Reductions in ozone at high concentrations of stratospheric halogens

Abstract

An increase in the concentration of inorganic chlorine to levels comparable to that of oxidized reactive nitrogen could cause a significant change in the chemistry of the lower stratosphere leading to a reduction potentially larger than 15% in the column density of ozone. This could occur, for example by the middle of the next century, if emissions of man-made chlorocarbons were to grow at a rate of 3% per year. Ozone could be further depressed by release of industrial bromocarbon.