Abstract:

It is generally accepted that the Earth ozone layer is depleted by chlorine atoms produced via solar photolysis of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the upper stratosphere^[1]. This photodissociation model predicts an ozone depletion maximum at an altitude between 30 and 40 km and negligible ozone depletion below 20 km^[1]. However, the Antarctic/Arctic ozone hole appearing in each spring is observed to be located at an altitude of about 15 km^[2]. The formation of the ozone hole has been attributed to heterogeneous reactions on the surface of polar stratosphere clouds (PSCs) consisting mainly of condensed water ice:HCl+ClONO₂→Cl₂+HNO₃^[3,4]. Recently, it has been observed that dissociation of CFCs by capture of low-energy electrons is enhanced by several orders of magnitude when CFCs are adsorbed on the surfaces of ice films of polar molecules such as H₂O and NH₃^[5,6]. This enhancement is due to transfer of electrons in precursors of solvated states in polar molecular ice to CFCs that then dissociate^[7]. This effect should be most efficient in the lower stratosphere of about 15 km, where low-energy electrons can be produced by cosmic-ray ionization and localized in precursors of solvated electrons in PSCs^[8]. Strong and straightforward evidence of this new mechanism for ozone depletion has also been found in data obtained from field measurements (satellites, balloons, etc.)^[8]. In this talk, we will present the data from both field and laboratory measurements and discuss the new mechanism for the formation of the ozone hole.