ECo Talks: Protecting The Stratospheric Ozone Layer: Historical Successes and Recent Challenges with Ross Salawitch
Ross Salawitch, Professor at the University of Maryland, will present his talk, ” Protecting The Stratospheric Ozone Layer: Historical Successes and Recent Challenges,” as part of the new ECo Talks series produced by the Earth Commons.
About the Speaker:
Ross J. Salawitch is a Professor in the Departments of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center at the University of Maryland, College Park. He received his PhD in 1988 at Harvard University for a dissertation on the Antarctic Ozone Hole. Following a postdoc at Harvard, he spent 13 years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He joined the faculty at UMCP as a Professor in 2007. Dr. Salawitch publishes in the peer-reviewed literature on topics such as the stratospheric ozone layer, air quality, the global carbon cycle, and climate change, as detailed here. In 2017, he and his research group published a book entitled Paris Climate Agreement: Beacon of Hope, available via open access. He is also lead author of the Twenty Questions and Answers about the Ozone Layer document published by the United Nations Environment Programme. Dr. Salawitch is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American Associated for the Advancement of Science.
About the Talk:
In the first part of this talk, I will provide an overview of the importance of Earth’s ozone layer, the science behind how ozone depletion is caused by human release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone depleting substances (ODSs), and how the recovery of the ozone layer is proceeding following the banning of the industrial production of CFCs and other ODSs by the Montreal Protocol. The second half of the talk will focus on a range of current questions being addressed by the atmospheric sciences community, driven by the fact that the recovery of the thickness of the ozone layer to past depletion in mid-latitudes has not been occurring as rapidly as the community had once expected.
Event Details: Light refreshments will be provided. Free and open to all. No RSVP required.
About the Series: ECo Talks are presented by the Earth Commons Fridays 11:30 am – 12:30 pm in Arrupe Hall Conference Room. ECo Talks features scholars, leaders and innovators sparking conversation, sharing knowledge, and spurring change. Learn more about the series >>
