Using rare oxygen molecules trapped in air bubbles in old ice and snow, U.S. and French scientists have answered a long-standing question: How much have “bad” ozone levels increased since the start of the Industrial Revolution?
Using rare oxygen molecules trapped in air bubbles in old ice and snow, U.S. and French scientists have answered a long-standing question: How much have “bad” ozone levels increased since the start of the Industrial Revolution?
“We’ve been able to track how much ozone there was in the ancient atmosphere,” said Rice University geochemist Laurence Yeung, the lead author of a study published online today in Nature. “This hasn’t been done before, and it’s remarkable that we can do it at all.”
Researchers used the new data in combination with state-of-the-art atmospheric chemistry models to establish that ozone levels in the lower atmosphere, or troposphere, have increased by an upper limit of 40% since 1850.
“These results show that today’s best models simulate ancient tropospheric ozone levels well,” said Yeung. “That bolsters our confidence in their ability to predict how tropospheric ozone levels will change in the future.”
Read more at: Rice University
Rice University researchers and collaborators used ice cores, like the one shown here from Antarctica, in combination with atmospheric chemistry models to establish an upper limit for the increase in ozone levels in the lower atmosphere since 1850. (Photo Credit: by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)
