From: yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee)
Subject: 1992 Antarctic ozone sets new size record [Release 92-159] (Forwarded)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 20:23:07 GMT

Brian Dunbar
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                         September 29, 1992
(Phone:  202/358-1547)

Dolores Beasley
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
(Phone:  301/286-8955)


RELEASE:  92-159

1992 ANTARCTIC OZONE SETS NEW SIZE RECORD

	Preliminary results from NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer 
(TOMS) onboard the Nimbus-7 satellite show that the area of the 1992 
Antarctic ozone hole is the largest on record.

	The previous surface area covered by low total ozone values, less than 
220 Dobson Units, typically has reached near 7.7 million square miles.  On 
Sept. 23, 1992, the surface area covered reached 8.9 million square miles, an 
increase in size from 1991 of approximately 15 percent.

	By comparison, the surface area of the North America continent is 9.4 
million square miles.  The U.S. 48 contiguous states have a surface area of 
approximately 3 million square miles, while Antarctica has 5.1 million square 
miles.

	Since the mid-1980s, the region covered by low total ozone values 
begins to grow in early August.  The region covered usually reaches its 
greatest extent in early-October.  This is the fifth year since 1986 that large 
seasonal ozone reductions over the Antarctic have been observed.

	The minimum total ozone value on Sept. 23 was 131 Dobson Units.  A 
record low of 111 Dobson Units was set on Oct. 6, 1991 near the South Pole.  
One Hundred Dobson Units equals a layer of gas one millimeter thick at its 
surface.  The lowest 1992 value probably will not be observed for several 
weeks, report scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 
Md.

Chlorine, Sulfuric Acid And Cold Temperatures

	Scientists believe man-made chlorine is the primary cause for ozone 
hole formation.  This year's hole also may have been affected by the continued 
presence of sulfuric acid droplets in the upper atmosphere created by the 
eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in June 1991.

	Goddard scientists noted that middle stratospheric temperatures, 
recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National 
Meteorological Center, were colder than normal.  These colder temperatures 
would contribute indirectly to larger ozone losses.  

	Further research is required to determine the role of these phenomena 
with respect to the low total ozone values seen this year, according to 
Goddard scientists.

	Ozone, a molecule made up of three atoms of oxygen, comprises a thin 
layer of the upper atmosphere which absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation 
from the sun.  "Ozone hole" is a term used to describe a large area of intense 
ozone depletion that occurs over Antarctica typically during late-August 
through early-October and breaks up in mid-November.

	The Nimbus-7/TOMS has measured Antarctic ozone levels since 
November 1978.  Since the discovery of the ozone hole in 1985, TOMS has 
been the key instrument for monitoring ozone levels throughout the southern 
hemisphere.  

	The NASA TOMS instrument on the Russian Meteor-3 satellite, 
launched in August 1991, is compatible with the Nimbus-7/TOMS instrument 
and has shown similar results.

	The TOMS instruments and the Nimbus-7 satellite are managed by the 
Goddard Space Flight Center for NASA's Office of Space Science and 
Applications, Washington, D.C. 
- end -

EDITORS NOTE:  A photograph of eight false-color images of Nimbus-
7/TOMS data is available to media representatives by calling NASA 
Headquarters Audio/Imaging Branch on 202/453-8375.

               Color                               B&W
               92-HC-632                       92-H-688
From: curry@hplred.HP.COM (Bo Curry)
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 17:47:51 GMT
Subject: Re: Re: . . . Radioactive Sand Proves Nuclear Reprocessing Unlawful
Organization: Hewlett Packard Labs, Palo Alto CA