Nature 312, 227 - 231 (15 November 1984); doi:10.1038/312227a0

Reductions in ozone at high concentrations of stratospheric halogens

Michael J. Prather, Michael B. McElroy & Steven C. Wofsy

Center for Earth and Planetary Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA

An increase in the concentration of inorganic chlorine to levels comparable to that of oxidized reactive nitrogen could cause a significant change in the chemistry of the lower stratosphere leading to a reduction potentially larger than 15% in the column density of ozone. This could occur, for example by the middle of the next century, if emissions of man-made chlorocarbons were to grow at a rate of 3% per year. Ozone could be further depressed by release of industrial bromocarbon.

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