The new discovery indicates that the ozone layer is not repairing as quickly as expected, which has resulted in increasing levels of surface ultraviolet (UV) radiation in recent years.
Researchers discovered growing UV radiation levels in the tropics and northern mid-latitudes after 2010, suggesting hazards to human health and the environment despite estimates that the ozone layer will fully recover by mid-century.
In a statement, a researcher at Beijing Normal University, Yan Xia said, “Our analysis shows disturbed ozone levels and enhanced surface UV radiation for more than a decade after 2010”.
“The slower recovery of stratospheric ozone is largely unexpected”, Xia continued.
The research, which was published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, looked at satellite data and model simulations to quantify long-term trends in ozone and surface UV levels around the world.
“After 2010, we observed a decrease in ozone levels and an increase in UV radiation over latitudes ranging from 30 degrees South to 60 degrees North”, Xia added.
“The rising magnitude of surface UV radiation from 2011 to 2020, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere, reached 0.5-1.4 percent per year, which should not be overlooked”, he noted.
The researchers stressed the importance of continued monitoring of ozone and UV radiation levels in order to better understand why ozone recovery is taking so long and whether this trend will continue.
According to the researchers, policymakers and the general public should be aware of, and prepare for, the negative impacts of increased surface UV radiation on the environment, agriculture, and public health.
The findings serve as a sobering reminder that restoring the ozone layer is a complex process influenced by factors such as global warming, and full recovery remains unlikely.
Continued research and implementation of policies such as the Montreal Protocol – a treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances responsible for its depletion – are critical to reversing this deteriorating trend, reducing UV exposure, and protecting life on Earth in the coming decades.
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