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To: elpolvo who wrote (27943)	7/31/2003 3:12:29 PM
From: abuelita	Respond to of 104191

ed- i'm submitting this for fuzzy 'cause he's obviously not back yet: 49ers Get Good News On Beasley Wednesday, July 30, 2003 sf49ers.com -joser

To: elpolvo who wrote (27943)	7/31/2003 3:17:12 PM
From: abuelita	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 104191

Good news from ozone layer By Deborah Smith, Science Writer July 31 2003 Ozone destruction in the upper atmosphere has begun to slow - a first sign that the international ban on emissions of chlorofluorocarbons is working. The good news for the protective ozone layer was discovered by researchers analysing measurements made by three NASA satellites over the past 20 years. The team leader, Michael Newchurch, of the University of Alabama, said the recent changes they had observed were small but important. "This is the beginning of a recovery of the ozone layer. We had a monumental problem of global scale that we have started to resolve." He said the findings, to be published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, meant the ban on CFCs and other halogenated hydrocarbons should continue. Scientists had known from research in Australia and overseas that phasing out these chemicals from 1989 had already led to a slowdown in the accumulation of chlorine in the atmosphere. But the satellite study is the first to observe an associated reduction in ozone depletion. Professor Newchurch cautioned in a statement that this beneficial effect was restricted so far to the upper stratosphere, a layer between 35 and 45 kilometres above the Earth, where there is not a lot of ozone. "We don't see compelling evidence that the destruction of ozone is slowing in the lower stratosphere [20 to 35 kilometres up], where 80 per cent of the protective ozone layer exists," he said. It would take decades for the layer, which protects us from the sun's ultraviolet light, to be fully restored. The study was only possible because the satellites were able to detect one ozone molecule among a million air molecules, he said. Their "capability to do it consistently for 20 years without human intervention is absolutely astounding". Monitoring needed to continue. "We are not out of the woods yet. We have been surprised before by atmospheric changes and must continue to carefully measure our atmosphere to avoid being surprised again." Paul Fraser, of CSIRO Atmospheric Research in Melbourne, described the new study as a "significant result". Last year, Dr Fraser's team discovered that the level of chlorine in the atmosphere released by CFCs, the main source of chlorine pollution, had begun to fall. He said ozone in the upper stratosphere was particularly sensitive to chlorine levels but, because there was so little of it, it was important that signs of a slowdown also be detected in the lower stratosphere. Observations in Melbourne suggested this might be starting to occur, but were not yet conclusive. Many factors apart from chlorine levels, including amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxode and methane, influence ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere.

To: elpolvo who wrote (27943)	7/31/2003 3:26:05 PM
From: abuelita	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 104191

ed- ... bad news travels like the plague. good news doesn't travel well. yesterday, those who made the trek to downsview were carriers of good news. ... thestar.com