Theseo 2000 - understanding ozone depletion in the North
On 22 January, the European Commissioner for Research, Mr Philippe Busquin, visited the Arctic research centre in Estrange, Karuna, in Sweden, to formally present the Theseo 2000 campaign for stratospheric ozone research to the European press corps. The European Commission indicated its intention to continue funding Theseo 2000, the third European Stratospheric experiment on ozone, in November last year (RCN 13939). The project, which is jointly funded by the EU and national agencies will constitute the European Commission's contribution to the largest ever-international initiative to study ozone depletion in the northern hemisphere. The Theseo 2000 team will join forces with the United State's NASA-sponsored SOLVE project (SAGE III ozone loss and validation experiment) and a number of other agencies around the world, bringing together more than 350 scientists who will use the latest technology to understand the ozone problem. 'According to current understanding, the conditions for chemical ozone destruction are in place in the Arctic vortex. On the basis of preliminary data, substantial depletion may take place. How much ozone will be lost depends on the evolution of the stratosphere in the coming weeks', Commission scientists reveal. Commissioner Busquin underlined the value of European collaboration on projects like Theseo 2000: 'The campaign is closely coordinated with national research programmes, thus maximising the added value at European level. And beyond that, Theseo contributes to international research and efforts to phase out ozone-depleting substances, in line with the aim of the Montreal Protocol', he said.