Satellite data confirm CFC link to ozone hole

Abstract

Newly released satellite data confirm that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are the source of the chlorine that is eroding Earth's protective ozone layer. Three years' worth of data from the National Aeronautics & Space Administration's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) have enabled NASA scientists to prepare the first global maps of CFCs and their breakdown products in the stratosphere—hydrogen chloride (HCl) and hydrogen fluoride (HF). The maps refute the claims of skeptics that natural sources, not human activities, cause ozone depletion. We believe these data eliminate the possibility [that] there are major natural sources of chlorine in the stratosphere, says UARS project scientist Mark Schoeberl. They confirm CFCs are responsible for the ozone loss we are observing. Critics of the theory that chlorine from CFCs catalyzes ozone depletion argue CFC molecules are too heavy to rise into the stratosphere. And even if they did, the skeptics say, the amount of chlorine CFCs carry into the stratosphe...