QUESTION:
What would you determine by studing the ozone layer in Antarctica?

                Alice Young's Class
                Lake Forest Elementay School
                Lake Forest, California

ANSWER from Steven Downey, Doctoral Student, University of Illinois
            Wed, 19 Feb 1997 12:16:56 -0500

Dear Class,

While I'm more into Antarctic animal life, what I do know about the ozone
research comes from my readings.  Ozone is a naturally created form of
oxygen that lies in a layer 10-25 miles above the Earth's surface.  It
protects life on planet from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation, forms of
which, in particular UV-B, can cause living cells to mutate or die.

During the 70's, Antarctic experiments and NASA satellites confirmed the
thinning of the ozone over Antarctica.  The cause for the thinning is an
increase in the level of chemicals which destroy ozone.  These chemicals
are typically man-made, such as CFCs found in refrigeration units and spray
cans.  The "Ozone Hole" as it is named is due the high concentration of
ozone damaging gases over Antarctica.  This concentration is formed by the
Polar Vortex, a high level belt of winds which circulate over Antarctica
pulling in airborne chemicals such as CFCs.  The thinning found in the 70's
still continues.  In 1992, the Hole formed earlier than usual.  This was
due in part to the continued use of damaging chemical by humans and the
eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines six months earlier.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, continued increases in
UV radiation levels could cause millions of more cases of skin cancer,
cataracts, and immune-system diseases.  Crops and sea life may also be
affected as the ozone continues to thin.

So, scientists are hoping to find out more about what all is affecting the
ozone layer and how these effects may be corrected, or IF they can be
corrected.

Steven