Four New Mysterious Man-made Gases Depleting Ozone Layer

Four new mysterious atmospheric man-made gases have been discovered by international scientists, which are destroying the protective ozone layer, according to a new finding.

Based on comparisons of present day air samples with the air samples trapped in the polar firm snow (unconsolidated snow),  researchers at the University of East Anglia identified four new man-made gases that are contributing to the depletion of the Earth's ozone layer.

For this study the researchers analyzed the unpolluted air samples from Tasmania between 1978 and 2012. They collected samples of compact snow from Greenland ice cores.  The team is trying to trace the source of the chemical gases that have accumulated in the atmosphere recently and were not seen  before the 1960s.

After the 1990s this the first time that researchers have identified mysterious chemicals that are causing significant damage to the Earth's stratospheric layer, reports NDTV.com.

Analysis of the sample reveals that over 74,000 tons of three new chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and one new hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) have been released in to the atmosphere and two of these man-made gases are accumulating at an alarming rate.

These atmospheric man-made gases are just a tiny fraction of the million metric tons of CFCs that were emitted every year during the 1980s, which touched a million tons a year. But this alarming rate was brought down after stringent measures were taken globally to cut down the rates. The Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987 to  bring down CFC emissions. In 2010 a total global ban came into effect on CFC production.

Lead researcher Dr Johannes Laube from UEA's School of Environmental Sciences said, "Our research has shown four gases that were not around in the atmosphere at all until the 1960s which suggests they are man-made. CFCs are the main cause of the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. Laws to reduce and phase out CFCs came into force in 1989, followed by a total ban in 2010. This has resulted in successfully reducing the production of many of these compounds on a global scale. However, legislation loopholes still allow some usage for exempted purposes."

This new finding is alarming as the gases contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer that protects the Earth from the harmful ultraviolet radiations of the Sun. These UV rays cause skin cancer and even eye diseases.

The researchers are currently clueless on the source of the new gases but assume that the possible sources for these potentially dangerous gases include  feedstock chemicals for pesticide production and solvents that are used for cleaning electronic devices.

What is really worrying the researchers is  the slow rate of destruction of these CFCs makes it impossible to completely eliminate them from the atmosphere even if there is an immediate arrest in its production.

The study 'Newly detected ozone depleting substance in the atmosphere', was funded by the Natural  Environment Research Council (NERC), the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), the European Union, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

The finding was documented in the journal Nature Geosciences.