Abstract
Data from satellite, balloon, and ground-station measurements show that ozone loss is strongly correlated with cosmic-ray ionization-rate variations with altitude, latitude, and time. Moreover, our laboratory data indicate that the dissociation induced by cosmic rays for and on ice surfaces in the polar stratosphere at an altitude of is quite efficient, with estimated rates of and , respectively. These findings suggest that dissociation of chlorofluorocarbons by capture of electrons produced by cosmic rays and localized in polar stratospheric cloud ice may play a significant role in causing the ozone hole.
- Received 27 February 2001
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.078501
©2001 American Physical Society