Australian bushfires have destroyed the ozone layer in the stratosphere

In severe forest fires sharp clouds can form. They are huge plumes that pump smoke and other combustion gases high into the stratosphere.

Peter Bernath and colleagues used in their study, published in to know† Infrared spectrometer data from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment satellite to determine the effect of smoke particles from “black summer” fires. Satellite observations indicate severe disturbances in stratospheric chemistry by pyrocomulonic clouds.

A hole in the ozone layer

Since the implementation of Montreal Protocol The amounts of chlorine- and bromine-containing particles in the atmosphere are greatly reduced. These substances destroy the stratospheric ozone layer and are responsible for the hole in the ozone layer in Antarctica. Current projections are that stratospheric ozone should return to 1980 levels between 2052 and 2060.

Researchers say an increase in the frequency of major wildfires could slow the recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer. Thus, as the frequency of intense wildfires increases, their effects will become an increasingly important factor in the Earth’s future ozone budget.