Climate change is worldwide. As global warming continues, it affects many people in all parts of the globe. Some are more affected than others, though. A new study on ozone layer depletion says to blame it on pollution near the equator.
Air pollution has been increasing. With this increase, global warming continues and with it, climate change also. A study reveals that air pollution in the equator has been more severe than it is in other areas. More ozone is being made in regions that have more emissions. This is already in an area that has much heat and sunlight.
This has been the observation of Jason West, who is one of the authors of the study. West is from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Together with him is lead author Yuqiang Zhang, who was a former graduate student of the University of North Carolina.
Their study aims to pinpoint where emissions should be controlled. These emissions cause to form ozone, which can be found in the troposphere. The ozone can cause such respiratory illnesses and heart disease.
The study shows that emission has risen in places such as China, according to Phys Org. Emission levels in China have been higher than in India and Southeast Asia. Despite that, India and Southeast Asia are said to have contributed more to the increase in ozone since they are much nearer to the equator.
Ozone forms when sunlight hits nitrogen oxide. Nitrogen oxide is one of the gases emitted from vehicles and factories. Heat and sunlight speed up the process of this formation, which depletes the ozone layer over time.
Zhang and West, as well as other colleagues, have created a model to demonstrate how this works as well as show how much ozone is in the troposphere, as CBC News reports. Their model has shown how much pollution has been made from 1980 until 2010. The model used data from ozone observations that have been made, and have confirmed that much of the emissions found come from Asia.
The challenge now is to decrease emission levels, especially in areas where they are causing more ozone. With the ozone layer depletion, the study says to blame it on pollution near the equator. As global warming continues, one effect might be the Arctic losing ice by 2050.
