Thomas Patrick Coohill a member of the Review Committee of the United Nations for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. His speciality is the effects of ultraviolet radiation on cells and viruses. He has published over 100 reviewed articles, book chapters, and books. He is a sought after consultant to industry and governments and has been a featured speaker in over 40 countries. Coohill is the recipient of several awards, including a Sigma Xi National Lectureship (twice), The Order of St. Michael (humanitarian), the meritorious RA Award from the American Society for Photobiology, and Outstanding Teacher and Researcher. He
Montreal Protocol Antarctic Survey scientists Joe Farman, Brian Gardiner and Jonathan Shanklin published results of abnormally low ozone concentrations above Halley Bay near the South Pole. They speculated that this was connected to increased levels of CFCs in the atmosphere. It took several other attempts to establish the Antarctic losses as real and significant, especially after NASA had retrieved matching data from its satellite recordings. The impact of these studies, the metaphor 'ozone hole', and the colourful visual representation in a time lapse animation proved shocking enough for negotiators in Montreal, Canada to take the issue seriously. Also in 1985, 20 nations,