According to new research, ozone may be a more significant greenhouse gas than previously thought. Changes in ozone levels in the upper and lower atmosphere were found to be responsible for nearly a third of the warming seen in ocean waters bordering Antarctica in the last half of the twentieth century.
Most of this warming was the result of ozone increases in the lower atmosphere.
Dr. Michaela Hegglin, one of the study’s authors, said: “Ozone close to Earth’s surface is harmful to people and the environment, but this study reveals it also has a big impact on the ocean’s ability to absorb excess heat from the atmosphere.
“These findings are an eye-opener and hammer home the importance of regulating air pollution to prevent increased ozone levels and global temperatures rising further still.”
The team made models to simulate changes in ozone levels in the upper and lower atmosphere between 1955 and 2000.
These simulations showed that a decrease in ozone in the upper atmosphere and increase in the lower atmosphere both contributed to warming noticed in the upper 2km of the ocean waters in the high latitudes by overall greenhouse gas increases.
They showed that the increased ozone in the lower atmosphere caused 60% of the overall ozone-induced warming seen in the Southern Ocean over the period studied. This was surprising because tropospheric ozone increases are mainly thought of as a climate forcing in the Northern hemisphere since that is where most pollution occurs.
www.scitechdaily.com/ozone-may-be-weakening-one-of-the-earths-most-important-cooling-mechanisms-heating-the-planet-more-than-we-realize/