Ozone

The Earth's protective ozone layer is on track to return to 1980s levels by the middle of this century, with the 2024 Antarctic ozone hole smaller than in recent years, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a new report. The WMO Ozone Bulletin 2024 said lower ozone depletion this year was partly due to natural atmospheric factors but stressed the long-term improvement reflects the success of global action. The bulletin was released on World Ozone Day, which also marked the 40th anniversary of the Vienna Convention that laid the foundation for international cooperation on ozone protection. "Forty years ago, nations came together to take the first step in protecting the ozone layer, guided by science, united in action," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The Vienna Convention and its Montreal Protocol became a landmark of multilateral success. Today, the ozone layer is healing. This achievement reminds us that when nations heed the warnings of science, progres

Ground-level ozone breached safe limits daily across Delhi-NCR this summer, exposing millions to serious respiratory risks and worsening the city's air quality

Intermittent showers over the past few days have helped reduce pollution levels in the national capital

Ozone pollution is stunting the growth of tropical forests, with the effect being stronger in Asia, where such forests are losing nearly 11 per cent of new growth, research has found. Air quality will continue to play an important, yet often overlooked, part in how forests absorb and store carbon, according to lead author Flossie Brown, a recent graduate of the University of Exeter. While ozone in the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere protects people from harmful ultraviolet radiations from the Sun, ozone closer to the ground level is harmful to plant and human health. The gas is formed when pollutants from human activities combine in the presence of sunlight. The researchers explained that urbanisation, industrialisation and burning fossil fuels and fires have resulted in an increase in 'precursor' gases -- such as nitrogen oxides -- that form ozone. The team found that ozone at the ground level can stunt new growth in tropical forests by over five per cent, translating into

The study warned that SpaceX's Starlink satellites emit significant amounts of aluminium oxide gas, which leads to reactions with chlorine, ultimately destroying ozone molecules

The region in the grip of a multi-pollutant crisis and ground-level ozone has exceeded standards nearly on all days of March-April, says CSE

The ozone layer is not healing as quickly as expected, leading to higher levels of surface ultraviolet (UV) radiation in recent years, according to a study. Despite projections that the ozone layer would fully recover by mid-century, researchers found rising UV radiation levels in the tropics and northern mid-latitudes after 2010, posing risks to human health and the environment. "Our analysis shows disturbed ozone levels and enhanced surface UV radiation for more than a decade after 2010," said study lead author Yan Xia of Beijing Normal University, China. "The slower recovery of stratospheric ozone is largely unexpected," Xia said in a statement. The study, published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, analysed satellite data and model simulations to assess long-term changes in ozone and surface UV levels around the globe. "We observed a decrease in ozone levels and an increase in UV radiation over latitudes between 30 degrees South-60 degrees North after 2010," Xia

Earth has pushed past seven out of eight scientifically established safety limits and into the danger zone, not just for an overheating planet that's losing its natural areas, but for well-being of people living on it, according to a new study. The study looks not just at guardrails for the planetary ecosystem but for the first time it includes measures of justice, which is mostly about preventing harm for countries, ethnicities and genders. The study by the international scientist group Earth Commission published in Wednesday's journal Nature looks at climate, air pollution, phosphorus and nitrogen contamination of water from fertilizer overuse, groundwater supplies, fresh surface water, the unbuilt natural environment and the overall natural and human-built environment. Only air pollution wasn't quite at the danger point globally. Air pollution is dangerous at local and regional levels, while climate was beyond the harmful levels for humans in groups but not quite past the safety

A wildfire can send smoke into the stratosphere, where it can linger for up to a year. According to a new MIT study, these particles can cause chemical reactions that erode the protective ozone layer

How will RS Sodhi's departure affect Amul? Why is the Oyo IPO getting delayed? Can new launches at Auto Expo 2023 put auto stocks in top gear? What is the Montreal Protocol? All answers here

Earth's protective ozone layer is slowly but noticeably healing at a pace that would fully mend the hole over Antarctica in about 43 years, a new United Nations report says. A once-every-four-years scientific assessment found recovery in progress, more than 35 years after every nation in the world agreed to stop producing chemicals that chomp on the layer of ozone in Earth's atmosphere that shields the planet from harmful radiation linked to skin cancer, cataracts and crop damage. In the upper stratosphere and in the ozone hole we see things getting better," said Paul Newman, co-chair of the scientific assessment. The progress is slow, according to the report presented Monday at the American Meteorological Society convention in Denver. The global average amount of ozone 18 miles (30 kilometers) high in the atmosphere won't be back to 1980 pre-thinning levels until about 2040, the report said. And it won't be back to normal in the Arctic until 2045. Antarctica, where it's so thin ..

Extremely large volcanic eruptions called might significantly warm Earth's climate and devastate the ozone layer that shields life from the Sun's UV radiation, suggests a new NASA climate simulation.

The ozone layer may be heating the Earth's atmosphere more than previously thought by weakening one of our planet's most important cooling mechanisms, according to a study

The research has also revealed that ozone in the lower atmosphere, in particular, contributed to warming in the southern ocean

Researchers cautioned that if major fires became more frequent with a changing climate, more damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun will reach the ground.

The ozone count in central Kolkata was 60 per cent more than the safe levels, raising concerns about public health and the threat it poses to the iconic Victoria Memorial.

It has the potential of an immunity-boosting prophylactic and can help ease post-Covid-19 complications

On World Ozone Day, have a look at the various causes, effects and solutions of ozone layer depletion

This year the slogan for World Ozone Day is 'Ozone For Life'

Ozone, a more reactive form of oxygen, causes lung-related issues and heavy breathing