Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Are sheep going blind in Chile?

During my trip to Australia last year I got a terrible heat rash on my arms and neck - probably due to the fact that the ozone layer is thinner over Tasmania (and most of the southern hemisphere), and (although I wore sunscreen) my skin didn't quite adjust to the extra ultraviolet rays as well as my travel companions.

In both hemispheres, stratospheric ozone (the good stuff, not on the ground) drops in the spring, but  ozone loss is more rapid throughout the southern hemisphere. The ozone hole over Antarctica has to do with ice clouds (containing the ozone-eating chlorine and bromine chemicals) that form during the winters, and then deplete the ozone layer when the sunlight returns in the spring and activates the chemicals.

The ozone layer is thinner over Chile, too, and looks to be thinner the further south one goes.  There's not much to do about it beyond bringing a better sunscreen and the UV-protective shirt I picked up at REI a few years ago.  I will also pack my remaining supply of "buttocks cream," (the lotion that helped heal my arms in Australia last year) just in case.

p.s. I stumbled across this question of whether sheep are going blind in Chile due to the ozone hole. Sheep are going blind in Chile, but it turned out to be a case of the pink eye.




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