Earth  ID: 11813

A Story of Ozone: The Earth's Natural Sunscreen

Released on April 5, 2015
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Dr. Paul Newman is the chief scientist for atmospheric sciences at NASA Goddard. In this talk he discusses how chlorofluorocarbons were destroying the ozone layer, what policy-makers did about it, and what challenges the ozone layer faces today.

For complete transcript, click here.

In this talk, Dr. Paul Newman tells the story of how scientists and policy-makers safeguarded the Earth’s ozone layer and the world we avoided by regulating chlorofluorocarbons (CFCS) . Back in the 60s, we used chlorofluorocarbons, a chlorine-containing chemical, in everything from hairsprays and deodorants to foam products and air conditioners. But in 1974, chemists Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina published a paper claiming CFCs were destroying the ozone layer. The Molina-Rowland paper launched a debate in the scientific community that ultimately led to the halls of the United Nations. Today, more than 191 countries have signed the Montreal Protocol— a treaty that regulates the use of chlorofluorocarbons—and the ozone layer is on the mend. But the story has taken a new and unpredictable turn as the class of compounds that replaced CFCs act as greenhouse gases.

Credits

Alison Schuyler Ogden (NASA/GSFC): Lead Producer
Alison Schuyler Ogden (NASA/GSFC): Lead Editor
Rob Andreoli (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.): Videographer
John Caldwell (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.): Videographer
Stuart A. Snodgrass (HTSI): Technical Support
Rich Melnick (HTSI): Technical Support
Paul Newman (NASA/GSFC): Project Scientist
Please give credit for this item to: Alison Ogden
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11813

Mission:
Aura

This item is part of this series:
Narrated Movies

Goddard TV Tape:
G2015-023 -- Ozone with Paul Newman

Keywords:
SVS >> HDTV
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere >> Atmospheric Chemistry/Oxygen Compounds >> Ozone
SVS >> Aura
NASA Science >> Earth

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0