20 March 2007
Scientists at ESRL's Chemical Sciences Division and Global Monitoring Division were asked to provide quick turnaround scientific expertise for a proposal submitted by the United States regarding the Montreal Protocol on the ozone layer. The U.S. proposal suggests several options for accelerating the phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which replaced other more-damaging substances but are still themselves harmful to the ozone layer. CSD scientists John Daniel, David Fahey, and A.R. Ravishankara, and GMD scientist Steve Montzka, reviewed the scientific content of a draft fact sheet that had been forwarded to NOAA for comments and corrections.
Background: The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is a 1987 international agreement that now over 190 nations have ratified, including the U.S. The original agreement has been strengthened through adjustments and amendments several times during the last 20 years, in response to updated information from the scientific and technical communities. The most recent assessment report regarding the science of the ozone layer was just released (January 2007) and has provided the U.S. and other nations of the Montreal Protocol with the most up-to-date scientific understanding.
Significance: NOAA has played a leading role since the inception of the Montreal Protocol in providing the scientific information regarding the past, present, and future state of ozone layer and ozone-depleting substances. The interaction last week on the fact sheet is the most recent of many examples in which U.S. decisionmakers have relied on NOAA's expertise to inform their actions regarding the ozone layer. Research regarding the ozone layer is a longstanding and key element of NOAA's portfolio of climate research under the Climate Goal.