[DIALOGnews] DIALOG AND DISCCRS News Oct. 4, 2002
Susan Weiler
weilercs@whitman.edu
Sat, 5 Oct 2002 11:14:56 -0700
Unusually small Antarctic ozone hole this year
Coastal and Marine Ecosystems and Climate Change--Report on impacts
on US resources
Postdoc, Max Planck Inst. Germany
NOAA Position
Depth records: from Walter Munk
**********************
UNUSUALLY SMALL ANTARCTIC OZONE HOLE THIS YEAR
ATTRIBUTED TO EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG STRATOSPHERIC WEATHER SYSTEMS
NASA Press release:
Scientists from NASA and the Commerce Department's
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have
confirmed the ozone hole over the Antarctic this September is
not only much smaller than it was in 2000 and 2001, but has
split into two separate "holes."
The researchers stressed the smaller hole is due to this
year's peculiar stratospheric weather patterns and that a
single year's unusual pattern does not make a long-term
trend. Moreover, they said, the data are not conclusive that
the ozone layer is recovering.
Paul Newman, a lead ozone researcher at NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., said this year, warmer-than-
normal temperatures around the edge of the polar vortex that
forms annually in the stratosphere over Antarctica are
responsible for the smaller ozone loss.
Estimates for the last two weeks of the size of the Antarctic
Ozone Hole (the region with total column ozone below 220
Dobson Units), from the NASA Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping
Spectrometer (EPTOMS) and the NOAA-16 Solar Backscatter
Ultraviolet instrument (SBUV/2), are around 15 million square
kilometers (6 million square miles). These values are well
below the more-than 24 million sq. km. (9 million sq. mi.)
seen the last six years for the same time of year.
The stratosphere is a portion of the atmosphere about 6-to-30
miles above the Earth's surface where the ozone layer is
found. The ozone layer prevents the sun's harmful ultraviolet
radiation from reaching the Earth's surface. Ultraviolet
radiation is a primary cause of skin cancer. Without
protective upper-level ozone, there would be no life on
Earth.
"The Southern Hemisphere's stratosphere was unusually
disturbed this year," said Craig Long, meteorologist at
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC). The unusual weather
patterns were so strong, the ozone hole split into two pieces
during late September. NOAA's CPC has been monitoring and
studying the ozone since the early 1970s. "This is the first
time we've seen the polar vortex split in September," said
Long.
At South Pole Station, balloon-borne ozone-measuring
instruments launched by NOAA's Climate Monitoring and
Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) reveal the vertical structure
of the developing ozone hole. Bryan Johnson, a scientist with
CMDL, said the main ozone depletion region, from 7-to-14
miles above the Earth, has large ozone losses, similar to the
last few years. At more than 15 miles above the Earth,
surface measurements show higher-than-normal ozone
concentrations and higher temperatures.
The combination of these layers indicate total ozone levels
in a column of atmosphere will be higher than observed during
the last few years, Johnson said. However, some layers may
still show complete ozone destruction by early October, when
ozone depletion is greatest.
In 2001, the Antarctic ozone hole was larger than the
combined area of the United States, Canada and Mexico. The
last time the ozone hole was this small was in 1988, and that
was also due to warm atmospheric temperatures.
"While chlorine and bromine chemicals cause the ozone hole,
temperature is also a key factor in ozone loss," Newman said.
The Montreal Protocol and its amendments banned chlorine-
containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and bromine-containing
halons in 1995, because of their destructive effect on the
ozone layer. However, CFCs and halons are extremely long-
lived and still linger at high concentrations in the
atmosphere.
The coldest temperatures over the South Pole typically occur
in August and September. Thin clouds form in these cold
conditions, and chemical reactions on the cloud particles
help chlorine and bromine gases to rapidly destroy ozone. By
early October, temperatures usually begin to warm, and
thereafter the ozone layer starts to recover.
NOAA and NASA continuously observe Antarctic ozone with a
combination of ground, balloon, and satellite-based
instruments.
For more information and images see:
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20020926ozonehole.html
http://toms.gsfc.nasa.gov/ozone/today.html
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/polar/pola
r.html
http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/
http://toms.gsfc.nasa.gov/eptoms/dataqual/ozone.html
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/polar/gif_
files/ozone_hole_plot.png
**************
COASTAL AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS AND GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE - POTENTIAL
EFFECTS ON U.S. RESOURCES
An Environmental Impacts report released August 14, 2002
explores the hazards climate change will pose to marine life.
Read the press release:
http://www.pewclimate.org/media/pr_marine.cfm
View the full report:
http://www.pewclimate.org/projects/marine.cfm
**************
POSTDOC, MAX PLANCK INST. FOR CHEMISTRY
Trace gas measurements from tall towers in Germany and Siberia
The Department of Biogeochemistry at the Max Planck Institute for
Chemistry in Mainz invites applications for a postdoctoral research
position to measure atmospheric trace gases from tall towers in central
Siberia and Germany. The aim of this multi-institutional project is to
investigate the role of the Eurasian landmass on the global carbon
cycle. Measurements will include various gaseous carbon species and
their isotopes, other tracers and aerosols. The successful applicant
will participate in setting up the experiment and is primarily
responsible for the in-situ measurements of carbon monoxide. Qualified
candidates should have a PhD in atmospheric chemistry or in a related
field, and experience with analytical techniques. This position is
funded for four years. For more information contact Dr. M. K. Vollmer;
Max Planck Institute for Chemistry; Biogeochemistry, P.O. Box 3060,
55020 Mainz, Germany; e-mail: vollmer@mpch-mainz.mpg.de.
(www.mpch-mainz.mpg.de/~vollmer).
The Max Planck Society wishes to increase the number of female coworkers
and therefore encourages qualified women to apply. Disabled applicants
are given priority if suitably qualified.
Dr. Martin K. Vollmer
Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Biogeochemistry
for courier deliveries:
P.O. Box 3060 Joh. J. Becher-Weg 27
D-55020 Mainz D-55128 Mainz
Germany Germany
Phone: ++49 6131 305 422/421i Email: vollmer@mpch-mainz.mpg.de
Fax: ++49 6131 305 487 http://www.mpch-mainz.mpg.de/~vollmer
**************
NOAA POSITION
>This GS 11-12 position closes 10/09/02...for more information, please
>contact Russell Callendar at Russell.Callender@noaa.gov or 301-713-2465
>x. 119 (he is Knauss alumni, very personable, and promised to answer
>your questions;-) Have a great day, Kola
>Science Program Staff Position at NOAA
> The Office of Scientific Support (OSS) within NOAA Research (Office of
>Oceanic and Atmospheric Research-OAR) is seeking an environmental
>scientist for the Ocean Science Team. The position requires applying
>technical expertise to science management issues. Specific duties
>include staff support to the OAR Assistant Administrator for Research,
>liaison with other NOAA line offices and laboratories as well as project
>management as assigned. Minimum qualifications: graduate degree in
>natural sciences; working knowledge of ocean research and technologies;
>familiarity with peer review and Federal grant process; good
>communication skills with a variety of constituents; ability to work
>with others and complete multiple assignments simultaneously. Salary is
>commensurate with experience. Please see the full job description at
>the NOAA website under Employment Opportunities- www.jobs.doc.gov
(Announcement Number: H-OAR-02053.03.RAW).
**************
DEPTH RECORDS--FROM WALTER MUNK
--Strange things sometimes happen when oceanographers work in
fresh water: I picked this off a newsletter, and couldn't help
passing it on:
La Jolla, California -- Reader Walter Munk provided us with some up-close
observation of the Trieste depth record "controversy." He wrote: "You say
that the origin of the 2,000-feet error is unknown. I remember the day this
feat was announced; (Dr.) Roger Revelle called the Chief of Naval Operations
requesting a delay of the announcement of reaching a 37,800-feet depth. In
some previous work in this area by the Scripps vessel R/V Horizon, the
indicated depth was closer to 36,000 feet. The CNO went ahead with the
announcement anyhow.
The 37,800-feet depth came from the Trieste pressure gage; the 36,000-feet
figure was based on acoustic sounding. On that very day, Jacques Piccard
came to dinner. Apparently he had not heard about the controversy. When we
told him, he said: 'My God, we calibrated the depth gage of the Trieste with
Lake Geneva fresh water!' You need to check this with Andy (Rechnitzer). It
all happened so long ago. But I will affirm the following (modified) version
of the usual oath: 'Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, or
whatever it is you think you remember?'" - Dr. Walter Munk, Scripps
Institution of Oceanography/University of California at San Diego.
--
C. Susan Weiler, Ph.D.
Biology Department
Whitman College
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Tel: 509-527-5948
Fax: 509-527-5961
Programs for Recent PhDs http://aslo.org/phd.html
DIALOG and DIACES poster http://aslo.org/dialog/dialogposter.pdf
DISCCRS poster
http://aslo.org/disccrs/disccrsposter.pdf
Minorities in the Aquatic Sciences http://aslo.org/mas/
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