99% due to the implementation of the Montreal Protocol and its amendments.
Yes, the ozone layer is slowly recovering. They have phased out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. And experts project a full recovery of the ozone layer in most parts of the atmosphere to occur in the coming decades.
Read also:- Ozone Depletion
