Discovered four new artificial gases that punctured the ozone layer

(new research) - A new study found that four new artificial gases have appeared in the atmosphere.

74,000 tons of this group of CFCs and new HCFCs have contributed to ozone depletion. This scale of emissions has not been observed in any other CFCs since control measures have been in place since the 1990s.

Scientists at the University of East Anglia have identified four new artificial gases in the atmosphere - all of which are contributing to ozone depletion.

This new study has been published in Nature Geoscience. Research shows that more than 74,000 tons of chemicals belong to three new types: chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and a new type of hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) that has been discharged directly into the atmosphere.

Scientists found this discovery by comparing current air patterns with the air trapped in the polar snow - providing a century-old natural archive of the atmosphere. They also looked at air samples collected from 1978 to 2012 in the unpolluted Tasmania region.

Estimates show that all four artificial gases are released into the atmosphere recently, and two of them are accumulating significantly. Scientists say that such a large increase in emissions has not occurred with any CFCs since it was controlled in the 1990s, but there has not been any CFC emissions in the 1980s. can reach about 1 billion tons / year.

The lead of this study is Dr. Johannes Laube from the Department of Environmental Science at the University of East Anglia, who said: 'Our research has shown that these four gases have never appeared in the atmosphere for until the 1960s, this showed that they were artificial gases'.

CFCs are the main cause of ozone depletion in the Antarctic atmosphere. Laws to reduce and eliminate CFCs have been in force since 1989, followed by a total ban in 2010. This has led to a reduction in the production of these chemical compounds on a regular basis. Successful global tissue. However, a legal loophole still allows use for some exempted purposes.

The determination of these four gases is very worrying because they all contribute to ozone depletion. We do not know where these emissions are emitted and this needs to be investigated. Sources are likely to include chemical raw materials for the production of pesticides and solvents for cleaning electronic components.

'Moreover, three CFCs are decaying very slowly in the atmosphere - so even if emissions are stopped immediately, these chemicals still remain in the atmosphere for decades to come,' he said. additional.

This study was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the National Center for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), the European Union (European Union) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).