CSL News & Events:

2007 News & Events

NOAA Scientists on Tap for Honors, Events at Montreal Protocol 20th Anniversary

4 September 2007

NOAA scientists from the ESRL Chemical Sciences Division will join colleagues from around the world for events marking the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol, the global agreement that protects the Earth's ozone layer.

Daniel L. Albritton, the former Director of CSD and now retired from NOAA, is one of only 31 individuals named as a recipient of the EPA's "2007 Best-of-the-Best Stratospheric Ozone Protection Awards." The Award distinguishes the highest caliber recipients from over 500 individuals, organizations and teams who have earned annual Stratospheric Ozone Protection awards from 1990 to 2007. Dan is honored for conducting path-breaking basic stratospheric research, integrating complex scientific findings, and explaining the science of ozone-layer depletion to policy-makers around the world in "user friendly" terms, thereby helping them in making well-informed decisions about protecting the ozone layer. He has led as Co-chair of the Montreal Protocol's Scientific Assessment Panel since its inception twenty years ago, communicating science-based information about the ozone layer to the Parties to the Montreal Protocol via the Panel's periodic scientific assessments of ozone depletion. These Scientific Assessments of Ozone Depletion are major peer-reviewed documents with state-of-the-art scientific information evaluating causes of ozone depletion, charting progress toward recovery of the ozone layer, predicting future changes, and providing policy-makers with science-based options for ways to improve protection of the ozone layer. The Best-of-the-Best Awards will be presented in Montreal on September 19 in association with the 19th Meeting of the Parties of the Montreal Protocol, an annual formal meeting at which the over 190 nations that are signatories to the Protocol decide whether to take further actions related to the use of ozone-depleting substances.

The United Nations Environment Programme is honoring two other CSD scientists and their colleagues with an award for the Best New Paper on a Montreal Protocol Related Topic in the Science Category, an award offered uniquely as a part of the celebrations associated with the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol. The Award will be presented on September 16 (the actual date of the 20th Anniversary) in Montreal, at a day-long Seminar "Celebrating 20 Years of Progress" marking the Anniversary. Scientists David Fahey and John Daniel were coauthors of the paper, "The importance of the Montreal Protocol on protecting climate," which was published earlier this year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The authors show that the international Montreal Protocol agreement that protects the ozone layer has had an additional effect: it has helped slow global warming by an amount equivalent to 7 to 12 years of rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In addition to this updated evaluation of the climate impact of the Montreal Protocol to date, the paper explores other ideas for reducing future uses of ODSs and assesses the potential associated climate benefits. The paper thus gives timely scientific information to inform current policy discussions related to climate change.

Two special international symposia are being organized to celebrate the Montreal Protocol's 20th Anniversary, and CSD Director A.R. Ravishankara is an invited speaker at both of them. At the September 16 celebration mentioned above, Ravi will take part as a panelist on the Science Assessments. Scientists, diplomats, and dignitaries from around the world will participate in the various panels offered throughout the day. Later in the month, Ravi, Susan Solomon, Adrian Tuck and Claire Granier of CSD and Dave Hofmann of ESRL/GMD will give presentations at a four-day Scientific Symposium in Athens on "Ozone Depletion: From Its Discovery to Envisat and Aura." The Symposium is being organized by the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Ozone Commission, the European Union, the World Meteorological Organization, the Academy of Athens, and the National Observatory of Athens. Its aim is to bring together leaders in the area of stratospheric ozone for presentations and philosophical discussions concerning the Montreal Protocol and the "lessons learned." Scientists, diplomats, and government leaders who have been involved in the ozone-layer issue since its beginnings in the 1970s and 1980s will be at the event.

Background: The Montreal Protocol was signed on September 16, 1987. The U.S. and 23 other nations signed the Protocol on that day. Over 190 nations have now become Parties to the Protocol. In the late 1970s, scientific research began to indicate that the ozone layer could be damaged by substances used in air conditioning, refrigeration, and other applications. The Montreal Protocol agreement first called for a curtailment in the use of ozone-depleting substances, and was later strengthened to a ban of the use of some of the substances. Worldwide usage has drastically declined, from about 1.5 billion tons of ODSs in 1989 to about 89 million tons in 2005.

Significance: The events and awards marking the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol celebrate the achievements of international scientists, industry leaders, decision-makers, and government officials worldwide. NOAA scientists in OAR, NESDIS, and NWS have played prominent roles in providing the scientific understanding and communicating it to stakeholders in this issue. The work addresses the Climate Goal of NOAA.