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Ozone will warm planet more than first thought, study finds
Original article available at Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
From phys.org
The world will warm more than expected due to future changes in ozone, which protects the Earth from harmful sun rays but also traps heat as it is a greenhouse gas.
While banning ozone-destroying gases such as CFCs has helped the ozone layer to recover, when combined with increased air pollution the impact of ozone could warm the planet 40% more than originally thought.
A new study led by the University of Reading found that from 2015 to 2050, ozone is expected to cause 0.27 watts per square meter (Wm-2) of extra warming. This figure—which measures how much extra energy gets trapped per square meter of Earth's surface—would make ozone the second largest contributor to future warming by 2050, after carbon dioxide (1.75 Wm-2 of extra warming).
Professor Bill Collins, lead author from the University of Reading, said, "Countries are doing the right thing by continuing to ban chemicals called CFCs and HCFCs that damage the ozone layer above Earth. However, while this helps repair the protective ozone layer, we have found that this recovery in ozone will warm the planet more than we originally thought.
more ...
While banning ozone-destroying gases such as CFCs has helped the ozone layer to recover, when combined with increased air pollution the impact of ozone could warm the planet 40% more than originally thought.
A new study led by the University of Reading found that from 2015 to 2050, ozone is expected to cause 0.27 watts per square meter (Wm-2) of extra warming. This figure—which measures how much extra energy gets trapped per square meter of Earth's surface—would make ozone the second largest contributor to future warming by 2050, after carbon dioxide (1.75 Wm-2 of extra warming).
Professor Bill Collins, lead author from the University of Reading, said, "Countries are doing the right thing by continuing to ban chemicals called CFCs and HCFCs that damage the ozone layer above Earth. However, while this helps repair the protective ozone layer, we have found that this recovery in ozone will warm the planet more than we originally thought.
more ...