Report from a submission dated 25 September 2015
Reporting Requirements under the Article 9 of the Montreal Protocol.
Period: 2013-2014
NORWAY
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Article 9: RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC AWARENESS AND
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
Norway controls national use of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) through the
implementation of Chapter 6 of a wider regulation entitled: Regulation on limitation of use
of health and environmental hazardous chemicals and other products or, in short,
Regulation on Products. Chapter 6 in this regulation is in line with the EU Regulation No.
1005/2009 on Ozone Depleting Substances. The provisions of the national and EC ODS
regulations are generally stricter than the corresponding ones in the Montreal protocol.
Furthermore, both regulations impose restrictions not only on pure ODS substances and
mixtures, but on products and equipment containing those, as well.
The responsibility for ensuring full implementation of the obligations under the Montreal
Protocol, as well as those under the EU regulation lies with the Norwegian Environment
Agency.
Norway’s actions pertinent to the requirements of Article 9 under the Montreal Protocol are
summarised in the following.
Nordic co-operation
During the last two decades Norway has been co-operating actively with Denmark, Finland,
Iceland and Sweden on issues related to ozone layer depletion, through participation in the
so-called Nordic Ozone Group (NOG) under the Nordic Council of Ministers. In 2010, The
Faroe Islands also joined the group. NOG’s major tasks are: planning and supervision of
projects and studies on ozone depleting substances, aimed at contributing to the
strengthening of the Montreal Protocol and EU regulations on ODS as well as increasing
public awareness (e.g. through information on availability and promotion of ODS
alternatives); exchange of information and experiences from each others’ national
circumstances with the view to increase efficiency in the implementation of regulations
nationally; discussion and planning of coordinated actions at the international level (EU,
Montreal Protocol, other Conventions).
In recent years the group has been focusing its project work on issues that are of major
importance under the Montreal Protocol, for example, acceleration of global HCFC phase
out; illegal trade and destruction of ODS banks. In 2013, the group published the report
“ODS waste treatment in the Nordic Countries” which provides an overview of the waste
treatment and the regulation of ODS in the Nordic Countries. The report also identifies gaps,
proposes solutions and provides recommendations for relevant Nordic efforts within the
area.
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As of January 2015, HCFC refrigeration systems can no longer be refilled in the Nordic
countries. To prepare for this final transformation from the use of HCFC to alternative
refrigerants and to encourage the use of alternatives that do not harm the environment, a
report called “HCFC phase-out in the Nordic countries” was published in early 2014. The
aim of this report was to provide information to be used to guide the refrigeration industry
and the owners and users of HCFC-refrigeration systems. The report also provides examples
of how to change to more environmental friendly refrigeration systems with natural
refrigerants.
A substantial part of NOG’s work is to share experiences between the Nordic countries and
better the cooperation in order to fulfil the commitments in the Montreal protocol and the
EU regulation on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
Monitoring of the atmospheric ozone layer and UV radiation
In 1990 the Norwegian Environment Agency established the programme “Monitoring of the
atmospheric ozone layer”, which included measurements of total ozone at selected sites in
Norway. Some years later, in 1994/95, the network was expanded and “The Norwegian UV
network” was established. It consists of nine 5-channel GUV instruments located at sites
between 58°N and 79°N. In addition, the network included ozone lidar measurements until
2011. The measurements are undertaken by the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority
and the Norwegian Institute for Air Research on behalf of the Norwegian Environment
Agency.
Table 1 gives an overview of the location of the various stations, the type of measurements,
and the institutions/institutes responsible for the daily operation of the instruments.
Table 1: Overview of the locations and institutes involved in ozone and UV monitoring activities in Norway
Station
Location
Grimstad
Oslo
Østerås
Bergen
Finse
Kise
Trondheim
Andøya
Ny-Ålesund
58oN, 08oE
60oN, 10oE
60oN, 10oE
60oN, 05oE
60oN, 07oE
60oN, 10oE
63oN, 10oE
69oN, 16oE
79oN, 12oE
72ºS, 02ºE
Antarctica
UV
GUV
GUV
GUV
GUV
GUV
GUV
GUV
GUV
GUV
NILUUV
Total
ozone
Ozone lidar Institute
Brewer, GUV
Brewer, GUV
SAOZ, GUV
NILU-UV
x
Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority
University of Oslo/ Norwegian Institute for Air Research
Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority
Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority
Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority
Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority
Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority
Norwegian Institute for Air Research /Andøya Rocket Range
Norwegian Institute for Air Research
Norwegian Institute for Air Research
The measurement sites are marked in Figure 1: Blue circles represent sites where both
quality assured total ozone and UV measurements are performed, whereas green circles
represent sites with UV measurements only.
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Figure 1: Map of Norwegian ozone and UV sites
Reports on the monitoring of the atmospheric ozone layer and natural ultraviolet radiation
are prepared and published on an annual basis. For the year 2014 the report can be accessed
through the following link:
http://www.miljodirektoratet.no/no/Publikasjoner/2015/September-2015/Monitoring-of-theatmospheric-ozone-layer-and-natural-ultraviolet-radiation-Annual-Report-2014/
A more detailed description of the Norwegian activities on ozone research and monitoring
can be found in Norway’s contribution (p. 430-441) to the report from the ninth Meeting of
the Ozone Research Managers (9ORM) held in Geneva, 14 - 16 May 2014; ”Report of the
Ninth Meeting of the Ozone Research Managers of the Parties to the Vienna Convention for
the Protection of the Ozone Layer, WMO Global Ozone Research and Monitoring Project,
Report No. 54, WMO”
Information to the public and stakeholders
Real time values of total ozone, UV indices and cloud thickness for Oslo are available at
http://tid.uio.no/ozone/. Also, near real time data and historical ozone time series from the
SAOZ instrument in Ny-Ålesund can be found at http://saoz.obs.uvsq.fr.
NILU has developed a web portal for dissemination of UV-observations and UV forecasts
for Norway and common global tourist destinations, available at http://uv.nilu.no. The
content of the UV web pages are:
 UV forecast for three days for user-selected locations in Norway. The UV forecast is
given for clear-sky, partly cloudy and cloudy conditions. Snow cover is also taken
into account.
 Global UV forecast for common tourist destinations
 Measured UV doses and total ozone values measured at the Norwegian stations
 Facts on UV radiation and the ozone layer
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

Information about sun protection for different locations and situations
Preliminary total ozone values derived from the GUV instruments.
The public may receive ozone and UV forecasts at user-selected locations by e-mail. Also, a
smartphone app is under construction. The web application has been developed by NILU in
co-operation with the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Storm Weather Center,
and the Norwegian Environment Agency. The Norwegian Meteorological Institute has
developed an additional UV forecast service, where the weather forecast is an integrated part
of the forecasted UV index.
Observations performed by the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority and NILU are
also available at http://www.nrpa.no/uvnett/ together with annual doses and information on
sun protection.
A comprehensive description of facts about the ozone layer, the relevant national
circumstances, as well as the existing national and international legislation on the matter is
available at the Norwegian Environment Agency’s web pages, in particular at:
http://www.miljostatus.no.
During recent years the Norwegian Environment Agency has made great efforts in
preparing, extending and updating a web portal with information on industry-based
legislation, launched in 2005. The main purpose of this service is to guide enterprises to the
vast body of regulations. The website makes it easier for users to find out about
requirements related to health, safety and the environment that government authorities have
established for their industries. This service, which is subject to continuous update and
development, has been the product of a co-operation between the Environment Agency and
other Norwegian authorities, i.e. the National Labour Inspection Authority, the Directorate
for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the
National Industrial Safety and Security Organisation. The information provided is also
available in English and can be accessed through the following link:
http://regelhjelp.no/Engelsk/English/
In 2013 the Norwegian Environment Agency co-funded the production of a UNEP movie
"The Arctic & the Ozone Layer: Stabilizing our Environment and Climate". Several
Norwegian key researchers participated in the movie, together with the personnel operating
the monitoring stations.
Research projects and collaboration
The ozone and UV monitoring and model studies in Norway give rise to research
collaboration with national and international partners.
Norwegian institutions and scientists are participating in several international and national
projects related to ozone and UV. However, the number of projects have decreased
significantly the last years due to reduced funding and focus on stratospheric ozone. Below
is an overview of some of the most important projects related to ozone and UV research in
Norway:
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International projects
NDACC: The Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (1991->
present) is a set of high-quality remote-sounding research stations for observing and
understanding the physical and chemical state of the stratosphere. Ozone and key ozonerelated chemical compounds and parameters are targeted for measurement. The NDAAC is a
major component of the international middle atmosphere research effort and has been
endorsed by national and international scientific agencies, including the International Ozone
Commission, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the World Meteorological
Organization. Web-site: http://www.ndsc.ncep.noaa.gov/
SHIVA: Stratospheric ozone: Halogen Impacts in a Varying Atmosphere (2009-2012) aimed
to reduce uncertainties in present and future stratospheric halogen loading and ozone
depletion, resulting from climate feedbacks between emissions and transport of ozone
depleting substances (ODS). Of particular relevance has been the studies of short and very
short-lived substances (VSLS) with climate-sensitive natural emissions. It has been
performed field studies of ODS production, emission and transport, using ship, aircraft and
ground-based instrumentation. Web-site: http://shiva.iup.uni-heidelberg.de
National projects
SATLUFT I and II: Use of Satellite observations in the national and regional assessment of
air quality, the atmospheric ozone layer, ultraviolet radiation, and greenhouse gases (20072013). The main objectives of the projects are to use Earth Observation data to improve the
national and regional monitoring and assessment of the stratospheric ozone layer and surface
UV exposure, the air quality in Europe and greenhouse gases. NILU coordinates this project
which is funded by the Norwegian Space Centre and the European Space Agency.
Atmo-TROLL: Atmospheric research and monitoring at Troll – a long-term observational
program (2007->). This program intends to establish new knowledge on annual and shortterm variability as well as long-term changes of climate and pollution parameters. The list of
parameters comprises physical, optical and chemical properties of aerosols, ozone and UV,
organic and inorganic pollution including Hg, CO and NMHC and surface ozone. The
project is coordinated by NILU and funded by The Research Council of Norway.
Arctic EO: Arctic Earth Observation and Surveillance Technology (2009-2014). In the
project an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) platform is used, which can carry science
payloads for research within meteorology, climate, environment and Earth observation
disciplines. The project includes measurements and analyses of UV radiation and surface
characteristics such as albedo and BRDF (bidirectional reflectance distribution function).