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Ozone depletion at record level, U.N. agency says

Ozone depletion at record level, U.N. agency says

October 6, 2000
Web posted at: 11:04 AM EDT (1504 GMT)

GENEVA, Switzerland (Reuters) -- The ozone hole over the Antarctic is the deepest on record since scientists began measuring the seasonal phenomenon 15 years ago, United Nations experts said on Friday.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said "near total destruction" of the ozone in some layers of the stratosphere had been observed since the middle of September, much earlier than in previous years.

More than 50 percent thinning, as compared against the norms set decades ago before the ozone hole was detected, is currently being recorded throughout most of the shifting Antarctic ozone hole, the Geneva-based agency said in a statement.

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"The most important parameter is how deep the ozone hole is, how much has been lost. This is the deepest ever seen. There is a large area with more than 50 percent depletion," Dr Michael Proffitt, WMO's senior scientific officer, told Reuters.

"It's a record. This is the first time we have seen an ozone hole this large in terms of depth," the American added. "It has gone further than the previous record in 1998."

The Earth's protective layer shields the planet and humans from harmful ultraviolet radiation which can cause skin cancer and destroy tiny plants at the beginning of the food chain.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



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