Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 1998

1998 Ozone Assessment cover
Cover Page
Citations and Copies

The 1998 WMO/UNEP assessment, Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 1998, contains the understanding of ozone depletion and reflects the thinking of 304 international scientific experts who contributed to its preparation and review. Co-chairs of the 1998 assessment were Dr. Daniel L. Albritton of the NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory, Dr. Robert T. Watson of the World Bank, Dr. Pieter J. Aucamp of the Ptersa Environmental Consultants, and Dr. Gérard Mégie of the Service d'Aéronomie du CNRS. Other members of the Aeronomy Laboratory made substantial contributions to the report, serving as lead authors, co-authors, contributors, reviewers, coordinating editor, and editorial and computing support staff.

This Ozone Assessment includes three major sections – the Executive Summary, 12 detailed chapters in four parts, and Frequently Asked Questions About Ozone:

Part 1. Halocarbon, Ozone, and Temperature Changes
Chapter 1. Long-Lived Ozone-Related Compounds (Lead Authors: Ronald G. Prinn and R. Zander)
Chapter 2. Short-Lived Ozone-Related Compounds (Lead Authors: (Michael J. Kurylo and José M. Rodríguez)
Chapter 3. Global Distributions and Changes in Stratospheric Particles (Lead Authors: Sophie Godin and Lamont R. Poole)
Chapter 4. Ozone Variability and Trends (Lead Authors: Rumen D. Bojkov and Robert Hudson)
Chapter 5. Trends in Stratospheric Temperatures (Lead Authors: Marie-Lise Chanin and V. Ramaswamy)
Part 2. Advances in Understanding the Processes Involved
Chapter 6. Upper Stratospheric Processes (Lead Authors: Rolf Müller and Ross J. Salawitch)
Chapter 7. Lower Stratospheric Processes (Lead Authors: A.R. Ravishankara and Theodore G. Shepherd)
Chapter 8. Tropospheric Ozone and Related Processes (Lead Authors: Jos Lelieveld and Anne M. Thompson)
Part 3. Impacts of Ozone Changes
Chapter 9. Ultraviolet Radiation at the Earth's Surface (Lead Authors: Jay R. Herman and Richard L. McKenzie)
Chapter 10. Climate Effects of Ozone and Halocarbon Changes (Lead Authors: Claire Granier and Keith P. Shine)
Part 4. Predictions of Future Changes
Chapter 11. Halocarbon Scenarios for the Future Ozone Layer and Related Consequences (Lead Authors: Sasha Madronich and Guus J.M. Velders)
Chapter 12. Predicting Future Ozone Changes and Detection of Recovery (Lead Authors: David J. Hofmann and John A. Pyle)
Frequently Asked Questions About Ozone (Coordinator: Gérard Mégie)

Executive Summary

The Executive Summary gives a synopsis of major scientific findings of the 12 chapters of the full assessment. This portion includes:


Frequently Asked Questions About Ozone

The international scientific community included this section in their 1998 assessment. In it, they answer several of the general questions that are most frequently asked by students, the general public, and leaders in industry and government. After a general introduction about ozone, the questions addressed are: