Exclusive: British polar research in crisis

This piece again wrongly claims the “ozone hole” was discovered in 1985, which is complete nonsense

In a paper titled “Forty Years’ Research on Atmospheric Ozone at Oxford: A History” (Applied Optics, March 1968), Dobson described an ozone monitoring program that began at Halley Bay in 1956.

When the data began to arrive, “the values in September and October 1956 were about 150 [Dobson] units lower than expected. … In November the ozone values suddenly jumped up to those expected. … It was not until a year later, when the same type of annual variation was repeated, that we realized that the early results were indeed correct and that Halley Bay showed a most interesting difference from other parts of the world.” [em added]

The so-called “hole” was “alive and well” three decades before these clowns claim to have “discovered” it.

The alleged ozone depletion crisis was always a scam.

The British scientific research body which discovered the hole in the ozone layer and whose work is now vital to understanding climate change is fighting for its life. Cuts of more than 25 per cent to the budget of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have been proposed, and threaten not only its continuing work but also have already caused one major casualty, a furious interdepartmental row in Whitehall and prompted the intervention of the Prime Minister.

MPs intend raising in the Commons concerns about what is considered to be a jewel in the crown of British science, and it is understood that Foreign Office officials intend to contest the funding cuts to the bitter end. All this is in the centenary year of the death of Scott of the Antarctic, and in the wake of the worldwide success of Sir David Attenborough’s BBC1 Frozen Planet series.

At stake is one of the most respected groups of scientists in the world. It was three scientists at the British Antarctic Survey who discovered the “ozone hole”, writing one of the most influential papers ever published in journal Nature, which went on to shape the way we think about climate change. More recently, BAS has undertaken major work to monitor global sea-level rises.

But all that is now in jeopardy, after the cost-cutting measures ordered by the National Environmental Research Council (NERC) which provides the main source of BAS funding. The NERC in turn receives the cash from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which is under serious pressure to reduce the UK’s national deficit. The Independent on Sunday understands NERC was seeking a £13m cut from an overall budget of £48m.

Independent