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The
Ozone Hole Reaches South America
The Ozone hole reached land and
population areas in Argentina, Chile and The Falkland Islands on September 25-28
, October 9, 16-19, and November 17-20 2011.
Ozone
levels are down as much as 40% in some areas. The protective level of ozone has
dropped below 200 dobson units in some areas.
Several hundred thousand
people live in the area reached by The Ozone Hole.
The
expected high temperatures in the next few days will be in the high 40s(9 centigrade) with cloudy skies, due to its cold and windy climate, people
spend a lot of time indoors and are unlikely to venture out with bare arms and
legs.
If
it becomes sunny the
public still should take precautions and avoid going outside during the peak hours of 11:00 a.m. and 3:00
p.m. to avoid exposure to the UV rays. If people do go outside during these
hours they should wear protective sunscreen and if possible a hat or head
covering and sunglasses with a uv rating.
The
ozone layer in the upper atmosphere is the key filter for damaging ultraviolet-B
(UV-B) radiation in the Sun's rays. Without it, organisms suffer extensive DNA
damage, which in humans results in a greater increase in the risk of skin
cancer, eye cataracts and defects in the body's immune system.
T
http://exp-studies.tor.ec.gc.ca/cgi-bin/selectMap?lang=e
At
53 degrees south latitude, Punta Arenas is one of the world's southernmost
cities, sitting on the Straits of Magellan only 900 miles from Antarctica.
Population
-
Rio
Grande Argentina 55,000
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Ushuaia
Argentina 39,000
-
Rio
Gallegos Argentina 79,000
-
Puerto
Natales Chile 16,000
-
Punta
Arenas Chile139,000
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Puerto
Williams Chile 2,000
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Falkland
islands 3,100
The total ozone maps are based on ground-based measurements available from the World
Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre. Preliminary near real-time data
from ground-based observations were also used for the most recent maps. Total
ozone values are given in Dobson
Units. The numbers represent observations taken from ground stations
situated at the bottom left corner of the number.
Maps of deviations represent total ozone deviations
from the 1978-1988
level estimated using Total Ozone
Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data for all areas except the Antarctic and from
the pre-1980 level estimated using Dobson data over the Antarctic.
Over areas with poor data coverage adjustments are
made according to TOMS on Nimbus-7,
Meteor-3, ADEOS and Earth Probe satellites. Over the polar night area Dobson and
Brewer moon observations and/or NOAA's
TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) satellite data are used. TOVS data
are also used when the more reliable TOMS data are not available. The mapping
algorithm is similar to those used by the WMO
Ozone Mapping Centre.
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