Do Hydrofluorocarbons Destroy Stratospheric Ozone?
A. R. Ravishankara 1,
Andrew A. Turnipseed 1,
Niels R. Jensen 1,
Stephen Barone 1,
Michael Mills 1,
Carleton J. Howard 1, and
Susan Solomon 1
1 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Aeronomy Laboratory, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303
Hydrofluorocarbons, many of which contain a CF3 group, are one of the major substitutes for the chlorofluorocarbons and halons that are being phased out because they contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion. It is critical to ensure that CF3 groups do not cause significant ozone depletion. The rate coefficients for the key reactions that determine the efficiency of the CF3 radical as a catalyst for ozone loss in the stratosphere have been measured and used in a model to calculate the possible depletion of ozone. From these results, it is concluded that the ozone depletion potentials related to the presence of the CF3 group in hydrofluorocarbons are negligibly small.
Submitted on September 3, 1993
Accepted on November 4, 1993
