Oceans will emit Ozone Depleting Chlorofluorocarbons.

Oceans are vast respiratory gases like Chlorofluorocarbons which causes the depletion of ozone. Oceans absorb these gases from the atmosphere and store them for centuries.

The Chlorofluorocarbons have been used in the study of ocean currents but they create an impact on atmospheric concentration. Currently, MIT researchers have found ocean fluxes of at least one type known as CFC11. In a study appearing today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team reports that the global ocean will reverse its longtime role as a sink for the potent ozone-depleting chemical. According to scientists, the oceans will emit more CFC-11 back into the atmosphere than they absorb by 2075.

Co-author Susan Solomon, the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, said by the time we go to the 22 century there will be much flux coming out of the ocean. It might appear like someone is cheating on the Montreal protocol. Scientists looked to pinpoint when the ocean would turn into a wellspring of the chemical and how much the ocean would contribute to CFC-11 concentrations in the atmosphere. They tried to see how climate change would impact the ocean’s ability to retain the chemical in the future.

The lead author said that the ocean which is colder will absorb more CFCs. The climatic change warms the ocean and it becomes a weeker reservoir. This Chlorofluorocarbons is used to make refrigerants and insulating foams. When emitted into the atmosphere, the chemical sets off a chain reaction that destroys ozone. The ozone layer protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation.