First Reserach Laboratory

Atmospheric Ozone

Atmospheric ozone absorbs hazardous ultraviolet radiation from the Sun and protects living things on the Earth. Most of atmospheric ozone is contained in the stratosphere and forms the ozone layer. However, in recent years, the ozone layer has been depleted due to the increase in man-made gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Antarctic "ozone hole" is a representative phenomenon of the ozone depletion. The regulation of CFCs is being accomplished by an international agreement to cease activities that cause ozone depletion and to restore the ozone layer.

The monitoring and prediction of the state of the ozone layer is necessary and further research on ozone is also required. In this laboratory, FTIR measurement of ozone-related species, data analysis of ozone hole, and development of a chemical transport model are preformed.