Ozone heating planet more than we realise, says study

London, April 7: Ozone may be weakening one of the Earth's most important cooling mechanisms, making it a more significant greenhouse gas than previously thought, recent research has found.

The research by an international team of scientists, led by the University of California Riverside, is published in Nature Climate Change. The study has revealed that changes to ozone levels in the upper and lower atmosphere were responsible for almost a third of the warming seen in ocean waters bordering Antarctica in the second half of the 20th century.

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The deep and rapid warming in the Southern Ocean affects its role as one of the main regions for soaking up excess heat as the planet warms. The majority of this warming was the result of ozone increases in the lower atmosphere. Ozone, one of the main components of smog, is already hazardous as a pollutant, but the research shows it may also play a significant role in driving climate change in the coming years. Dr Michaela Hegglin, an Associate Professor in atmospheric chemistry and one of the study's authors, said: "Ozone close to Earth's surface is harmful to people and the environment, but this study reveals it also has a big impact on the ocean's ability to absorb excess heat from the atmosphere. "These findings are an eye-opener and hammer home the importance of regulating air pollution to prevent increased ozone levels and global temperatures rising further still." Ozone hit the headlines in the 1980s when a hole was discovered in the ozone layer high in the atmosphere over the South Pole, due to damage caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a gas used in industry and consumer products. The ozone layer is vital as it filters dangerous ultraviolet radiation from reaching Earth's surface. This discovery led to the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to halt the production of CFCs. Also read | India, Australia to start dual degree programme for students: Piyush Goyal -PTC News