Thesis (Ph.D.) -- McMaster University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-157). Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 193 p. : ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Denver, 1985. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 247-266).

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1993.

Global environment is presenting new opportunities and challenges for international cooperation. The depletion of the ozone layer is one of the successful cases where the world community has demonstrated a rare consensus to address a global problem. This study: (1) examines the role of international law and institutions in shaping a regime for ozone layer depletion as formalized in the 1987 Montreal Protocol; (2) evaluates contributions of the ozone regime to the development of international environmental law, and (3) analyzes its implications for future international cooperation. Using regime theories as a methodological framework, the study integrates science, policy, law and institutions to show how they interact to create understandings, practices, and procedures in international relations. Traditionally, regime theorists have focused on power and interest to explain international cooperation. The existing theories were found to be inadequate for the analysis of ozone regime. I have offered an alternate explanation by incorporating the element of "law" into regime studies and linking regimes with "institutions"--the raison d'etre of the regimes. This modified explanation helps to provide a better understanding of the formation of the ozone regime. The study suggests that the ozone regime has produced a new generation of environmental norms. These norms, both procedural and substantive, put "flesh on the bone" of environmental law and keep ozone regime as a political process in motion, thus, adapting to the changing technological and scientific environment. Moreover, the ozone regime marks a turning point in the shift of emphasis from single-issue pollution laws to an encompassing law of the atmosphere. A new form of international cooperation also emerged from ozone negotiations. This cooperation was promoted by joint efforts of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the world scientific community. UNEP used scientific findings to persuade the parties to the ozone negotiations to re-evaluate their political stance in light of evolving scientific knowledge. At a time when traditional bases of power seem to be eroding, international institutions are viable structures to initiate efforts to address human concerns and facilitate decisions by the international community. Similarly, the world scientific community may prove influential in future global policymaking, in particular on the issues with high degrees of scientific uncertainty.

The Antarctic climate has undergone complex changes over the last fifty years, driven largely by stratospheric ozone depletion. By the end of this century, under the current trajectory of anthropogenic emissions, the climate of Antarctica is projected to be significantly wetter, warmer and prone to the collapse of ice shelves and loss of sea ice cover. The overarching aim of this thesis is to increase our understanding of recent and projected Antarctic climate change and its drivers. We also investigate the potential global implications of these changes and show that the effects will not be limited to the southern high latitudes. In the first half, we investigate the drivers of Antarctic climate change over the observational period. Specifically, we study the influence of the stratosphere on the southern high latitude surface climate, through stratosphere-troposphere dynamic coupling as well as stratospheric ozone depletion. We examine the impact of these on the Amundsen Sea Low, a key circulation feature near West Antarctica. We demonstrate using reanalysis that stratospheric heat flux extremes are linked to high latitude tropospheric anomalies in the Amundsen Sea region. During extreme negative (positive) events there is a westward (eastward) shift of the Amundsen Sea Low, a warming (cooling) and increase (decrease) of geopotential height over the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas. We find that most CMIP5 models are not able to capture this relationship. Next, we demonstrate that, since 1965, stratospheric ozone depletion has acted to deepen the Amundsen Sea Low in austral summer by 1 hPa per decade. This result was consistent across two different comprehensive climate models, each with very different model physics and climate sensitivity. It must be noted that the ozone depletion signal on the Amundsen Sea Low is small compared to the internal climate variability in this region. Using ensembles of model integrations and analysing them over the full period of ozone depletion (which started a couple of decades before the satellite era) is necessary to detect a robust signal. In the second half, we investigate the effects of future Antarctic climate change, specifically the effects of projected sea ice loss over the coming century. Climate model simulations are used to isolate the effect of end-of-the-century Antarctic sea ice loss which is compared and contrasted with the effects of projected Arctic sea ice loss. We first study the effects of projected Antarctic sea ice loss used atmosphere-only simulations. As for the Arctic, results indicated that Antarctic sea ice loss will act to shift the tropospheric jet equatorward, an internal negative feedback to the poleward shift associated with increased greenhouse gases. Antarctic sea ice loss is shown to have an important effect throughout the year whereas Arctic sea ice loss will have more seasonally varying impacts. Building upon these results we the use the same climate model but in a fully coupled setup to study the effects of projected Antarctic sea ice loss on the climate system. We show that both Arctic and Antarctic sea ice loss will have important global effects, causing a ‘mini global warming’ signal. The tropical response to Antarctic sea ice loss is shown to be remarkably similar to that of Arctic sea ice loss, with enhanced warming in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and increased precipitation throughout much of the equatorial Pacific. These results highlight how intimately coupled the Antarctic climate is to the rest of the climate system.

This thesis aims to clarify the sources of, and mechanisms associated with, the generation of ozone maxima over the southern African region. Inasmuch as, tropospheric ozone concentration is a function of both chemistry and meteorology, this thesis concentrates on the role of atmospheric dynamics. Firstly, a statistical analysis of the relationship between total ozone and meteorological parameters revealed a generally weak negative relationship between total ozone and the height of the 500, 300 and 100 hPa geopotential surfaces. The relationship is best expressed by the passage of a mid-latitude cyclone while anticyclonic conditions exhibited a weak relationship. An examination of the spatial distribution of total ozone and potential vorticity (PV), during the passage of westerly troughs, prompted a more thorough investigation of the exchange of ozone between the stratosphere and troposphere. The relationship between tropospheric ozone, and low pressure and anticyclonic systems is investigated further using data obtained during the South African Fire-Atmospheric Research Initiative (SAFARI) conducted in 1992. Ozone concentrations, as expressed by ozonesonde data, reveal different characteristic profiles for the two scenarios. Explanations for the differences observed are sought in the observed circulation patterns during the experiment. Case studies at Okaukuejo (Namibia), Irene (South Africa) and Brazzaville (Congo), which were utilised as ground stations during SAFARI, are presented in an attempt to gain insight into the vertical distribution of ozone over the entire expanse of the study region. The role of convective systems in the generation of short-lived upper tropospheric ozone maxima at tropical latitudes is illustrated while the different vertical ozone signatures, expressed under cyclonic and anticyclonic systems as described earlier, are reconfirmed by the Okaukuejo and Irene data. An attempt is made to investigate dynamic links between the troposphere and stratosphere and the concomitant exchange of ozone during the passage of westerly trough systems. Particularly deep troughs or cut off low pressure systems are identified as important mechanisms in the generation of upper tropospheric ozone maxima. An examination of the vertical distribution of ozone at Irene during the passage of a COL, using data obtained from the SA'ARI 1994 experiment, suggests concurrence with Danielsen's (1968) model of tropopause folding. The intrusion of high PV and dry stratospheric air, coupled with downward flow near the tropopause, in the vicinity of the upper tropospheric disturbance, promotes the transport of ozone-rich air to tropospheric altitudes. The limited availability of data has severely hampered the understanding of tropospheric ozo~e in southern Africa in the past. This study demonstrates the value of daily vertical ozone data, even for very short periods. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, 1995.

Measurements of surface ozone in Durban have been undertaken since September 1994 until August 1995 using a Dasibi ozone monitor model 1108. There is a seasonal variation in surface ozone with a small amplitude of 6.5 ppb. The mean maximum of 12.5 ppb is experienced in August and the minimum in December (6 ppb). The late winter peak and the sharp rise from June to July is possibly related to the greater accumulation of ozone at the surface due to the poor dispersion, higher frequency of inversions and lower mixing depth. The study also focuses on the relationship between synoptic weather systems and daily ozone concentrations in an attempt to establish if any relationship exists. The analysis suggests that there is an increase in ozone concentration during the pre-frontal and established high pressure systems and a reduction in ozone under postfrontal conditions. The mean diurnal variation in surface ozone depicts a maximum between solar noon and 14:00, which is typical of an urban-industrial environment, in which ozone precursor gases have built up during the morning. However, a secondary peak in the early morning during winter and autumn was more difficult to explain and is thought to be due to the transport of ozone from the interior in the mountain-plain wind systems. Comparison of ozone values at Durban with results available from the other locations in South Africa such as Cape Point and the Eastern Transvaal Highveld has been undertaken. Ozone values at Durban are lower than Cape Point, which is a representative of a background monitoring station. It ls hypothesised that those low ozone concentrations may be due to high NOx which in turn depletes ozone. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, 1995.

The cooperation of developing countries is commonly assumed to be essential for the establishment of effective regimes to manage global environmental interdependence. Yet their policies and perceptions have been inadequately studied. This thesis seeks to partially fill this gap in the literature with a detailed analysis of Indian policy on global environmental issues. It examines the cases of ozone depletion, climate change, and loss of biodiversity, and discusses developments up to the 1992 Earth Summit. The study addresses four broad questions about Indian policy: the process of policy making; the character of Indian interests and preferences; the nature and evolution of India's bargaining strategy; and the outcome of international negotiations for India. It reveals a complex picture of continuity and change in Indian policy. It demonstrates the enduring importance of traditions and values such as the "poverty is the greatest polluter" orthodoxy and the concepts of sovereignty, equity and Third World solidarity. It also highlights the impact of perceptions of vulnerability in relation to the North. It argues that Indian policy did not reflect purely powermaximising goals; policy makers were sometimes uncertain about where India's interests precisely lay, and felt constrained both by economic weakness and by the recognition of the mutual interest of all states in global environmental protection. This was reflected in the moderation in India's bargaining strategy. The Indian case suggests that developing countries did not regard their cooperation in the resolution of global environmental issues purely as a bargaining chip with which to extract concessions from the North. Still less did they perceive these issues as providing an opportunity to pose a macro-challenge to the North, linking agendas across issue areas. Instead, their goals reflected perceptions of constraints and mutual interests in bargaining with the North. Their bargaining strategy thus tended to be moderate and flexible, unlike the confrontational approach of the 1970s.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Arizona, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 224-241).