The History of Stratospheric Ozone Research: From the First Atmospheric Measurements to Current Developments

Ozone is one of the most important trace species in the atmosphere. Therefore, the history of research on ozone has also received a good deal of attention. In this presentation, a short overview of ozone research (with a focus on the stratosphere) will be given, starting from the first atmospheric measurements and ending with current developments. A few examples of current model simulations of the Antarctic ozone hole using the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS) will also be given. It is valuable to study the history of ozone research, because much can be learned for current research from an understanding of how previous discoveries were made. Moreover, since the 1970s, the history of ozone research has also encompassed also the history of the human impact on the ozone layer and thus the history of policy measures taken to protect the ozone layer, notably the Montreal Protocol and its amendments and adjustments. The history of this development is particularly important because it may serve as a prototype for the development of policy measures for the protection of the Earth’s climate.