the late 1960s when Apollo missions were
bound for the moon that we were first
able to see complete pictures of the
earth environmentalists began to look at
our planet as a single fragile ecosystem
now we are intensely studying the thin
halo of atmosphere that surrounds and
protects earth it recycles the air we
breathe regulates climate and acts as a
protective barrier filtering out much of
the sun's harmful radiation last year an
international group of scientists proved
that ozone the key element in this
filtering process is being lost at
farming rate over the South Pole in fact
a sizable hole develops over this area
each winter without ozo the sun's
harmful radiation will destroy life
a group of man-made compounds called
chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs used as
refrigerants cleaning solvent sending
some plastic forms are to blame for this
environmental problem they eventually
make their way into the atmosphere and
destroy ozone according to dr. Brian
tune of NASA's Ames Research Center it
is a global scale environmental problem
this really marks the first time I in
the history of environmental science
where human beings and one side of the
planet have done something to the planet
that is significantly affected globally
and on the far side of the planet from
where the original pollution took place
using the beautiful sea port town of
stavanger norway as a base of operations
an international team of scientists
assembled this year in an emergency
effort to make a detailed study of the
North Pole most of the work was
performed a blow to any NASA aircraft
this is the nail art to not for the
mission special wing pods are attached
containing atmospheric chemistry
analysis equipment and a host of other
instruments typically flights are made
about 12 miles
the fringes of space like into the
layers of atmosphere directly affected
by ozone mars the ER to is research
partner is a modified ECA it flies at
lower altitudes but has increased fuel
reserves which allowed to cover more
territory even flights directly over the
North Pole inside the dc-8 is actually a
complete scientific Observatory loaded
with sensing instruments scientists
perform their experiments and are able
to map results right on the spot this
instrument contains for lasers capable
of shooting life many miles up into the
atmosphere the light reflects back to
the plane and provide scientists with a
cross-sectional map of ozone
concentrations as well as aerosols or
regions where ozone depletion is capable
of occurring initial results from both
aircraft indicate that high
concentrations of CFCs have been found
at northern latitudes primed for ozone
destruction
when combined with high altitude ice
clouds the right amount of sunlight and
confined slow moving masses of air ozone
destruction occurs as a result of this
airborne mission scientists who are able
to confirm the process and product areas
of depletion international policy makers
have met in hopes of limiting the amount
of CFC production and losing they agreed
to phase out the truce by the year 2000
many scientists word that this may not
be soon enough again dr. P the ozone
problem for example when you release
clear fluorocarbons to the environment
it's decades to centuries before those
are removed researching safe economic
replacements for CFCs is a vital part of
solving this serious environmental issue
thanks to the intensive work done in the
last few years
we know why ozone depletion exists it is
now up to the world community to take
responsibility for the future of our
global environment