Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

State-of-Understanding Update on the Ozone Layer: Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2002

State-of-scientific-understanding update to underpin decisionmaking on ozonelayer depletion

In the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2002, the world's leading scientists define the current scientific understanding of the ozone layer and the phenomenon of stratospheric ozone depletion, updating the 1998 Assessment as required by Article 6 of the United Nations Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer. This is a highly coordinated multi-agency effort involving NOAA, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the European Commission (EC). The report is truly global in its importance, serving as the centerpiece of all national and international discussions related to ozone depletion. It is relied upon by scientists in the international community in its assessment of the current state of scientific understanding on the topic. By summarizing scientific findings in policy-relevant terms, the Assessment plays a particularly unique role as a "bridge" between the scientific community and decision makers.

Specifically, the science in the Assessment will underpin future international decisions regarding ozone-depleting substances and the protection of the ozone layer. It has been distributed worldwide in print and on the Web, including to the over 180 nations that are Parties to the Montreal Protocol. Findings of the 2002 Assessment includes an update on atmospheric processes underlying ozone abundance at the poles and globally, observations of ozonedepleting substances in the atmosphere, expectations for recovery of the ozone layer, and approaches to evaluating the ozone-layer impacts of very short-lived halogen-containing substances.

CIRES scientists played key roles in the 2002 ozone Assessment:
(i) Lead Author (D.W. Fahey) of a widely circulated component of the Assessment intended for students, the public, and decisionmakers. This greatly expanded component of the 2002 Assessment, entitled "Twenty Questions and Answers About the Ozone Layer," offers "the basics and beyond" about the science related to the ozone layer. Its format and specially designed graphics have proven to be quite useful to a broad cross-section of the Assessment's readership.

(ii) Coordinating Editor (C.A. Ennis) of the 2002 Assessment. This role entailed scientific and technical editing, communications and coordination with chapter Lead Authors, conducting the international scientific peer review, assisting the Co-chairs of the Scientific Assessment Panel, and overseeing publication on the Web and in print from start to finish.

CIRES Research Theme
Integrating Activities

Project Personnel
D.L. Albritton (AL/NOAA), C.A. Ennis (AL/CIRES), D.W. Fahey (AL/NOAA+CIRES), S.A. Montzka (CMDL/NOAA) with hundreds of scientists worldwide participating as Lead Authors, Coauthors, Contributors, and Reviewers.

Funding Source(s)
NOAA

Publications
Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2002, World Meteorological Organization Global Ozone Research and Monitoring Project-Report No. 47, 499 pp., Geneva, 2003.