OZONE MYTH AND MARINE REALITY

Climate change continues to a focal point for the world's media, academics and the man in the street. The climate debate might not be so crucial if it were not for one "but" - people are waiting for disasters, global warming, an ice age, massive floods, in a word, the end of the world. This seems to be borne out by the natural disasters and anomalies occurring almost worldwide.

Ozone hysteria

In ecology everything is connected. We all know from school about the water cycle in nature, while the disappearance of even one small species from the flora and fauna leads to the destruction of many elements of the ecosystem. That's why we want to consider two environmental problems associated with the ozone layer of the planet and the seas. The UN has called for international days of the ozone layer and the seas to be marked on 16 and 23 September. However, we should say right at the start that we have already noted in previous editions that scientists have not yet reached a common position on climate warming and the melting of glaciers, while the overwhelming majority of climatologists agree that the anthropogenic factor is decisive in this process. Another view is that humans play a negligible role here, in other words, the planet itself naturally alternates between ice and greenhouse ages, and mankind is now experiencing the Earth's entry into a phase of rising temperatures. Scientists cite many facts in support of this theory; one of them is directly connected to the ozone layer. Some scientists believe that the ozone layer is being depleted by human activity and needs protection, because it absorbs biologically active and deadly solar radiation and infrared waves coming from the surface of our planet, and creates the conditions of life for all organisms. Another group of scientists argues that the ozone layer is a self-regulating system, and the theory about its depletion is just a myth.

Let us recall the recent story about the "ozone holes" discovered in the early 1980s, in other words, areas of low ozone concentration in the special protective layer of the atmosphere, situated at an altitude of 15-50 km from the Earth's surface. It turned out then that over some parts of the earth's surface, the concentration of ozone was almost one and a half times lower than the global average. These areas were located mainly over the polar regions. Scientists were particularly impressed by a giant "ozone hole" over Antarctica. As was the case with the heating of the atmosphere, the academic community was divided over the nature of these "ozone holes". Some thought that they were the consequence of cyclical phenomena in the protective ozone layer of the atmosphere. Others explicitly pointed to the anthropogenic nature of the rupture. Advocates of the natural causes theory for the "ozone holes" referred to the very short period of observation of the ozone protective layer, saying that the "ozone holes" were discovered with the aid of new equipment not previously available to academics.

In response, proponents of the anthropogenic hypothesis raised a terrible ballyhoo about the "terrible catastrophe" that awaits humanity from the destruction of the ozone layer of the atmosphere which protects life on earth against deadly shortwave ultraviolet solar radiation. They talked about an inevitable increase in incidences of skin cancer and various mutations of living organisms and, to crown the whole process, the disappearance of all plants and living organisms from the surface of the earth. And the Earth would become something like the modern surface of Mars. The main chemical reagent of anthropogenic origin which kills the ozone layer was identified quite quickly. It was chlorine-containing Freon, used primarily as a refrigerant in refrigerators and freezers. At one time Freon was chosen as a refrigerant for its non-toxicity and non-combustibility when mixed with ambient air and for its chemical inertness in contact with most metals. But scientists who supported the anthropogenic factor suddenly found that chlorine-containing Freon gets into the upper layers of the atmosphere and simply eats up the ozone layer.

Vigorous debates began in scientific literature and were immediately picked up by the world's media. At that time, almost everyone was talking about the ozone catastrophe. Even an immediate ban on all types of the vicious Freon was demanded. In 1985, the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was adopted and, in 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer demanded that the production and use of chlorine-containing Freon should be first reduced and then stopped completely. Since refrigerators and freezers were by then an integral part of human life, this led to a boom in the production of refrigeration and freezer equipment based on new, chlorine-free refrigerants. US industrial corporations alone earned at least $400 billion from the production of new refrigeration and freezing equipment, while people were heartened by scientists' assurances that the ozone later would begin to recover within 50-60 years. But just 7-8 years after the signing of the Montreal Protocol, fresh reports started coming in about the state of the "ozone holes" - they began "to heal" whereas, according to the "Freon theory", the first positive effects of the removal of chlorine-containing Freon were supposed to appear no earlier than within 20-25 years and then only after the simultaneous removal of all Freon, which did not happen in reality. Moreover, as a result of complex studies carried out by Russian geophysicists on the Arctic ice expedition "SP-33" (2005), it was discovered that the ozone layer over the Arctic is much better than that over many of the world's metropolises. This was in light of statements by some Swedish scientists, who found "ozone holes" over Northern Sweden and even Stockholm! It turns out that the "Freon threat" was just a scam.

Nature is "Freoning" too

It is interesting that the first "ozone hole" was discovered over Antarctica by the British explorer J. Farman in 1982, leading to the adoption of the Vienna Convention in 1985 and the Montreal Protocol two years later (1987). It turns out that the "ozone panic" was sponsored by the above-mentioned manufacturers of refrigeration and freezing equipment, who had to sell their new, "environmentally perfect" products. That is the opinion of well-known Russian geographer, geomorphologist, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and head of the environmental management department in the Geography Faculty at Moscow State University, Emeritus Professor Andrey Petrovich Kapitsa. In its commentary to R+ on the state of the ozone layer, the scientist said that he had repeatedly publicly exposed pseudoscientific myths, including "the Freon problem". For example, in a lecture at Cambridge, called "The myth of global warming and ozone holes", the scientist noted that at the end of polar winter and at the beginning of polar spring, the amount of ozone declines by 10, 20 and sometimes even 30 per cent. As polar summer sets in, the amount of ozone increases and returns to previous levels.

Thus, it is an oscillatory process. "Now we know that the layer thins over two months and, during these months, the amount of ultraviolet light, which is harmful to all living things, increases because that light destroys bacterial life forms. Life on earth became possible 800 million years ago during the Palaeozoic Era only following the emergence of the ozone layer. The ozone layer appeared as a result of the insolation of the nascent atmosphere. Gradually, it became a shield that protects the surface of continents, and life moved from the ocean to land. The road for complex organisms was paved by bacterial forms protected against ultraviolet rays by the ozone layer. We, and not only we, depend on bacteria, i.e. with respect to bacteria, the entire flora and fauna, including humans, are no more than parasites, and if humanity disappears, nature will not even be affected, preserving the bacteria. The total mass of bacteria is much greater than our total mass, so bacteria are the basis of life on Earth, and the ozone layer is necessary for this life to exist. But it is absolutely wrong to link the increasing incidence of skin cancer (melanoma) with changes in the thickness of the ozone layer. Seasonal fluctuations have always taken place. The atmosphere has its own natural dynamic. I completely disagree with the view that the incidence of melanoma has risen because of emissions of industrial Freon gases used in refrigeration, air conditioners and aerosol cans that destroy and deplete the ozone layer. Freon can actually be harmful to the ozone layer, but experience shows that volcanoes produce Freon in much larger quantities than humans do. I prove this with figures I have on the example of the Kamchatka volcanoes or volcanoes in Indonesia, which continually emit natural gases such as Freon 11, Freon 12 and Freon 111. But the ozone layer is restored by the same sun which created it. Light splits oxygen molecules (remember that ozone is an isotope of oxygen), and this process always maintains the amount of ozone in the atmosphere. Of course, there are factors (entirely natural rather than artificial) contributing to the thinning of the ozone layer, but nothing irreversible is going on, and the main point here is dynamics and periodic oscillatory motions. This is convincingly demonstrated by satellite observations," the scientist emphasizes.

There is another important point, says Kapitsa. In tropical latitudes, the ozone layer has always been much thinner than at higher latitudes, and yet we know it was there that life emerged. According to the geographer, money plays an important role in the ozone layer debate. Freon change yields huge profits for large chemical companies that produce so-called healthier Freon. Thus, consumers spent $ 220 billion just to change refrigerators and air conditioners in the US in 1999, which is why he mentions the petition of American scientists to the US government calling for the rejection of the agreement drawn up in Kyoto in December 1997. For many years Frederick Seitz, former president of the US Academy of Sciences, has drawn attention to the fact that all theories about global warming and ozone holes are far-fetched and unscientific. The petition was signed by 17,000 American scientists. "They agree with Seitz and believe that the agreement and tendencies behind it are a real threat to humanity and a serious blow to its future," says Kapitsa.

The sea...

As far as the ecology of the seas is concerned, here the anthropogenic factor cannot be discarded at all. And on this issue, there is no division or heated debate among scientists. There is one opinion here: it is necessary to preserve the biological resources of the seas and the oceans and ensure the environmental safety of maritime transport, because about 70 per cent of the planet is covered by water. The biomass of all marine creatures - from algae to blue whales - comprises 90 per cent of the biomass of all living organisms of the planet, and the existence of most species of marine flora and fauna is linked to coral reefs. Therefore, the aim of World Maritime Day is to draw international attention to the irreparable damage done by fishing, water pollution and global warming to the seas and oceans, although there are different opinions on this issue, too. The two most important challenges facing humanity are increasing safety at sea and preventing marine pollution, for example, by oil. According to UN figures, 90 per cent of fish like tuna, cod, marlin and sturgeon have been caught over the past 100 years. About 21 million barrels of oil is poured into the seas and oceans annually. Synthetic waste discharged into large bodies of water kills a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals every year. Because of global warming, water levels in major bodies of water on the planet have risen by 10-25 cm over the past 100 years.

Recently, the world was shaken by the world's largest ecological catastrophe - the accident on an oil platform located 64 km off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. On 22 April, following an explosion and a 36-hour fire, the platform sank. Eleven people were killed. Some 4.9 million barrels of oil were spilt soon afterwards. An oil well was damaged as the platform sank, and oil from the well leaked into the ocean for several months. The size of the oil slick increased rapidly and only on 16 July 2010, was it possible to stop the leak. Considerable damage was caused to the fishing and tourism industries in the region. Meanwhile, work to plug the damaged well once and for all will begin only in late September this year.

BP is trying to share responsibility for the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico with its partners. The blame for this "lies with many", said new BP boss Robert Dudley. But the main role was played by the human factor, BP says in its report on the results of the investigation into the causes of the accident in the Gulf of Mexico.

Either way, the accident occurred and caused considerable environmental damage. 

Day of the Caspian Sea

All environmental problems affect the whole of mankind. And one of these is the condition of the world's largest enclosed salt lake - the Caspian Sea. In order to draw the world's attention to the situation in the Caspian Sea - a unique body of water - the Caspian littoral states mark the Day of the Caspian Sea on 12 August. This was initiated quite recently and was timed to coincide with the ratification of the Tehran Convention on the Protection of the Caspian Sea. This is the first regional agreement in the field of ecology signed by all five Caspian littoral countries. On this day, scholars, politicians and officials of all the littoral states met in the Kazakh capital and, at a round table, stressed once more that all the environmental problems of the Caspian Sea are down to human activity. Participants discussed the shrinking population of sturgeon, flooded oil wells and marine pollution from the development of hydrocarbon fields and fuel transportation by sea. The meeting came to a conclusion: in order to rectify a situation that threatens the biodiversity of the Caspian Sea, it is necessary to join efforts and engage in continuous monitoring. Only by understanding the causes of the deaths of seals and fish can you save the sea and its fauna for future generations. Remembering the recent environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists pointed out that large-scale development of oil fields on the Caspian shelf still lies ahead. Preventive measures and new technologies are needed. Politicians think that we should not forget about a legislative framework. After all, the legal status of the Caspian Sea has yet to be determined.

Azerbaijani Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Huseynqulu Bagirov has repeatedly said that Azerbaijan is taking steps to improve the ecological situation in the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea. For example, modern water treatment plants have been installed near the villages of Mardakan, Buzovna, Bilgah, Pirsagi, Nardaran, Novxani and Sumqayit on the coast of the Abseron peninsula. Their operational effectiveness can be judged by studying samples of sea water - compared to previous years, the water in the Caspian Sea has become cleaner in 2010. 

At the same time, the minister believes that the environmental situation along the Azerbaijani coast of the Caspian Sea will improve significantly, thanks to a number of measures. These include the reconstruction of industrial units and their relocation from the coastal zone to specially designated areas outside the city, the replacement of outdated water treatment facilities, as well as the construction of pumping and biological treatment facilities to transport and dispose of the dirty water that collects at seaside residential areas. In addition, Huseynqulu Bagirov said that work has begun on the coast to install new communication lines in areas that did not previously have a centralized sewerage system. Further, the Ministry of Environment will set up a new department to clean up coastal waters of the Caspian Sea and to create drainage systems. 

The ministry notes that, previously, coastal waters were cleaned by municipalities. However, local governments have not put into operation a single water purification device and have not created a drainage system in the recent period, although about 80 contracts were signed to carry out such projects. The ministry has now committed itself to implementing this work. This year alone, $1 billion have been spent from the state budget. A cascade of traps and filters has been installed near oil refineries, while offshore oil platforms have been surrounded by special protective dams. Experts confirm that the area of fuel oil spills in the Caspian Sea has shrunk significantly this summer.

Bakuvians hope that the fish will soon return to their native shores and, probably within a year, kutum or mullet will be caught directly from the city's esplanade. Scientists are not arguing about the planet's water shell, they are only stating facts, which have long begun a countdown, and the blame for this lies totally with humans.