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16 September –
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
ANTARCTIC OZONE
HOLE UNUSUALLY LARGE
Geneva, 16 September 2003
– According to the
World Meteorological Organization (WMO), measurements over and near Antarctica
show that ozone is decreasing more rapidly this year than in previous years and
that the size of the ozone hole is now as large as the all time record size of
28 million sq. km during September 2000. This is in stark contrast to the ozone
hole last year when it was the smallest in more than a decade after splitting in
two during late September.
In recent years, the
ozone hole is at or near its maximum size during mid-September, with the maximum
sometimes reached in late September. It cannot be predicted with certainty
whether the ozone hole will continue to grow during the next few weeks. Recent
variations in size, depth and persistence of the ozone hole are due to
year-to-year changes in meteorological conditions in the lower stratosphere over
Antarctica, rather than changes in the amount of ozone depleting chemicals
present in the ozone layer.
The use of ozone depleting
chemicals is presently being controlled through the enforcement of international
agreements. Measurements show that most of these chemicals are decreasing in the
lower atmosphere and they appear to have reached their peak in the critically
important ozone layer in the stratosphere. There is a delay in the cleansing of
these chemicals from the ozone layer, and it is expected to require decades
before the stratosphere returns to pre-ozone hole conditions. Complete recovery
of the ozone layer will require continuing diligence with the enforcement of the
international agreements.
In recognition of the
importance of international co-operation on environmental issues and to
commemorate the date of the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, 16
September has been designated by the United Nations as International Day for the
Preservation of the Ozone Layer. On this occasion, Prof. G.O.P. Obasi,
Secretary-General of WMO urged all nations to pursue their efforts in the
monitoring of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and in the
implementation of the Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer and
the Montreal Protocol and Amendments on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer.
For more information, please
contact: Ms Carine Richard-Van Maele or Dr Michael Profitt Chief, Information
and Public Affairs Senior Scientific Officer World Meteorological Organization
World Meteorological Organization 7, bis Av. De la Paix 7, bis Av. De la Paix
CH-1211 GENEVA 2 CH-1211 GENEVA 2 Tel: + 41 22 730 83 14/15 Tel: + 41 22 730
8235 Fax: + 41 22 730 80 27
E-mail : proffitt_m@gateway.wmo.ch
E-mail: vanmaele@gateway.wmo.ch
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