A team of scientists say they've discovered traces of four man-made gases in the atmosphere capable of destroying the ozone layer and intensifying global warming. The discovery comes despite a decades old international treaty aimed at the eradication of ozone-depleting gases, and marks the first time since the 1990s that such gases have been found, reports the AFP.
After comparing present day air samples with ice core samples from Greenland and more than 30 years of air samples from Tasmania, researchers found that more than 74,000 metric tons of three chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and one hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) had been released into the atmosphere since the 1960s, reports the Wall Street Journal.
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Both synthetic gases contribute to ozone depletion, but CFCs are considered the most damning to the earth's natural ultra-violet ray filter, the ozone layer.
"Our research has shown four gases that were not around in the atmosphere at all until the 1960s, which suggests they are man-made," the scientists said. "The identification of these four new gases is very worrying as they will contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer."
Worse yet, two of the four newly discovered gases are still being released into the atmosphere, and scientists don't yet know the source.
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