XPost: dc.urban-planning, wa.politics   
   From: impeach_obama@yahoo.com   
      
   Good news from Antarctica: The hole in the ozone layer is   
   shrinking, new measurements reveal.   
      
   Ozone is a molecule made of three oxygen atoms. It's relatively   
   highly concentrated in a particular layer of the stratosphere   
   about 12 miles to 19 miles above Earth's surface. This ozone   
   layer prevents ultraviolet light from reaching Earth's surface —   
   a good thing, given that UV light causes sunburn and skin cancer.   
      
   Ever since the early 1980s, though, a hole in this layer has   
   developed over Antarctica during September to November,   
   decreasing ozone concentration by as much as 70 percent. The   
   cause is human-produced chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were   
   once heavily used in aerosols and refrigeration.   
      
   By international agreement, CFCs have been phased out of use.   
   The policy has real effects, new satellite observations reveal.   
   In 2012, the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica was smaller   
   than it has ever been in the last 10 years.   
      
   The new observations, announced by the European Space Agency   
   (ESA) on Feb. 8, come from Europe's Met Op weather satellite,   
   which has an instrument specifically designed to sense ozone   
   concentrations. The findings suggest that the phase-out of CFCs   
   is working, the ESA reports.   
      
   Antarctica is particularly vulnerable to ozone-depleting   
   substances, because high winds cause a vortex of cold air to   
   circulate over the continent. In the resulting frigid   
   temperatures, CFCs are especially effective at depleting ozone.   
   The result is that people in the Southern Hemisphere are at   
   increased risk of exposure from UV radiation.   
      
   CFCs persist in the atmosphere for a long time, so it may take   
   until the middle of the century for ozone concentrations to   
   rebound to 1960s levels, the ESA reports. However, the hole in   
   the ozone over Antarctica should completely close in the next   
   few decades.   
      
   http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/02/12/ozone-hole-shrinks-to-   
   record-low/?intcmp=obinsite   
      
   --   
   Are you obligated as an armed civilian, to defend unarmed   
   liberals while you are both under fire by foreign agents of the   
   outlaw Obama administration?   
      
   No.  Shoot the liberals immediately so they can't stab you in   
   the back while you are defending yourself, then return a   
   controlled rate of aimed fire.       
      
          
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)