re: #384 Buster Bunny

I’m not for the idea of Global Warming .. but I’m more inclined to believe that we have ripped several layers off the protective ozone that circles the earth. What this would mean for the long term behaviour of the climate sequences is much more terrifying than any global warming nightmare. It would mean that our colds will be colder and our warms will be warmer. Because the normal protective layer that reflects the sun and holds in the warmth .. has been damaged.

Ozone, O3 forms when ultraviolet collides with O2, ionizing it, and then the free radical O combines with O2. It is formed whenever there is sunlight striking oxygen in the upper atmosphere. O3 is unstable and reverts to O2 over time without any help, but it is the O2 absorption of UV energy that provides the real protection. So for my money, less O3 is a good thing because that means there is more O2 to absorb more UV. If you will notice, the so-called ozone hole around the south pole only forms in the southern hemisphere winter when there is no sunlight at the south pole. When the sun shines in the spring on the south pole, the ozone returns. It was discovered after we developed the ability to actually measure O3 in the upper atmosphere, and there is no reason to believe the phenomenon is a recent occurrence. Also UV has always been a component of our sunlight, and there is no documented evidence of increasing UV intensity at the earth’s surface. It is more intense toward the equator where the sunlight passes through less atmosphere, and less intense in the higher latitudes. So having been a student of upper atmosphere physics years ago I sort of shrug when the subject comes up. I think we’re seeing only normal variations.