Scientists celebrate 25th anniversary of ozone hole discovery

An international group of scientists will gather at the University of Cambridge on Friday 7 May 2010 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer, one of the most dramatic scientific findings of modern times. The event will be web cast live. The seminal paper, published in the journal Nature, alerted the world to a major environmental threat and paved the way for concerted international action to address the problem. Twenty five years ago this month, three scientists from British Antarctic Survey - Joe Farman, Brian Gardiner and Jonathan Shanklin - announced that they had discovered dramatic thinning of the ozone layer above Antarctica during the southern spring. The ozone hole was linked to the accumulation of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and industrial solvents. Under the 1987 Montreal Protocol and its amendments, production and consumption of CFCs, halons and carbon tetrachloride were phased out by 2000, and methyl chloroform by 2005. According to one of the celebration organisers Dr Neil Harris of the University of Cambridge: "The discovery of the ozone hole is a seminal paper in environmental science.