Ozone recovering but will take longer over poles-UN
September 16, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
GENEVA: The ozone layer that shields life from the sun’s harmful rays is projected to largely recover from harmful chemicals by mid-century, but it will take longer over the polar regions, a United Nations study said on Thursday.
Ozone depletion will continue for many more decades because several key damaging substances endure in the atmosphere for a long time after emissions end, it said.
“Over the past decade, global ozone and ozone in the Arctic and Antarctic regions is no longer decreasing but it is not yet increasing,” said the report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP).
While chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), once used in refrigerators and other appliances, have been phased out, demand for replacements such as hydrofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) has increased. Many are
Winter Solstice 2009
Christmas shopping, let’s pause to recognize that today, December 21, 2009 is officially Winter Solstice 2009.
Whats is Winter Solstice 2009
The Winter Solstice occurs exactly when the earth’s axial tilt is farthest away from the sun at its maximum of 23° 26′. Though the Winter Solstice lasts an instant in time, the term is also colloquially used like Midwinter to refer to the day on which it occurs. For most people in the high latitudes this is commonly known as the shortest day and the sun’s daily maximum position in the sky is the lowest. The seasonal significance of the Winter Solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days. The Winter Solstice is also the shortest day or lowest sun position for people in low latitudes located between the Tropic of Cancer (23°26′N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23°26′S). Depending on the shift of the calendar, the winter solstice occurs some time between December 21 and December 22 each year in the Northern Hemisphere, and between June 20 and June 21 in the Southern Hemisphere.
Winter Solstice 2009 was first posted on December 21, 2009 at 8:28 pm.
