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Written by: SOFIE BATES

Published: 29 August 2021

Protecting the ozone layer also protects Earth’s vegetation and has prevented the planet from an additional 0.85 degrees Celsius of warming, according to new research from Lancaster University, NASA, and others.

This new study in Nature demonstrates that by protecting the ozone layer, which blocks harmful ultraviolet, or UV, radiation, the Montreal Protocol regulating ozone-depleting substances also protects plants — and their ability to pull carbon from the atmosphere.

The impact from plants has not been accounted for in previous climate change research.

“We know the ozone layer is connected to climate. We know greenhouse gases affect the ozone layer. But what we’ve never done before this is connect the ozone layer to the terrestrial carbon cycle,” said lead author Paul Young, an atmospheric and climate scientist at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.

The ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, or stratosphere, blocks UV radiation that can damage living tissue, including plants.

The ozone “hole,” discovered in 1985, is the result of humans emitting chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which are ozone-depleting chemicals and greenhouse gases that were once commonly used as coolants in refrigerators and in aerosols like hairspray. They were then phased out of use by the Montreal Protocol signed in 1987 and its subsequent amendments.

Scientists have previously simulated the world that we avoided by banning CFCs. Now, the new study returns to the same question — what would happen if CFCs continued to be emitted? — and looked at the effect on plants.

“Past world-avoided experiments have never considered the impacts of increased UV radiation on plants, and what that would mean for the plants’ ability to sequester carbon,” said Young.

The team used a series of models to gain a more complete picture and simulate two hypothetical scenarios: the world projected and the world avoided. “The world projected is similar to the path we’re currently on,” said Luke Oman, a research physical scientist focusing on atmospheric chemistry and dynamics at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The world avoided represents a path not taken.”

For the world-avoided scenario, the researchers assumed that CFC emissions would increase at the same rate, 3% every year, from the 1970s onward. The models show that there would be a huge thinning of the ozone layer across the globe by 2050. By 2100, ozone holes forming in the tropics would be worse than what has been observed in the Antarctic ozone hole.

In their models of the world-avoided, a depleted ozone layer would let more harmful ultraviolet radiation reach the surface, inhibiting plants from storing carbon in their tissue and in the soil. As a result, atmospheric CO2 levels are estimated to be 30% higher than they would likely be under Earth’s current trajectory. Consequently, Earth would likely be an additional 0.85°C hotter in that “world-avoided” scenario solely because of the impact on plants.

This global thinning of the ozone layer would allow significantly more harmful UV radiation from the sun to reach the surface, which would effectively sunburn the plants on Earth, said Young. Earth’s trees and vegetation would be much less efficient at photosynthesis, hindering their ability to absorb carbon out of the atmosphere and sequester it, storing carbon in plant tissue and the soil for many years.

Overall, the damage to plants would result in 580 billion metric tons less carbon stored in forests, soil and vegetation. It would instead be released into the atmosphere, increasing atmospheric CO2 levels by 30% on average compared to the world projected scenario.

That huge increase in atmospheric CO2 alone would cause global temperatures to rise 0.85°C by 2100, according to the models. That’s on top of the warming Earth may experience due to prior and expected emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, as well as the 1.7°C of direct warming due to increased CFC emissions in this scenario.

But how do we know this “world-avoided” scenario is anything like the world that would come to be without the Montreal Protocol? The team checked their models against historical data collected by NASA satellites and other available data from NASA’s partners.

For example, they looked at ozone levels recorded by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument aboard NASA’s Aura satellite and compared them to what the models “predicted” would have happened.

What happened in the model was very close to what actually happened in the past, giving the scientists confidence that their model could accurately project what may happen in the future.

Sofie Bates is a member of NASA's Earth Science News Team.

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Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 28 August 2021

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A woman who had worked for Lake County Social Services has been arrested for taking debit cards intended for individuals under the agency’s conservatorship as well as money from a bank account belonging to one of the conservatees.

Susan Marlowe, 44, of Lakeport was arrested earlier this week, said Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Paulich said Marlowe formerly was a deputy public guardian and deputy public administrator for Lake County Adult Protective Services, which is part of Social Services.

On April 2, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy was contacted by personnel from Lake County Social Services regarding the theft of debit cards from one of their offices, Paulich said.

Paulich said the debit cards had been issued as part of the economic impact payments to individuals who were under conservatorship with Social Services. Each debit card had a value of $600. A total of 21 stimulus debit cards were reported missing.

During the investigation it was determined Marlowe had access to the debit cards. Paulich said her employment with Lake County ended on March 10.

Paulich said that during the investigation into the stolen debit cards, personnel from Lake County Social Services found suspicious activity in the bank account of a Lake County resident who was under conservatorship. Marlowe had been the deputy public guardian/deputy public administrator who managed the conservatee.

The case was assigned to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Major Crime Unit, Paulich said.

He said detectives contacted the Lake County Department of Social Services, which assisted with the investigation.

Multiple search warrants were authored to obtain business records and bank records which were related to the investigation. Paulich said a detailed examination of bank records located four large withdrawals from the conservatee’s bank account.

Additional records were obtained through search warrants which showed the four withdrawals were used to make payments to a personal loan belonging to Marlowe. Paulich said the payments totaled approximately $5,800.

On June 10, a search warrant was served at Marlowe’s residence in Finley, Paulich said.

Paulich said Marlowe was contacted and interviewed. During the interview Marlowe admitted to using between six and 10 of the debit cards for her personal use. She also admitted to using the conservatee’s bank account to make payments on her loan.

The investigation continued and additional business and bank records were sought. Upon the receipt of the additional records, it was determined that Marlowe was responsible for three additional withdrawals from the conservatee’s bank account in December 2019, with those withdrawals totaling approximately $6,600, Paulich said.

The withdrawals were the result of three fake invoices that Paulich said Marlowe created for home repairs which did not occur to the conservatee's residence.

The case was forwarded to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office for review. Paulich said the case was filed with the Lake County Superior Court and an arrest warrant for Marlowe was issued with a bail of $50,000.

Paulich said detectives attempted to arrest Marlowe on the warrant, but determined she was out of state.

On Tuesday, Aug. 24, Marlowe surrendered herself at the Lake County Superior Court and the arrest warrant was recalled, Paulich said.

Marlowe was released on her own recognizance. Paulich said she is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 8.

Paulich said investigators suspect that Marlowe is responsible for the theft of all of the debit cards.

Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact Det. Todd Dunia at 707-262-4232 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 28 August 2021

LAKEPORT, Calif. — Authorities said they have charged a Lakeport couple with numerous felony counts for operating an unemployment insurance fraud scheme.

Richard James McAulay, 56, and Michelle Darlene Curtis, 50, have been the focus of an investigation for several weeks, the Lakeport Police Department reported.

The department said that earlier this month it developed information that McAulay and Curtis were defrauding the state of California in a significant unemployment insurance fraud scheme. It also was believed that McAulay was involved with opiates including fentanyl.

Because of the complexities and additional resources needed to properly and safely investigate this case, Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen asked the Criminal Investigations Division of the Lake County District Attorney’s Office to take the lead.

Over the course of the next several weeks a detailed investigation was conducted and probable cause was developed to seek charges and a search warrant for a residence on Konocti Avenue in the city of Lakeport.

On Tuesday, Aug. 24, at about 7:45 a.m., three Lake County District Attorney’s Office investigators, a Lake County welfare fraud investigator, five Lakeport Police officers and K-9 Olin served the search warrant, police said.

No one was home at the time of the warrant service, however, authorities said McAulay drove by the location during the search and was immediately stopped and arrested.

During the search of the residence, vehicles and McAulay himself, numerous items of evidence related to the unemployment insurance fraud were located and seized, police reported.

Additionally, police recovered a Smith & Wesson Governor handgun which fires a .45-caliber round or a 410 shotgun round, and it was loaded with a shotgun round, making it a felony to possess in California because it falls within the meaning of a short barreled shotgun.

During checks of vehicles, Olin alerted on suspected narcotics which were seized and are pending analysis.

As of Friday, McAulay and Curtis have been charged with multiple counts of felony unemployment insurance fraud, felony grand theft and felony perjury for the theft of in excess of what is currently known to be $40,000 of funds belonging to the state of California.

Additionally, McAulay is charged with felony possession of an illegal firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm due to the fact that he has suffered previous felony convictions in the state of California.

McAulay was in custody at the Lake County Jail on Friday, booking records showed.

At the time of this investigation, Curtis was in custody at the Sonoma County Jail on other charges. She will later be returned to Lake County to face her charges here, authorities said.

This investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Lake County District Attorney’s Office Investigations Division or the Lakeport Police Department.