ON THE ROLE OF IODINE IN OZONE DEPLETION

Ozone depletions in the lower stratosphere outside of polar regions ar e difficult to explain using only local chlorine and bromine chemistry . We speculate that iodine chemistry in combination with trends in ant hropogenic chlorine and bromine may also be a factor in determining th e widespread current depletion of lower stratospheric ozone. We also s peculate on a related role for iodine in the sudden springtime surface ozone loss observed in the Arctic.