OZONE LAYER: A REFLECTION

In the month of October 1957 a group of British Scientists happened to be on a scientific expedition to the Antarctic. They observed a strong phenomenon in the sky where an empty space the size that of the United States of America was visible at about ten kilometers over the South Pole. When no other explanation was available, they assumed and interpreted this to be a “hole in the ozone layer”. Ever since this hole in the ozone layer has been a formidable subject for global studies. Every year the expeditions continue to go to the Antarctic and all the group of scientists has witnessed this phenomenon and contributed extensively on research topics related to this.

As a result, all the countries of the world are involved in a global effort to solve the problem to avoid serious consequences. Moves from diverse stand points such as political, economical, ecological, scientific, conservationist non government organizations and public in general to arrest the “global warming” or “green house effect” are continuously increasing. Several national and international seminars and workshops are held to discuss the problem in detail. The festivities and lunch, dinners, cocktail parties, held during these sessions are opportunities to watch how resources are wasted. In addition to financial expenses, time, energy and human resource are wasted worldwide. Even the United Nations through its Environmental Program at Nairobi, Kenya has elaborate projects on the subject. Sufficient literature is available on global warming and green house effects, control measures to reduce industrial emissions and other emissions, and other measures. The general public with anxiety and fear or even panic is eager for easy solution. A casual visit to any city in European Community should be sufficient to understand the popular reaction.

I feel it is reasonable and logical to review all the aspects in this moment to console the anxious public in general, ecological movements and organizations in particular.

From the available data some basic considerations are revealing, Ozone is a heavy gas, highly unstable and represented by O₃ symbolically in the Periodical Tables of elements in Chemistry. The gas gets transformed in to oxygen with ease. Some 50 years ago we were taught that this layer at sea coast has a thickness of about 3 mm only. But now its presence is extended to about 60Km in to the atmosphere with a density of 10 parts per million. About 70 to 90 % of the incident ultra violet rays present in the Sunlight are supposed to be filtered by this layer, changing the climate by altering the temperature.

The industrial effluence especially the gaseous Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or Carbon Dioxide or Monoxide, is supposed to cause strong deterioration of this ozone layer. Thus increase in temperature is likely to cause melting of ice from the Poles increasing the sea level, inundating low laying cities and land masses, causing diseases like cancer of the skin among the Caucasian race, climate and meteorological disasters.

However, the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 raised the issues and 171 countries, through representatives, signed protocol to save the Biosphere. Several other international gatherings were held. The recent at the beginning years of III millennium Kyoto Protocol is being considered world- wide and is being implemented immediately. The Russians have signed the same in recent months with a view to reduce the gaseous emissions, especially in the industrial world to the 1990 level. The developing countries have some more time to tow in.

The economic resources, time and energy, human resources used up in this project seem to be too costly at this moment with no solutions at hand. If at all the reduction of CFCs is attained by 2012, there may be a possibility of avoiding a calamity. The industrially underdeveloped countries can earn special monetary benefits on emission control. But who knows by that time whether the entire ozone gets depleted once for all! Then all these people involved in the project become jobless! Who will bear the financial problems or burdens?

At the outset several loop- holes are glaring in this issue.

First of all the atmosphere is not even taken into consideration for the purpose of shape of the planet. When a globe is described 71% of hydrosphere and 29% lithosphere gaseous atmosphere is not at all considered. When a mantle of gaseous atmosphere is taken into consideration around the globe and the planet in motion, the shape of the same is no more a globe that should be comet like with a core and a mantle drawn out at tail end. Limits of atmosphere are not yet determined. Any heavy gas like ozone cannot sustain without support or known limits. The density of ozone is just 10 parts per million. What about the rest 999990 parts per million formed of? Is it possible to separate a gas from the rest of atmospheric gases without any known mechanisms? For lack of support the heavy particles may be drawn away towards the tail end due to spin, rotation and orbital advancement. The ram force in front of the planet is so much and still the ozone layer of heavy gases should maintain its position precisely where the 30º cone of incident Sunlight illuminates.

Secondly, this illumination extends from 38º27’30” N latitude to 38º27’30” S latitude during one complete year. The illumination is a significant factor for biosphere as a whole and for human beings in particular where their skin is known to produce vitamin D. Direct Sun light never illuminates rest of the planetary surface. The area in front of the planet where the ram force is maintained as a belt due to rotation is the only surface exposed to the illumination at all times. Any filter for the solar radiation should be present precisely at this 30º arc, if any part of the same needs to be eliminated. No such arrangement is reported in the literature on the subject.

Thirdly the Sunlight illuminates the Polar Regions during certain seasons alone and that too the diffuse light reaches the heights of atmosphere but no perpendicular light rays reach the region. The much- appreciated aurora borealis with myriads of colors is a good example of this tangentially illuminated atmospheric phenomenon. Even then, there is no known mechanism to divert the oncoming light rays to enter the “hole” which actually is parallel to the polar cap. The speculation that some ultra violet rays enter through the hole unfiltered, they pass through the tropics and move to the Northern hemisphere and cause skin cancer among some people seems to be pure fiction. The curved surface of the biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere are sufficient explanation to disprove such possibilities. Again, cause of cancer, that of skin or any other loci is not yet known even among scientific circles and it is quite premature to attribute such disease to the lack of ultra violet filters in the atmosphere.

Therefore, all these aspects permit a simple conclusion that there is NO OZONE layer. Or if there is one such layer, there is no hole in it or even if there is a hole in ozone layer light does not pass through that. Even if it passes, the rays do not reach or cross the equatorial zone. Even if it crosses, it is not going to cause skin cancer among the Caucasian people.

The global warming or the much feared Green house effect even if it is produced due to industrial emissions and other chemical contaminations in the Biosphere the heat produced can not reach the Poles because the atmospheric mantle should have drawn out such heavy gases at the equatorial plane where it is extending as a tail. Even if the ice caps melt the water produced should be less than the mass of ice because the water as liquid occupies lesser area than in the form of ice. Even if the volume of water produced is sufficient the same should hardly raise the sea level at all. This is because about 97% of water is in the oceans and about 2% is in the form of ice including the higher altitudes and Polar Regions. When Arctic region gets some illumination, Antarctic region is in total darkness and ice caps appear. The same phenomenon repeats in the Arctic region, six months later.

Perhaps as a post- script it is my duty to explain one more point. The observed hole above the Polar Region has to be demystified.

Proposal to explain “The hole in the Ozone layer”

When any object is spinning on its axis at a very high velocity (say 1800km/h) a vortex is likely to be formed in the atmosphere where suspended particles are concentrated. This may be due to the magnetic force maintaining a spectacular umbrella around the Poles. The incident light illuminating these particles from one side reveals such a vortex. But the planet is on a motion along its orbit and hence the vortex gets extended to one side. Seen from the Antarctic laboratory this describes exactly the hole. Those who wish to verify the phenomenon may do so at any house- hold with the help of a simple churning mechanism used in the kitchen. The apparatus while stirring liquids or semi liquids establishes a vortex right at the top of the same. Another example is the inundated river with muddy water flowing with several vortices appearing and disappearing with much ease. By swimming in the same direction at corresponding speed one is safe even in such a situation

Whirlpool movements in fluid or gaseous medium produce funnel-like vortex. Its shape, extension and location change immediately. When celestial bodies present rotation such vortices are formed right in front of the Poles of the axis. In addition to axial rotation if there is an orbital revolution in equatorial plane such funnel like vortex gets extended into a pathway since this kind of displacement produces vacuum proportional to the mass burnt or displaced.

Seen from the polar end the vortex is formed in the vacuum produced into which other objects get attracted. The vortex becomes prominent when the light rays illuminate the suspended particles, reflecting the same. These particles shine due to lateral illumination. When these particles gathered from the entire atmosphere owing to their characteristic features, their density increases. The apices of the axis at North and South Pole are areas with least rotation whereas the tropical equatorial areas are fast moving due to the thickness and massiveness. The vortex develops around the tip of the Pole attracting dust particles from the atmosphere. The magnetic Pole serves this purpose.

Any rotating celestial bodies should exhibit such collection of particles in the form of magnetic camps.

Hope the intelligent minds can easily see the point and dedicate their attention to other human problems like food, hunger, drinking water, contamination, health hazards and so many aspects of human well being.

High- level decisions should be undertaken only after expert opinions analyzing the basic questions involved. The money, time, energy, and human resources spent on “hole in the ozone layer” are a permanent loss for the humanity as a whole and are a good example of what should not have happened.