science talk

Moore Lecture in Environmental Sciences and Chemistry Department Seminar

As the 21st Century begins, several important alterations in the chemical composition of Earth's atmosphere are well under way, with consequences that will be widely felt over the coming decades. Many of these can be grouped under three headings: depletion of stratospheric ozone, increasing trapping of terrestrial infrared radiation with consequent warming of Earth's surface, and rising levels of surface pollution especially in urban environments. In all three instances, the major changes are occurring because of additional gases released to the atmosphere through the activities of the global population.