More Violent Storms Over Great Plains May Damage Ozone Layer; Poss. Human, Plant Health Threat

More frequent, powerful storms in the Great Plains are penetrating deep into the atmosphere, risking ozone loss and increased dangerous UV radiation, scientists warn. The ozone layer in our atmosphere keeps much of the sun's ultraviolet radiation from hitting the surface. Too much of it gives people skin cancer and can destroy plants and crops.

Harvard researchers found that this stratospheric ozone layer above the central U.S. gets depleted during the summer, most likely as intense storms send water vapor into the atmosphere. The vapor can cause the types of chemical reactions that have spurred ozone loss in Arctic and Antarctic regions.

The stratosphere, which extends from about 7 miles above the surface to nearly 30 miles above the ground, is one of the most “delicate aspects of habitability on the planet,” the researchers wrote in the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week.

The Great Plains' more frequent and violent storms get that extra energy in large part from warming waters in the Gulf of Mexico. The Harvard study shows that, in addition to storm damage, the loss of ozone threatens food security and human health. “Humans are sensitive to even small changes in UV radiation, as are our staple crops. That’s the center of our concern right now,” said lead author of the study, Jim Anderson, a professor and researcher at Harvard University.

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http://www.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2017/june/Intense-storms-may-diminish-protective-ozone-in