Ozone And Climate Change

There are two distinct environmental problems associated with ozone: ozone depletion in the Starosphere (upper atmosphere) and pollution from Tropospheric ozone at ground level. Both will be affected to some extent by climate change:

Stratospheric Ozone:
• While industrial products like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are largely responsible for current ozone depletion, a recent NASA study found that by the 2030s climate change may surpass chlorofluorocarbons as the main driver of overall ozone loss.

• Ozone thinning can occur when increased emissions of methane get transformed into water in the stratosphere. At high altitudes, water vapor can be broken down into molecules that destroy ozone.

• Climate change from greenhouse gases can also affect ozone by heating the lower stratosphere where most of the ozone exists. When the lower stratosphere heats up, chemical reactions speed up, and ozone gets depleted.

Tropospheric Ozone:
• According to a recent scientific study by the Royal Society, hundreds more people could die because of increasing levels of ozone at street level. They found that ground levels of ozone, the pollutant created when sunlight hits a mixture of gases in the air (Nitrous and Sulfur oxides), has risen by six per cent per decade since the 1980s.

• Furthermore, tropospheric ozone is known to damage plants, reducing plant primary productivity and crop yields5 which will have negative impacts on agricultural systems.

Source of Information : Climate Change: A Silent Threat by Sylvain Richer de Forges

Ozone And Climate Change