Professor Nikolai Elansky told socialbites.ca that the thinnest place in the Earth’s ozone layer is in the tropics, a meteorologist, specialist in the field of atmospheric composition research, a corresponding member of the IFA RAS.
“The thinnest ozone layer is in the tropics. It is formed there and is transported from there by meridian air currents to the mid and high latitudes, where it mainly accumulates. Then it slowly descends to the lower stratosphere and from there back to the tropics. The process is cyclical. The ozone layer in the tropics is thinner because it is in the upper stratosphere. there is no accumulation, and ozone that has already been destroyed, so to speak, in the lower stratosphere returns. The ozone content there turned out to be minimal, ”explained Elansky.
Polar regions have a lot of ozone, despite the annual formation of ozone holes.
“This is due to the presence of stable air masses in the polar region. When a polar vortex forms there for several months in winter, crystalline compounds of chlorine and boron are formed in the ozone layer due to low temperatures. Active chlorine and boron are released in these aerosols under the influence of freons and collagen-containing gases, but for now it seems to be sitting on the aerosol. But when spring comes, crystalline compounds melt, after which all substances begin to actively destroy ozone, ”explained the expert.