Ozone Cleanup Discovery

In a termite mound in the remote Boola Boola Forest of Australia, scientists have found a hint that a natural process may be working slowly to remove ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from the atmosphere. If the hint turns out to be correct, it could mean that CFCs in the atmosphere could be reduced eventually.

The discovery was made by researchers at the Oregon Graduate Center’s Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, who measured methane emissions from termite mounds in Australia, comparing the composition of air inside the mound with air outside. Among the chemicals they measured were CFCs. CFC levels inside the termite caverns, separated by 10 inches of soil from the air outside, were significantly lower than outside. Oregon researcher M. Aslam Khalil speculated that something in the soil must be removing CFCs from the air as it filters through the walls to fill the mounds, either breaking down CFCs or trapping them.

Khalil believes there is an unknown chemical breakdown process at work. If the chemical could be identified, scientists might be able to use it to break down CFCs before they can reach the atmosphere, the researchers speculated.