Leaky Hydrogen Could Thin Ozone Layer

June 15, 2003 – Vol.8 No.12

LEAKY HYDROGEN COULD THIN THE OZONE LAYER .

It isn’t often that hazards along the road ahead are known before the journey begins.

In a report published in the journal Science, researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have determined that hydrogen leaking into the atmosphere from a hydrogen economy in full gear could do damage to the Earth’s ozone layer. With current technology employed, hydrogen would leak at a rate of 10-20 percent during production, distribution and refueling. An estimated 60 to 120 trillion grams of hydrogen would dissipate into the upper atmosphere each year - a rate 4-8 times that now released by human activity.

When this free hydrogen reached the upper stratosphere it would mate with available oxygen to make water vapor, which would create a cooling effect on the lower stratosphere. The cooler stratosphere would upset the chemistry that creates the protective ozone layer. The ozone could decrease as much as 10 percent. A thinning would result in more cases of skin cancer, especially at latitudes nearer the poles.

While the scenario should raise concerns, say the researchers, they also say that the a move towards a hydrogen economy shouldn’t be abandoned if industry, environmentalists, energy experts and political leaders think it’s the right thing to do. They say that discovering potential problems early - when they can be fixed - is certainly better than finding them later after the hydrogen economy has been developed. Had people over a century ago known of the problems related to the burning of fossil fuels, they may not have moved the world in that direction.

Visit Caltech Geological and Planetary Sciences at http://www.gps.caltech.edu/