WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

TUNISIA

In Tunisia we have not yet had a real start for the monitoring of stratospheric ozone, perhaps because of a lack of knowledge in the approach to this problem, in these terms I would like to thank the WMO for inviting me to participate in this meeting, I hope this will be a turning point in the ozone monitoring understanding in Tunisia.

At first I thought that tropospheric ozone was not taken into account and I managed it in my first report, but after Dr Bojkov's presentation the link showed what happens between the stratosphere and the troposphere ozone, I think that I am obliged to speak about mobile stations for air analyses that both the Tunisian Ministry of Environment and land use and the Tunisian Meteorological Institute have, with what they are collecting systematic data about the five principal species, namely, CO, CO₂, NO_x, SO₂ and O₃. No effective results have been made until now with these data, especially for public awareness, perhaps because of the lack in the manner to disseminate these data among the public.

This was in what concerns tropospheric ozone. Now concerning the stratospheric ozone. Up to two years ago the Tunisian government conducted, together with a scientific Hungarian team, my first experiment on UV-B radiation in the south of the country. I was personally a participant at this experiment which made UV-B measurements on the basis of uracil dimensation and under-sea measurements using bacteriophages. This team left Tunisia and no result was communicated despite the Tunisian Government reminding them to give the results of this campaign.

For the present and the future, following agenda 21 surged at the Rio Summit, in which it appears a necessity to set up an environmental objective system to ensure the durable development, the Ministry of Environment and land use proceed now to set up the Tunisian Environment Observatory that will constitute both an information help and a help to make decisions. One component of this observatory is air pollution control, but I think that through my presence here, our colleagues will provide me with the necessary help to extend the activity of this component to englobe stratospheric ozone monitoring as the first step would be realized and to make research in this matter possible in the second step.

In parallel, and in order to prepare the right persons for this observatory, it would be helpful if students in the last year could be involved in the research project in the confirmed stratospheric ozone research centre in order to increase their knowledge in the ozone research matter.