Expedition Detects Arctic Ozone Collapse
Observations from the 15-month Tara Schooner Expedition in the Arctic have determined that surface ozone in the Arctic can completely disappear in just a matter of days.
Ozone measurements from the ship in late April of 2007 found virtually no ice-level ozone for a 15+ day period, which is measured in the first 100-200 meters of air. According to the BBC News article, ice-level ozone falls victim to reactive bromine atoms released naturally from briny Arctic waters.
The scientists speculate that a warming Arctic would lead to more slushy ice, which could assist in the release of bromine, resulting in even longer periods of ozone loss, limiting the region's ability to deal with pollutants in the atmosphere.
"Ozone is the source for the 'vacuum cleaner of the atmosphere' - the molecule OH. So if we don't have as much ozone, we can't make as much hydroxide. If we then pump pollutants from mid-latitudes into the Arctic, they may just stay there," explained Dr Jan Bottenheim from Environment Canada.
You can see the track the ship has taken across the Arctic toward the end of the article. There is also an interesting part on the observations of "frazil ice" at the bottom of the page.
