Abstract
The possibility that the stratospheric ozone layer could be depleted by half at certain latitudes and seasons would have been deemed a preposterous and alarmist suggestion in the early 1980s. A decade later, the statement is acknowledged as proved beyond reasonable scientific doubt. Observations of the composition of the Antarctic stratosphere have established that the chemistry of this region is highly unusual because of its extreme cold temperatures, leading to a greatly enhanced susceptibility to chlorine-catalysed ozone depletion.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
National Research Council Causes and Effects of Changes in Stratospheric Ozone: Update 1983 (National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1984).
Molina, M. J. & Rowland, F. S. Nature 249, 810–814 (1974).
Stolarski, R. A. & Cicerone, R. J. Can. J. Chem. 52, 1610–1615 (1974).
Prinn, R. G. et al. J. geophys. Res. 88, 8853–8868 (1983).
World Meteorological Organization. Rep. No. 20, Vol. 1 (1990).
Farman, J. C., Gardiner, B. G. & Shanklin, J. D. Nature 315, 207–210 (1985).
Wuebbles, D. J., Luther, F. M. & Penner, J. E. J. geophys. Res. 88, 1444–1456 (1983).
Komhyr, W. D., Grass, R. D. & Leonard, R. K. Geophys. Res. Lett. 13, 1248–1251 (1986).
Komhyr, W. D., Oltmans, S. J. & Grass, R. D. J. geophys. Res. 93, 5167–5184 (1988).
Chubachi, S. Mem. Natl. Inst. Polar Res., Spec. Iss. 34, 13–18 (1984).
Andrews, D. G., Holton, J. R. & Leovy, C. B. Middle Atmosphere Dynamics (Academic, London, 1987).
Gardiner, B. G. & Shanklin, J. D. Geophys. Res. Lett. 13, 1199–1201 (1986).
Newman, P. A. Geophys. Res. Lett. 13, 1228–1231 (1986).
Callis, L. B. & Natarajan, M. J. geophys. Res. 91, 10771–10780 (1986).
Tung, K. K., Ko, M. K. W., Rodriguez, J. M. & Sze, N. D. Nature 338, 811–814 (1986).
Mahlman, J. D. & Fels, S. B. Geophys. Res. Lett. 13, 1316–1319 (1986).
Solomon, S., Garcia, R. R., Rowland, F. S. & Wuebbles, D. J. Nature 321, 755–758 (1986).
McElroy, M. B., Salawitch, R. J., Wofsy, S. C. & Logan, J. A. Nature 321, 759–762 (1986).
Solomon, S. Rev. Geophys. 26, 131–148 (1988).
McKenzie, R. L. & Johnston, P. V. Geophys. Res. Lett. 11, 73–76 (1984).
Mount, G. H., Sanders, R. W., Schmeltekopf, A. L. & Solomon, S. J. geophys. Res. 92, 8320–8328 (1987).
Fahey, D. W. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16665–16687 (1989).
Hofmann, D. J., Rosen, J. M. & Harder, J. W. J. geophys. Res. 93, 605–616 (1988).
Podolske, J. R., Loewenstein, M., Strahan, S. E. & Chan, K. R. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16767–16775 (1989).
McCormick, M. P., Steele, H. M., Hamill, P., Chu, W. P. & Swissler, T. J. J. atmos. Sci. 39, 1387–1397 (1982).
Molina, M. J., Tso, T. L., Molina, L. T. & Wang, F. C. Y. Science 238, 1253–1257 (1987).
Tolbert, M. A., Rossi, M. J., Malhotra, R. & Golden, D. M. Science 238, 1258–1260 (1987).
Leu, M. T. Geophys. Res. Lett. 15, 17–20 (1988).
Toon, O. B., Hamill, P., Turco, R. P. & Pinto, J. Geophys. Res. Lett. 13, 1284–1287 (1986).
Crutzen, P. J. & Arnold, F. Nature 324, 651–655 (1986).
McElroy, M. B., Salawitch, R. J. & Wofsy, S. C. Geophys. Res. Lett. 13, 1296–1299 (1986).
Fahey, D. W. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 11299–11316 (1989).
Kelly, K. K. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 11317–11358 (1989).
Fahey, D. W. et al. Nature 344, 321–324 (1990).
Toon, O. B., Turco, R. P. & Hamill, P. Geophys. Res. Lett. 17, 445–448 (1990).
Molina, L. T. & Molina, M. J. J. phys. Chem. 91, 433–436 (1987).
Brune, W. H., Anderson, J. G. & Chan, K. R. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16639–16648 (1989).
Carroll, M. A., Sanders, R. W., Solomon, S. & Schmeltekopf, A. L. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16633–16638 (1989).
de Zafra, R. L. et al. Nature 328, 408–411 (1987).
Brune, W. H., Anderson, J. G. & Chan, K. R. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16649–16665 (1989).
Sander, S. P., Friedl, R. R. & Yung, Y. L. Science 245, 1095–1098 (1989).
Trolier, M., Mauldin, R. L. III & Ravishankara, A. R. J. phys. Chem. 94, 4896–5001 (1990).
Proffitt, M. H. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16547–16556 (1989).
Schoeberl, M. R. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16815–16846 (1989).
Yung, Y. L., Allen, M., Crisp, D., Zurek, R. W. & Sander, S. P. Science 248, 721–724 (1990).
J. geophys. Res. 94, Nos 9 and 14 (1989).
Barrett, J. W. et al. Nature 336, 455–458 (1988).
Garcia, R. R. & Solomon, S. J. geophys. Res. 88, 1378–1400 (1983).
Jones, R. L. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 11529–11558 (1989).
Anderson, J. G., Brune, W. H., Toohey, D. W. & Proffitt, N. H. Science (in the press).
Rodriguez, J. M., Ko, M. K. W. & Sze, N. D. Geophys. Res. Lett. 13, 1292–1295 (1986).
Solomon, S., Mount, G. H., Sanders, R. W. & Schmeltekopf, A. L. J. geophys. Res. 92, 8329–8338 (1987).
Wahner, A. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 11405–11411 (1989).
Farmer, C. B., Toon, G. C., Shaper, P. W., Blavier, J. F. & Lowes, L. L. Nature 329, 126–130 (1987).
Coffey, M. T., Mankin, W. G. & Goldman, A. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16597–16614 (1989).
Toon, G. C. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16571–16596 (1989).
Anderson, J. G. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 11480–11520 (1989).
McElroy, M. B. & Salawitch, R. J. Planet. Space Sci. 37, 1653–1672 (1989).
Solomon, S., Sanders, R. W., Carroll, M. A. & Schmeltekof, A. L. J. geophys. Res. 94, 11393–11404 (1989).
Solomon, S., Sanders, R. W. & Miller, H. L. J. geophys. Res. (in the press).
Austin, J. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16717–16736 (1989).
Watterson, I. G. & Tuck, A. F. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16511–16526 (1989).
Tuck, A. F. J. geophys. Res. 94, 11687–11737 (1989).
Hartmann, D. L. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16779–16796 (1989).
McCormick, M. P., Zawodny, J. M., Veiga, R. E., Larsen, J. C. & Wang, P. H. Planet. Space Sci. 37, 1567–1586 (1989).
Proffitt, M. H. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16797–16814 (1989).
Rodriguez, J. M., Ko, M. K. W. & Sze, N. D. Geophys. Res. Lett. 17, 255–258 (1990).
Deshler, T., Hofmann, D. J., Hereford, J. V. & Sutter, C. B. Geophys. Res. Lett. 17, 151–154 (1990).
Garcia, R. R. & Solomon, S. Geophys. Res. Lett. 14, 848–851 (1987).
Ko, M. K. W. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 16705–16716 (1989).
Blake, D. R. & Rowland, F. S. Science 239, 1129–1131 (1988).
Angell, J. K. J. Clim. 1, 1296–1304 (1988).
Trenberth, K. E. & Olson, J. G. J. Clim. 2, 1196–1206 (1989).
Newman, P. A. & Randel, W. J. J. geophys. Res. 93, 12585–12606 (1988).
Poole, L. R., Solomon, S., McCormick, M. P. & Pitts, M. C. Geophys. Res. Lett. 16, 1157–1160 (1989).
Shine, K. P. Geophys. Res. Lett. 13, 1331–1334 (1986).
Atkinson, R. J., Matthews, W. A., Newman, P. A. & Plumb, R. A. Nature 340, 290–294 (1989).
Murphy, D. M. et al. J. geophys. Res. 94, 11669–11686 (1989).
Tolbert, M. A., Rossi, M. J. & Golden, D. M. Geophys. Res. Lett. 15, 851–853 (1988).
Mozurkewich, M. & Calvert, J. G. J. geophys. Res. 93, 15889–15897 (1988).
Hofmann, D. J. & Solomon, S. J. geophys. Res. 94, 5029–5042 (1989).
Geophys. Res. Lett. 17, No. 4 (1990).
McKenna, D. S. et al. Geophys. Res. Lett. 17, 553–556 (1990).
Nagatani, R. M., Miller, A. J., Gelman, M. E. & Newman, P. A. Geophys. Res. Lett. 17, 333–336 (1990).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Solomon, S. Progress towards a quantitative understanding of Antarctic ozone depletion. Nature 347, 347–354 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/347347a0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/347347a0
This article is cited by
-
Externally forced symmetric warming in the Arctic and Antarctic during the second half of the twentieth century
Geoscience Letters (2022)
-
Stratospheric ozone depletion and tropospheric ozone increases drive Southern Ocean interior warming
Nature Climate Change (2022)
-
Surface ocean current variations in the North Pacific related to Arctic stratospheric ozone
Climate Dynamics (2022)
-
Atmospheric chemistry of CFCl2O2: a theoretical study on mechanisms and kinetics of the CFCl2O2 + ClO reaction
Journal of Molecular Modeling (2020)
-
The discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole
Nature (2019)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.