The Ozone Layer Was Damaged By Australia's Black Summer Megafires

Australia's record-breaking wildfires of 2019 and 2020 blasted smoke so high that even the ozone layer in the stratosphere was damaged, a new analysis shows. Hmmmmmm shares a report: The Black Summer bushfires, which raged along Australia's east coast from November 2019 to January 2020, caused unprecedented destruction. The fires burned more than 70,000 square kilometres of bushland, destroyed more than 3000 homes, and killed more than 30 people and billions of animals. Smoke billowed all the way to South America and triggered distant ocean algal blooms. Now, Peter Bernath at Old Dominion University in Virginia and his colleagues have shown that the smoke also pushed its way up into the stratosphere and triggered chemical reactions that destroyed ozone. They analysed data from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment satellite, which monitors levels of 44 different molecules in the atmosphere. This revealed that stratospheric ozone declined by 13 per cent in the middle latitude area of the southern hemisphere -- which includes Australia -- in the aftermath of the Black Summer fires.

A Factor to the Latest Antarctic Heatwave?

[EasySteam]

Perhaps, a lack of ozone is a contributing factor to the latest Antarctic Heatwave...

https://theconversation.com/th... [theconversation.com]

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[Drethon]

I was going to say no way, the sun is too indirect at the poles but the suggested link is interesting:

"Ozone absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation, warming the stratosphere. The formation of the ozone hole means less UV radiation is absorbed, cooling the stratosphere over Antarctica in spring and summer. This cooling leads to stronger westerly winds in the upper atmosphere, as well as stronger westerly winds in the lower atmosphere in late spring and summer.

These stronger winds encircling Antarctica have a nu

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[Admiral Krunch]

How long are they claiming the lag is on those changes?
Because the article mentions the levels returning to normal in about a year.

Bernath and his colleagues found that the drop in stratospheric ozone caused by the fires lasted until December 2020 before returning to normal levels.

So it's been returned to normal levels for longer than the ozone was damaged.

Temporarily damaged the Ozone Layer

[MDMurphy]

Near the end of the linked article:
Bernath and his colleagues found that the drop in stratospheric ozone caused by the fires lasted until December 2020 before returning to normal levels.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[Xiaran]

As an Australian that has lived thru several pretty big bush fires of course people should be more responsible than that.... but the end of the day it is about fire managment.... California is like a little Australia and needs its fire managment, controled burns and state emergency services capable of handling it... Ive flown over NSW and seen the whole state on fire... but our fire fighters(firies) were there and fighting back.

Thanks ScoMo - "I don't hold a hose"

[crispi]

So not only are we (Australia) exporting massive amount of COAL, we're burning coal (and the worst type of coal - lignite - at that) to make Electricity at 1080gCO2-e/kWh - for Victoria - far worse than any other country/

We have no carbon reduction plan other than a vague "Net zero by 2050" hand wave. Then on top of this, our bushfires have created CO2 and also Ozone Layer damage.

I doubt ScoMo will survive the upcoming Federal election in May - too many things have been bungled - bushfires, vaccines, and no

Re: Thanks ScoMo - "I don't hold a hose"

[ngb25]

A lot of Australiaâ(TM)s coal exports are metallurgical coal. U know the stuff thatâ(TM)s required to make steel, aluminium, solar panels, ev cars, wind turbines etc. need to distinguish between the 2 because they are not the same. What u care about is thermal coal that is used for electricity generation.