The Air Up There: The truth about the hole in the ozone layer

The cover for the February 17th, 1992 edition of Time magazine screamed out the shocking and terrifying headline “Vanishing Ozone: The Danger Moves Closer to Home”. The article goes on to describe how NASA has confirmed that the ozone is depleting in increasingly larger areas and could soon reach into areas of high population concentrations. I have been interested in science for most of my life. I was especially intrigued by weather and the atmosphere. I had heard vague references to a hole in the ozone layer from media, teachers, and other people I respected so I had always assumed that they were right. Over the past three years I have been using a science curriculum called “Exploring God Through Creation”. It is written by a scientist named Dr. Jay L. Wile. In these books I have found a wealth of information that not only deny the existence of a hole in the ozone layer, but also prove why it would be impossible for there to be one. How can I, only a teenager, go against NASA and say that this is false? I can because as well-written as this article is, it does not tell you the whole story. I am here today to tell you the rest of the story. I will give you a background as to what ozone is, as well as what it does, why scientists say it is being depleted, and give you the evidence to disprove their theory.
Ozone is the name scientists gave to an oxygen molecule that has three oxygen atoms. Ozone is all throughout the atmosphere, the concentration is higher in the layer known as the ozone layer. The typical way oxygen is found in the atmosphere is in groups of two, I will refer to this as O2. The bond keeping these atoms together is made by the two atoms sharing electrons. The most effective way to break this bond is introducing the presence of ultraviolet radiation. When an ultraviolet radiation hits the electron bond the bond is broken and the atoms create a bond with the nearest O2 molecule to form ozone, this also absorbs the ultraviolet radiation. As most of us will recall from science class the sun gives off ultraviolet radiation at all times. The ultraviolet radiation needed to break the electron bond is harmful to the human skin and causes cancer. Thus, while the ultraviolet radiation is hitting the atmosphere, it is hitting the O2, breaking the bonds, and being absorbed. Because of this, ozone is constantly being broken down and re-created, usually amounting several tons per second. The amount of ozone in the atmosphere depends on the season, solar location, and the latitude of the measurement.
Ozone is a volatile and unstable molecule that reacts with other atoms which renders them unable to protect the Earth from ultraviolet radiation. One of the atoms ozone reacts with is chlorine. There is always chlorine in the atmosphere. Because chlorine interacts with the valued ozone, scientists have come to regard it as a destroyer which must be stopped. By reading the amount of active chlorine in the atmosphere they claim to know where the holes lie. Some scientists have come to believe that the chlorine in the atmosphere comes from the use of chlorofluorocarbons, which are more commonly known as CFC’s. The phase-out of this valuable molecule has already begun in the US because of a bill that was passed through Congress with remarkable speed due to a unanimous vote. I say that CFCs are valuable because of their cheap production and the beneficial uses as refrigerants and fire extinguishers, among other uses. The reason behind the unanimous vote within Congress was a NASA press release that had found a startlingly high reading of active chlorine in the atmosphere.
This all seems reasonable enough. Unfortunately this was only half the truth. The report by NASA was quoted as saying that the reading was a “peak”. That means that the previous and following readings were either low or normal. The report also failed to mention that the amount of active chlorine, which is the form required to react with an atom or molecule, fluctuates with the temperature and the presence of atmospheric ice crystals. I mentioned before that chlorine is always present in the atmosphere. I also mentioned that CFCs are the accepted cause of ozone destruction. Unfortunately CFCs are heavier than air and the only way they could make their way up to the ozone layer is by extremely high winds. There has also been no evidence of the leftovers of a CFC molecule break-up found in the ozone layer. How then, can CFCs be the culprit behind the destruction of ozone? The answer is simple, they cannot. Where does the chlorine come from? The ocean evaporates around six hundred million tons of chloride each year. Chloride is the negative ion of a chlorine atom. An ion is an atom with an electron imbalance. Similarly, volcanic eruptions emit millions of tons of chloride into the atmosphere all at once. CFCs maxed out at a mere 1.1 million tons or production per year. That only translates to about 750 thousand tons of chlorine. Scientists cannot even prove that the level of ozone is constantly being depleted by chlorine.
I will finish by saying that a hole in the ozone layer is actually measured as there being a concentration of less than 50%. The first measurement and observation of this occurred over Antarctica in 1956, several years before CFCs were in common use. The hole appeared for three to five weeks at the end of the cold, dark Arctic winter. It was associated with the arrival of the Polar Vortex. The temperature required for this anomaly is -80 degrees centigrade. After the duration of the Polar Vortex the ozone level went back to its usual concentration. In 1989-1992, there was no Artic hole. While the book I used was published in 1993 I will venture a hypothesis that there hasn’t been a hole. For further information I would refer you to the book Environmental Overkill: Whatever happened to common sense by Dixy Lee Ray.


I would ask that anyone who wishes to start a debate about this to refrain from doing so in the context of this site. If you really need to then email me with your argument. And be prepared because I know what I'm talking about. This is another speech for my public speaking class.