The ozone hole will be closed
On behalf of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), scientists of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics and other DLR instituts have contributed as lead-authors and reviewers to the current assessment of the evolution of the ozone layer in the stratosphere. Newest studies indicate that the ozone layer in the mid-21st century will have the same thickness as observed in the early 1980s.
The reason for this positive development is the successful regulation of the production and usage of fluorine, chlorine and bromine containing substances, like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) due to the Montreal Protocol in 1987 and international amendments. Foundation for the predictions in the ozone report are numerical models simulating physical, dynamical and chemical processes in the atmosphere. Among others, these so-called 'climate-chemistry models' are used in the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics.
