G L Khajuria
Ozone layer, a protective sheath encircling the spaceship Mother Earth is protecting all the bio life sustaining on it from ultraviolet rays of sun. The atmosphere surrounding this bio-Cushioning life is being surrounded by two different layers-troposphere, some 15 kms high and the stratosphere, a second layer of air ranging from 15 kms to around 50 kms. The ozone ring lies between this 15 to 45 kms. This is the protective layer sieving all ultraviolet rays of the sun.
With the rise in the population and developmental activities, industrialization, and auto mobilization are all aggravating the mounting pollution in the form of emission of poisonous gases giving impetus to global warming. Unlike oxygen which is made up of two atoms 02, this ozone has three atoms O3, and is thereby shielding against the lethal ultraviolet rays of sun. The man made modern luxuries which are in a variety of ways are retro naturing the life system. The air emitting C.F.C ‘s(Chrolo-Fluro-Carbons) which are directly making the atmosphere warmer. And this is progressively enhancing the atmosphere and the day shall not be far off when this life-leasing layer shall become a subject to human life’s threat. And God forbid, if it is punctured, there shall be holocaustic consequences when the sustaining life of both flora and fauna will become subject to most dreaded disease like cancer and all the plant life sustaining over the land and seas. The bio diversity shall face annihilation so to say, this may char or burn to cinder all living being over the globe.
The satellite imageries are continuously monitoring the depletion. Though this has lesser affected unpopulated Antarctic but elsewhere this depletion is making hazardous impacts. The situation is very much alarming worldwide and no country is an exception to it. There are snow-topped Himalayas and glaciers which are subject to continuous melting owing to the global warming. This resultantly tantamount to submergence of many islands and sea shores world over.
According to European scientists, every year at the end of Antarctic winter, a hole in the ozone layer is created and subsequently within 10 days the stratospheric ozone is depleted by 50% or so. By 1985, this hole had reached the size of American continent and the thin-periphery of this layer around the puncture has now reached the size of New Zealand and part of Australian continent.
American scientists from university of Wyoming and N.0.A.A.research organization claimed that mixture of nitric acid and water frozen into aerosol particles, other trace gases also play pivotal part in ozone cycle, particularly the hazardous impacts of C.F.Cs. They are the special target to the “Cyro-trop” set up by a working group of Jullich nuclear research facility (KFA).
In a joint venture, the atmosphere scientists from the federal Republic of Germany, France and US set up the “CHEOPS” research campaign. The acronym stands for the “Chemistry of Ozone in the polar stratosphere”. The aim of CHEOPS is to shed light on the complex processes surroundings the destruction and regeneration of the stratosphere in so far as Ozone layer is concerned. The Scientists involved journey to the polar region during the coldest weeks in the year. This is because the chemical reaction that ends in the mass destruction of the ozone molecules do not begin until the temperature of the stratosphere drops to the minimum 80 degrees Celsius. The temperature of the air mass above the Artic normally falls low during the dark polar nights. The base camp of the research team is in the northern Sweden, some 50 kms east of Kiruna in Lapland. The situation is operated by Sweden state space agency “Rhmadbolaget”.
Recently U.S. researchers have suggested that west Antarctica ice sheet has been melting and constantly contributing water to the ocean for the last ten thousand years and if such a melting goes on at such a pace, an area around 3,60,00 sq. miles shall disappear within a period of several years or so.
The researchers have further claimed of their being not sure that such a melting is an outcome of Global warming but at the same time have admitted that much of the bed rock under ice is below sea level. The ice sheet could be susceptible to any further warming of oceans. The ice sheer contains enough water to raise global sea level melting of small fractions which could have holocaustic hazards, they claimed.
Surprisingly enough, as per last findings, the globe’s average temperature has been witnessed one degree per thousand years over the last quarter of century and an abrupt rise of 2-3 degrees has been noticed and it shall shoot further. The signal of apocalyptic nature which all nations of the world should take a serious note of it.
According to the latest researches and documentation by US and other enviro-scientists, the ozone hole is regressing and is expected to reduce to a smaller size by year ending 2040. The National Aeronautics and space Administration (NASA) scientists have established as such and have suggested further to all nations of the world to pledge for minimum emission of Chloro-fluoro-carbons(CFC’s) to avert exaggerating ozone hole. This is most warranting for all the nations to ensure the survival and sustainability of the planet earth which beyond all ambiguities is in peril for the future ahead.
(The author is Former Dy. Conservator of forest, J&K).
