EVIDENCE OF THE PHASE-OUT OF CFC USE IN EUROPE OVER THE PERIOD 1987-1990

European regulations exist to phase-out production of the ozone-depleting man-made CFCs. High frequency measurements of the principal CFCs and other radiatively active gases have been collected at Mace Head, Ireland from 1987-1990 as part of the Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (GAGE). These measurements provide the first clear evidence that this phase-out is effective. Allocation of the time series beginning at the end of 1988, to a particular wind sector combined with simple modelling techniques indicates a significant reduction in European source strengths for CFC-11 and CFC-12 which is consistent with reliable emission estimates for CFC-11, but which seem to indicate a slightly smaller reduction for CFC-12, when likewise compared to emission figures. The study provides evidence that European CH4, CCl2F2 and CCl3F emission have already declined to about one-third of 1987 levels by the end of 1990. Over the same period, no evidence of any phase-out in the European usage of methyl chloroform and CFC-113 was detected.